Rio de Janeiro Questions
 

I am thinking of taking a trip to Rio in early October, for about 10 days. I have been reading up on Rio in guidebooks and online, but still ahve a few questions.<BR><BR>I know the weather is runs generally from a low in the low sixties to a high in the high 70's. Is ther water warm enough for swimming? We are not going primarily for that, but it would still be nice to go in for a dip once in a while.<BR><BR>Any hotel recommendations? We would want to spend maybe $70 - $120 per night. Or what area is recommended. Am leaning towards Ipaema, but a metro stop is in Copa. There are also some hotels scattered in neighborhoods in between the center and the beaches. Any suggesions in the best area to stay in?<BR><BR>Also, as far as plans - I was thinking of about 6 nights in the city, including a day trip or may a stay overnight in Petropolis, and two nights in Parati (we like colonial towns). Ouro Prieto sounds very nice, but its a 7 hour bus ride - a bit far. Any thoughts on these plans?? <BR><BR>Any other tips are appreicated.

Howard, in Rio during that time you may want to check out the hotel Debret at www.debret.com. During that time they have a promotion going on for your 6 days at about $60 a day for a suite ocean front double with breakfast, great price. Its on Copacabana ocean front, nice 3 star hotel. Or you can check out www.blameitonrio4travel.com for a list of hotels in Rio. The weather in Rio in Oct could be in the 80's and even in the low 90's probably very beautiful weather. Good beach weather. Good places to eat: Marius in Leme a chuascaria steak house also Plataforma in Leblon a steak house and a folklore show upstairs. Another place is Mistura Fina in Lagoa a good place to eat and very good Brazilian music show upstairs. Theres more just let me know what you are interested in.

If you mean to use the metro, beware that it will take you from Copacabana to Botafogo, Flamengo, Catete and down town, besides Tijuca and some suburbs. If it's a business trip, and you are doing day trips to these neighborhoods, to stay close to a metro station would be wise, otherwise, it wouldn't. Better to use taxies or busses.<BR><BR>You can do better than Hotel Debret for 120 American dollars.<BR><BR>If I knew what your trip purpose is, it would be easier to advise the best place to stay.<BR><BR>As for the water temperature, depending on the currents, I'd say it will be lileky warm enough for swimming.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Surlok

Good morning Howard,<BR><BR>There are many nice hotels in Rio for the rate you are asking. I have a brand new hotel at the end of Copacabana and right around the corner from Ipanema. It is called the Orla Hotel. Check it out on the best site www.blameitonrio4travel.com. <BR><BR>October is a very nice time to come to Rio. You will love it. Regarding the weather you can never predict it. You always have to hope the days you have your vacation the weather is perfect. <BR><BR>I like posto 6 in Copacabaa to stay. this is the nicest part of Copa. <BR><BR>When you are in Rio you can stop by my offic and take care of all your plans to travel to other parts of Rio. It is a great odea to see other parts of Brazil when you are here. You can take a bus to Parati and Petropolis they are 2 hours from Rio. You can take a cheap flight to Ouro Preto and stay in the Luxor Hotels. <BR><BR>You can always call me in Rio 55 21 3813 5511.<BR><BR>Have a great time in Rio. It is a fabulous place.<BR>

Hi,Howard<BR>I'm brazilian and know very well Rio.What do you want to do there-are you going with a friend or a wife/girl friend?If you tell me how old are you and what's the purpose of your trip I can advice you of what to do,which places to go,like the best restaurants,discos,tours-like the "favela" jeep tour... there's a bus service called Rio tourist bus where you can hopp on and off as many times as you want.<BR>The weather will be fine ,this is the beggining of our spring.<BR>About hotels:definitely stay in Ipanema.As the USD is almost R$ 3,00 you can get good offers :ipanemaplaza.com.br<BR>everest.com.br; solipanema.com.br, all 4 stars<BR>I hope you enjoy your trip to Brasil with "s"<BR>But promise yourself to come back for new year,or the best of all,to Carnival<BR><BR>George

Hello Howard, <BR><BR>as you just got some answers from other posters here in this forum I will go straight to the point:<BR><BR>Well, many posters here seem to like more Ipanema than Copacabana, ..<BR>but in my opinion Copacabana is better to stay for a foreigner(at first visit in Rio), because it is much closer to the Metro-Station "Cardeal Arcoverde".<BR>With the Metro it is very easy to get to some touristic-places in Rio, as well as in combination with the mentioned Rio -Tourist Bus!<BR>If you stay in Ipanema, you have to take a taxi (or bus) to Copacabana first, or you go by feet.<BR><BR>Weather, as all peple posted is still very well in October, and you will surely be able to swim!<BR><BR>A very good idea to go from Rio to Petropolis (1 hour by bus, about 6-8 Reais /person)...it is very nice there and a good climate!<BR>But it is not necesarry that you stay overnight there, you can go early in the morning and coming back late afternoon, no problem!<BR>If you want to stay in Petropolis overnight, this is the most famous hotel there: Hotel Quitandinha<BR><BR>Av. Estados Unidos, 2 - Quitandinha <BR>Telefone (24) 2237-1012 <BR><BR>Here is the official web-page from Petrotur-Petropolis, where you can find a lot of other hotels/Pousadas in Petropolis (under "Hospedagem"):<BR>http://www.petrotur.rj.gov.br<BR><BR>Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais is very nice, but I think that you should better go to Paraty instead, because you ony have 10 days in Brazil!<BR>That's about a 2 hours bus drive south of Rio.<BR><BR>If you would like to have more informations on hotels/Pousadas in Paraty, Petropolis or Rio, or any other information ..plerase contact me directly by Mail: [email protected]<BR><BR>I am a frequently Brazil traveller, have been there 14 times and know Rio very well!<BR><BR>Hope to hear from you soon!<BR>Greetings<BR><BR>Evelyn

Sorry, Evelyn, but where would Howard go by metro? To the Sugar Loaf, or Corcovado? No way. He could go downtown, to see some churches, and museums, or even to see the Outeiro da Gloria church, but where else? Besides, to be walking distance from Cardeal Arcoverde metro station, he would have to stay in Posto 3, otherwise, he would have to walk a lot. Frankly, our metro network isn't yet useful to tourists, unless for very few places. <BR><BR>Besides, as George says, with the US Dollar worthing about 3 Reais, a taxi ride would be much easier, and dirty cheap.<BR><BR>I also agree with George's hotel recommendations. They are nicer and better located than the other hotels mentioned.<BR>

Well Surlok, <BR><BR>essa e a sua opiniao...!!!<BR>(that's your opinion), <BR>but I (as a Rio- tourist)allways liked much more to go with the Metro to the city centre or some other places, than to go by bus or taxi (cause taxi is still a bit more expensive and some buses-in certain rush-hours are just awfull when they are crowded!)<BR><BR>Of course that Howard can't go by Metro to Corcovado and Sugar Loaf, ...(for that he can better use the mentioned Tourist bus or common buses!) ..but this aren't the only sites in Rio...don't you think??<BR><BR>By Metro can be reached following places:<BR>city-centre and old city (I think only the architecture is very interesting in downtown!), various museums, Gloria church, Candelaria church, Sambodromo, Rio's zoo, Quinta da Boa Vista and National Museum, Maracana-stadium, Flamengo-beach, Botafogo-beach, ..<BR>I think it's a great oportunity to go with the Metro-Rio!<BR>And in combination to go to for example Sugar Loaf or Corcovado , or other places like Jardim Botanico,Praca Quinze etc, ..you can allways take a bus!<BR><BR>Abracos<BR>Evelyn

I didn't read through the whole thread, but just wanted to let you know that I was in Rio at the end of May and the Pao de acucar (Sugarloaf) was closed for renovation (of the cable car). They said it was to reopen in July. Brasilians are great, but punctuality isn't their foremost virtue, so I would check, call ahead first. There is more updated info available i'm sure, but that's my $0.02.<BR>Boa viagem

Evelyn,<BR><BR>You said:<BR><BR>"By Metro can be reached following places:city-centre and old city (I think only the architecture is very interesting in downtown!), various museums, Gloria church, Candelaria church,<BR>Sambodromo, Rio's zoo, Quinta da Boa Vista and National Museum, Maracana-stadium, Flamengo-beach, Botafogo-beach, ..<BR> I think it's a great oportunity to go with the Metro-Rio!<BR>And in combination to go to for example Sugar Loaf or Corcovado , or other places like Jardim Botanico,Praca Quinze etc, ..you can allways take a bus!"<BR><BR>I must disagree: sure, the metro is useful to go down town, where many museums are, as is Candelaria Church, and Arcos da Lapa, so, a first time visitor would spend two days, maximum three visiting down town. Maracana is maybe interesting for some tourists, and the Quinta da Boa Vista and Zoo for some others, but the Sambodromo, frankly, unless it's carnival, what's interesting about it to a first time visitor, when there are so many more interesting things to being seen? Although I agree that Rio has much more to offer than nature and beaches, this is not what most first time visitors are looking for. So, a bus ride ( a frescao) from Ipanema to down town would offer the tourist a lot of sightseeing, Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, the Enseada de Botafogo, and Flamengo beach, the Aterro do Flamengo view, besides the Sugar Loaf and Corcovado. What one gets to see going by metro? I believe a first time visitor would like to go to Tijuca Forrest, Botanical Garden, as you said, maybe Prainha and Grumari, and this would have to be done only by bus or taxi. Even a visit to Outeiro da Gloria is better to be made by taxi, before or after Corcovado and maybe with Largo do Boticario in between. Rio is not New York, Paris, London or Sao Paulo, it's mostly a solar city, where one wants to be on the ground and have the possibility of seeing the sights rather than being undergroud. Were the network wider, and more varied, it would make some sense for a tourist to look for a hotel close to a metro station, but this is not the case.<BR><BR>I hope you got my point, as well Howard, who is the one that has to make a choice.<BR><BR>Regards ( ou abra&ccedil;os),<BR><BR>S

Hi,<BR><BR>I'm also going to Rio in October this year, I'm glad to hear that the weather will be good, as I wasn't sure.<BR><BR>I'm travelling over with a friend, we're staying in Rio for 2 weeks, in a hotel called Oceano Copacabana (http://www.oceanohotel.com.br/). Does anyone know much about this hotel? If it's decent etc? I know the price is good though.<BR><BR>Could anyone tell me of a few good restaurants or cafes in Copacabana too? <BR><BR>Also does anyone know anything about the island Ilha Grande? Such as how far is it from Rio? Are there organised tours to it? I've read a bit about it on the internet, but would like to hear first hand info.<BR><BR>If you have anymore tips about what to do in Rio, I'd love to hear them!<BR><BR>Thanks! Can't wait to get there!!<BR><BR>Jane :)

Hi Howard,<BR><BR>I will be travelling to Rio in October too so have already had quite a good look at what's available.<BR><BR>May I recommend HotelsBrazil.com website, they have reviews of a lot of the most popular hotels within all areas and price ranges. <BR><BR>http://hotelsbrazil.com/all.phtml?city=Rio%20de%20Janeiro<BR><BR>I'm not on their payroll honest! I went through quite a few hotel sites so if you want me to send you a list of links feel free to email me.<BR><BR>Hope you're looking forward to your trip as much as I am!<BR><BR>Anne<BR>

Anne, here are a couple of restaurent sites:<BR>http://www.tempero.com.br/ - on this site a very nice Italian place is Dom Camilio, check it out also:<BR>http://www.boalembranca.com.br/boaing/nossos.html - all these places are top notch, my favorites are: Mistura Fina, Quadrofoglia, Paz Delicia, Margutta, there all on the site, if you see something else that interests you, they are all good. There are many others too, tell us what your interested in.<BR>

Hi Don, <BR>Thanks for those links. Do they have a wide range of different cuisines in Rio? Italian will suit me though!<BR>Thanks,<BR>Jane

Jane, as in any big city there is a wide range of different cuisines, I tend to gravitate towards the Italian and Brazilian types of places. For example on a nice night there are plenty of nice cafes along Copacabana beach for an informal not expensive very good meal with the best views and people watching too. Of course thete are plenty of people on this board that will steer you away from Copacabana but that's there taste, this area has all types of people and I mean all types. Another great Brazilian type place is Garota de Ipanema in Ipanema, inexpensive, lively and across the street is Vinicius with a restaurant downstairs and a music club upstairs. Then of course there are the chussacarias both Marius in Leme and Porcao in Ipanema with a new branch opened up in the old Rio in Flamengo with the best view of Sugar Loaf. Italian: Satyricon in Ipanema and Margutta, Dom Camilio and Monte Carlo in Copacabana and the best for fish is Shirleys in Leme behind the Meridian hotel. What else?

Hi, <BR><BR>Thanks again for the restaurant info Don. I'm, sure I've read about it before, but what are 'chussacarias'? <BR><BR>The only thing I'm worried about now is not being able to communicate with the locals. I've been learning Spanish since earlier in the year (not for this trip obviously), I've not had chance to learn much Portuguese yet, I can see me getting my Portuguese & Spanish mixed up now! Getting a phrase book though...any other advice is very welcome!<BR><BR>Does anyone know of any radio stations in Rio/Brazil that I could listen to online?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR>Jane

Jane, a chuascaria is a Brazilian steak house rodizio style, which is where the meat all types is barbecued and the waiters stroll around from table to table and cut the meat right on your plate. All you can eat, you tell them when you are finished. You have 4 months to pick up some portuguese, if you know spanish then many of the words are similar with a different accent and slightly different spelling. Don't be afraid to speak your spanish, you will get by. I have a link to Brazilian radio stations but I will send it to you another time. I got an email from a friend in Rio yesterday he said that he recently had a great beach day at close to 90 degrees, so the weather in Oct could be hot.

http://www.radios.com.br/index.htm, this is the link for Brazilian radio stations and TV. For radio try clicking on MPB for music popular brazilian

Thank you for the links Don.<BR><BR>I forgot to ask actually, quite a few of you know a lot about Rio, do any of you know of any good vegetarian places? I hoping most places with cater for us veggies to some extent though.<BR><BR>Any ideas?<BR><BR>Thanks!<BR><BR>Jane

<BR>One of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in Rio is:<BR><BR>"Natural" <BR>Ipanema Rua Bar&atilde;o da Torre, 171<BR> 267-3672 <BR><BR>They have a nice vegie buffet and weigh the food by the kilo.<BR>Jill