Add your sail date and the links open on the night before.
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Windsor Guanabara is first overall: it ties for the top evening score, 12 of 15, and it has the shortest distance in our ranking — on an estimated pin. The hotel has a rooftop pool and pool bar open until 23:30, a sauna and a gym, and the terminal is about 900 m away by our map.
That 900 m is an estimate from the street address, not a measured walk. It’s a 542-room city tower, not a beach hotel — fine for one night before a ship. The directory says reception holds bags — when there’s space, so ask first.
Breakfast is a buffet — though Windsor doesn’t promise it in every rate. Ask for one that includes it.
Book it if
- You want a rooftop pool and a short taxi to the ship
- You land early and want to drop bags at reception
- There are children in the party; Windsor sells Family Plan rooms
Look elsewhere if
- You want a beach evening
- You’re bringing a pet, until the hotel says yes
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Windsor Guanabara publishes and our own map estimates.
A restaurant with lunch 12:00 to 15:30 and dinner 18:00 to 23:30, room service around the clock, and a rooftop pool bar until 23:30, per the hotel’s directory.
No ride to the ship is listed. We put the terminal about 900 m away in a straight line, estimated from the street address. That’s a short taxi with bags, or an easy walk if you’re traveling light. Windsor names Pier Mauá among its nearby sights.
A buffet from 06:00 to 10:30, per the hotel’s directory — though Windsor doesn’t say it’s in every rate. Check yours before you book.
About 900 m to the terminal in a straight line and roughly 15 minutes on foot, both estimates from the street address. With cases, take a taxi — your boarding documents set the check-in time, not the hotel.
Windsor lists parking for a fee, subject to availability, with no price. Nothing says you can leave the car while you sail, so ask before you drive.
Night-Before Score: 42 of 100
Every point comes from Windsor’s page for the hotel and its guest directory; the hub explains how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
By our map estimate Windsor Guanabara is about 12.5 km from Galeão in a straight line, and about 900 m from Pier Mauá. Every question mark below is a ride you book yourself.
No airport shuttle is mentioned on the pages we read.
No ride to the ship is listed. We put the terminal about 900 m away in a straight line, estimated from the street address. That’s a short taxi with bags, or an easy walk if you’re traveling light. Windsor names Pier Mauá among its nearby sights.
From GIG without a hotel shuttle
From Galeão, RIOgaleão’s counter-taxi table prints R$ 87 to Praça Mauá at Tariff 1 and R$ 104 at Tariff 2 (nights, Sundays and holidays). The table is undated, so confirm at the booth. Pier Mauá puts the ride at about 25 minutes without traffic. From Santos Dumont, the VLT runs straight to the terminal for R$ 5, per VLT Carioca, but it bars big bags. The airport page has the fares.
Windsor lists parking for a fee, subject to availability, with no price. Nothing says you can leave the car while you sail, so ask before you drive.
Parking for your stay: Parking for an extra fee, subject to space; ask reception for the price.
No ride to the ship is listed. We put the terminal about 900 m away in a straight line, estimated from the street address. That’s a short taxi with bags, or an easy walk if you’re traveling light. Windsor names Pier Mauá among its nearby sights.
Flying in the morning you sail? Flying in the morning you sail? A delayed flight has nowhere to go, so the airport page recommends coming the day before, and has the landing check: the airport page has the landing check.
Which quay
Pier MauáPier Mauá runs Rio’s international cruise terminal at Av. Rodrigues Alves 10, and the VLT stops at both ends of it. Windsor Guanabara is about 900 m from our pin for the terminal in a straight line, and about 500 m from Praça Mauá. Both are estimates: the hotel pin comes from its street address, and Pier Mauá doesn’t say which armazém your ship uses. The Rio cruise guide has the rest.
Source: piermaua.rioDistance
~900 m, straight lineAbout 900 m from Pier Mauá between our map pins, roughly 15 minutes on foot at an easy pace. That’s our estimate, not the hotel’s.
Parking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedWindsor lists parking for a fee, subject to availability, with no price. Nothing says you can leave the car while you sail, so ask before you drive.
In town
VMS lot on the Boulevard Olímpico, no price publishedPier Mauá lists a 24-hour car park on the Boulevard Olímpico, run by its partner VMS, with the entrance on Av. Barão de Tefé and a footpath out by Armazéns 3 and 4. No daily rate is published, and nothing says it takes cars for a whole cruise. Email estacionamentoparadadosnavios@gmail.com or call 21 97570-9047 before you count on it.
The evening and the morning
The evening
Food or bar on siteA restaurant with lunch 12:00 to 15:30 and dinner 18:00 to 23:30, room service around the clock, and a rooftop pool bar until 23:30, per the hotel’s directory.
Breakfast
Depends on the rateA buffet from 06:00 to 10:30, per the hotel’s directory — though Windsor doesn’t say it’s in every rate. Check yours before you book.
Address
Av. Presidente Vargas, CentroAvenida Presidente Vargas, 392, Centro, 20071-000 Rio de Janeiro
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Windsor Guanabara publishes it. We couldn’t confirm whether breakfast is included, the parking price, accessible rooms or the pet policy, so ask when you book.
Check-in and check-out
Breakfast
A buffet from 06:00 to 10:30, per the hotel’s directory — though Windsor doesn’t say it’s in every rate. Check yours before you book.
Parking for your stay
Parking for an extra fee, subject to space; ask reception for the price
Pool
A rooftop pool open 08:00 to 19:00 for guests, per the directory; it’s shallow, so no diving.
Pets
The 2023 guest directory says animals aren’t allowed unless the law requires it. The document looks unfinished and is three years old, so ask.
Food and drink on site
- RestaurantLunch and dinner, buffet and à la carte
- Rooftop pool bar08:00 to 23:30
- Room service24 hours
Rooms
542 apartments and suites, per Windsor, including Superior Executivo Family Plan rooms.
Accessibility
Windsor Guanabara’s pages we read don’t detail accessible rooms, so ask before you book one.
On site
- GymYes
- Sauna or spaYes
- Family roomsYes
- Pets allowedNot stated
Also worth knowing
- Luggage storage through reception, subject to space
- Gym 08:00 to 23:00 and sauna 08:00 to 22:00, both for ages 14 and up
- Windsor’s page describes Santos Dumont as a few minutes away
Before you book
Worth knowing
- Check-in from 15:00, check-out 12:00.
- The pool closes at 19:00; the bar runs until 23:30.
- Parking is extra and depends on space.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Whether breakfast is included
- The parking price
- Accessible rooms or the pet policy
Every hotel fact here comes from Windsor’s page for the hotel and its guest directory, read October 2026, unless we name another source. Distances are straight lines between our own map pins, except Gamboa Rio’s, which comes from a listing.
Worth a look alongside it
Before you book Windsor Guanabara: the Rio de Janeiro cruise guide and our South America and Antarctica cruise guide.
A rooftop swim, then a short taxi to the ship.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Windsor Guanabara for the night before. No payment on the form.
Windsor Guanabara FAQ
How far is Windsor Guanabara from the Pier Mauá cruise terminal?
About 900 m in a straight line, an estimate from the street address. With bags, take a taxi.
Does Windsor Guanabara have a pool?
Yes, a rooftop pool open 08:00 to 19:00, with a sauna and a gym, per the hotel’s directory.
Is breakfast included at Windsor Guanabara?
Windsor lists a buffet from 06:00 to 10:30 but doesn’t say it’s in every rate. Check yours.
Can I leave luggage at Windsor Guanabara?
Reception stores bags if there’s space, per the directory. Ask about limits.
Booking the cruise too?
Tell us the sailing and we’ll line up Windsor Guanabara, the ride to the ship and the cruise itself. No fee, no obligation.
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