Belmond Hotel das Cataratas

Staying at the Hotel means you can see the Waterfalls at any time you want - and at dawn and at sunset they are spectacular. The Hotel is a fantastic place to stay, with great service, lovely bar and restaurants and a splendid pool to relax by when you are not out on excursions.

Not cheap, but if you can afford it, this is the best way to experience the Iguaçu Falls! The only hotel located inside the Iguaçu National Park on the Brasil side, with the first viewpoint right in front of the hotel. Elegant colonial architecture with well-equipped guest rooms. Outstanding service equaling the best of Asian hospitality - efficient and friendly, at all levels and in all departments. The cuisine is very good, although more Asian options would have been nice (the sushi is not that fresh or innovative!).

Wonderful Location and Facility. This was my first experience with a Belmond property and my expectations were high. I was encouraged to make dinner reservations before my arrival due to the holiday and limited availability on location. Even though I made reservations and showed verified the confirmations, they were not honored.

The most amazing experience. Every detail was thought through, even including a midnight snack on New Year’s Eve for the people who stayed up. As soon as we were checked in, our luggage was brought to our room and the hotel provided us with delicious drinks and snacks. Very welcoming environment with kind staff. The rooms were very big, with a very nice bathroom as well. Very beautiful view from the hotel rooms of the waterfalls. Additionally because the hotel is in the park, we get early access to the falls before the crowds come

We stayed over the Christmas holiday so our experience may not be typical of the hotel’s ambience at other periods. Anyway, this is our experience and opinion. We stayed here for five nights after three nights at the Gran Melia over on the Argentine side of the Falls. Although the exterior of that hotel is rather brutal and a blot on the landscape there is no doubt in our minds that it’s a better place to stay than the Belmond. The Belmond is in a sort of faux colonial-style, heritage building that dates from the 1950s. The interiors and long corridors to the various accommodation wings are superbly designed and maintained. The odd thing is this: while the Gran Melia is totally focussed on the Falls, the Belmond turns its back on them. The front terraces have a view of the road and the endless flocks of tourists who arrive by the bus-load. The falls are behind that. Few rooms have proper views or proper balconies. I think your choice of room can have a major impact on your stay here. We opted for the entry level ‘superior’ room. Bigger than we feared, smaller than we hoped, the room was a challenge to deal with ergonomically and failed to reflect current travel requirements. Only one power socket for instance and that needed a special adapter from the hotel - the only time in our six hotels in South America that we needed such a thing. A tiny table. Cramped tea-making facility in a cupboard. Chipped and grotty wardrobe. Few hangers. You get the picture. Nice 1950s decor, though, good air-con and the bathroom was perfectly OK, better in fact than the one at the Gran Melia. Our room lacked any kind of view. Servicing of the room was erratic and sometimes non-existent. The lobby and the gorgeous adjoining lounges were often full of people. Noise levels were high, mountains of luggage were lying about. It all resembled a railway station. The garden is lovely but lacks proper seating so one is forced to sit in one of the bar terraces or by the pool. The terrace in front of the fancy Y restaurant offers superb views of the buses. There is a large pool here, swarming with butterflies and, indeed, guests. There are no outdoor jacuzzis which one has every right to expect at this price level these days. Looking at the pool and the architecture of the building, you could just as well be in a resort in Southern California. There is also little peace and quiet because of the ever circling sightseeing helicopters; sometimes it felt like being on the set of Apocalypse Now. We only ate in the restaurant by the pool. There is a sort of ‘fine dining’ restaurant but these days we find fancy-fussy Michelin-starred chefs easy to resist. In the main restaurant there is a buffet every night with a great choice of hot and cold dishes though we thought the steaks on offer were second-rate. Breakfasts here were world class. This is not a quiet, exclusive retreat. It is, however, the only option if you truly to want to see the Brazilian side of the Iguassu Falls before the park gates open. Our walks started at 6.30am and were unforgettable.