External Reviews
Sunday Times, UK: "Here's another Rio altogether: a Rio of rainforest slopes and Christ high above. The city's landmark Jesus statue, Cristo Rendetor, seems to float in the sky when lit white against a black night - a serene vision the postcards rarely capture. Boticario 32, likewise, exists beyond the buxom brochure image of the city: a super-modern two-suite bachelor pad, contained in a Neoclassical mansion that holds court in a pretty fountained square. History drips off it, in hand-painted tiles of Portuguese origin; a facade co-opted from a Spanish mansion; a staircase jemmied from an Italian palazzo and repositioned intact after its long Atlantic crossing. Boticario 32 is not a hotel: Brazilian owner Lucio Beleza (who did it up after the dereliction that followed long, golden years of royal visitors) is adamant about that. And so this is perhaps not one for Rio first-timers (although it is walking distance from Christ). Furnishings are space-age playful (Opal Fruit-coloured chairs Austin Powers would covet), and you'll be invited to dine with the family on Brazilian fish dishes, as the chat switches from city slums to samba, late into the night."
Bazaar Travel, UK:
"Once home to an art collector, this neo-classical mansion, surrounded by rainforest, has hosted Edward VII, George VI and Le Corbusier. The grand interior mixes antiques and modern design classics. Two spacious guest suites have chandeliers and free-standing baths."