We stayed at The Mareiro as part of a larger group. The hotel is ageing a little in parts and the beach front is currently undergoing upgrade works which probably will take at least another 12 months.
The staff are friendly and there is a nice pool and small gym area. The main restaurant is a little limited in its choice but the food quality was OK.
Whilst being a beach front hotel the general feel of the area to us was that it was not entirely safe. Brazil is a country of vast extremes in terms of social well being and the streets are full of homeless people many of whom beg, but also those who are criminalised and possibly know no better. I would imagine it is easy to be a victim here.
The hotel was good in making sure that cabs were of the licensed type, and in general there was little to complain about. The wi-fi was good and housekeeping carried out daily by trust worthy and friendly staff.
The breakfast area is on a nice terrace overlooking the beach with a creperie, that makes fresh crepes, waffles and omelettes to order as you watch them. That gave a great start to each day.
The area around the hotel is surrounded by much newer development reflecting the money that is obviously being spent in regeneration of the area in general, however the infrastructure around it is slow to keep pace with roads particularly poor in condition.
In general we had no real complaints about the hotel which served as a decent base for our stay.