Just got back from Brazil and Argentina. Rio is all that other posters say it is. The beaches are fantastic. It is so easy to walk from Copacabana to Ipanema - maybe a 2 hour walk from one end to the other (which I did). Try to be there on a Sunday when the main beachside avenues are closed to traffic, but even on normal days there is a large bike/walking path. Other than the beach, the Christ Statue and Sugar Loaf are the other sights to see. You really don't need a guide to see them. Just take a taxi to the bottom of each and go on your own and enjoy the spectacular sights from the top. Stay on Copacabana Beach, tho on Ipanema is a close second call. If you can, visit Sao Paulo. We loved seeing the modern architecture of the City and the Renaissance Hotel there is the best hotel we have ever stayed in. there are several other hotels even more spectacular from a design standpoint, as well as shops that make Rodeo Drive look like Anytown Main Street. Restaurant in SP that is a don't miss is Figueira Rubaiyat. A great looking place with wonderful food and the best wine selections. If you happened to see my BA report you will see that the only restaurant I enjoyed in BA was a place called Cabana Las Lilas. the Rubaiyat coincidentally has the same ownership. I was somewhat surprised that my Spanish was not too helpful in Brazil, but the hotels all speak English and if you speak Spanish you can understand a lot of the signs and menus.

sorry. ....from a design standpoint.

sorry again. hope this is not confusing. last post about design was meant for another poster.

Larry, did you see the hotel unique in sao paulo? anyway i checked out the rooms but even with the discount they offered i don't really want to pay $200 a night for a room. did you go listen to music in the evening? since it will be just me and my daughters i was wondering if they offered night tours where it would be safe for us to go to some clubs and hear local entertainment. also since i don't eat meat just fish and chicken dishes what were some of the other places you might recommend...thx and it sounded like you had a good time. i have collected more info about brazil in file than anywhere else, so i really appreciate everyone's feedback.

Yed, kdm, I did see Hotel Unigue in Sao Paulo. Even if you don't stay there it is worth a trip there to see it. One of the most unusual designed hotels I have seen. And the club on the top floor is a quite spectacular with a great view. Sorry I don't know of any nighttime tours in SP. I doubt that there are any, but you can visit several places by cab with your daughters such as the Unique club (which I think is called Sky). The other hotels in the area are the Renaissance (which you read me rave about), Emiliano and Faisono (sorry not spelled correctly). Any of these hotels can give you info about night life. The Renaissance would still be my choice and it is the biggest of these, I believe. As for a restaurant, the one I posted about has fish as well as meat. Go there for a night time dinner if you can. Remember, I was only there for one night so I cannot recommend other restaurants, but the Ruaiyat would be hard to beat both for a setting and for food and wine.

Sorry, just found my notes. The hotel is Fasano. Don't know price range of any of these hotels, but the Emiliano told me that they are the highest priced in town. The club at the Unique is spelled Skye, I think. Anohter restaurant that was recommended by my hotel was Gero. I think it is actually located in a large mall. I got that name also from looking up the archives in NYTimes.com. The Figueira Rubaiyat address is R.Haddock Lobo 1738.

Well, I did look at your hotel in Sao Paulo, but I am on a budget trip. It does look very nice. Do you know if Brazilian Portuguese is written any different than Portuguese? I need to buy a book to translate menu items since there are so many things I don't eat. Obrigada :->

Well, you got the thank you part down pat. You are well on your way with the language. Sorry I do not have any info on any differences in the language. However, we did not have any problem with reading menus in Brazil. Maybe at some of the smaller places you will be visiting, but not in Sao Paulo or Rio.

KDM, Im no expert on the differences between continental and Brazilian Portuguese but why do you ask? Do you speak Continental Portuguese fluently? If you do then you will have no problem in Brazil just like people from England have no problem in the US or people from Spain have no problem in Argentina. But if you don't speak continental Portuguese then get a book or a tape and start learning the basics, waiters for the most part and taxi drivers do not speak English and not all menus are in English except in big hotels and big expensive restaurants in tourist areas.

I was wondering if you could suggest the best way to travel between Rio and Sao Paulo. I am looking for a safe, yet reasonably priced method. Can you also tell me how long the trip shoudl be?

Thanks!

Well Larry I am happy that you could "read my thank you" now hopefully they will understand it when I say it.

Dondiega I don't speak Continental Portuguese, but thanks to Pimsleur eu falo um pouco portuguese. I have read posts that French and Spanish can help and that is where my daughters come in since they went to an international school where they were taught in French, Spanish and English, however there might be that moment I will be faced at making a food decision on my own. That is when I guess a little pocket translator would come in handy.

orrloff, based on Dondiego's post to a previous email I am planning to use GOL airlines. I just hope I can make travel arrangements at the last minute without a 7 day advance reservation penalty since I am traveling stand-by to Brazil.

I am counting the days.....

KDM: Being a native from Sao Paulo, I hope I can help you.
Language: Written Portuguese in Portugal is pretty much the same as in Brazil (or Brasil I should say). There are some vocabulary differences (pretty much like in the UK vs. USA). The fancy restaurants that Larry mentioned (Figueira, Gero, Fasano) should all have menus in English but I consider them expensive. The general area of Jardins (where the Renaissance hotel is located) has plenty of restaurants to choose from. Also, if you are looking for more reasonable hotels you might take a look at the Melia Confort Jardins for example. You can get a room for $60 or so and it is a very decent hotel.
Sao Paulo is known for its night life. It all depends on what you are looking for. Be aware that people will start showing up at 11PM or later!

Let me know if I can be of further help.

Obrigada Satrijo for both of your posts. I will look into the jardins area for a place. Maybe you can tell me how the airlines in Brasil operate. For example, if you book in the US 1 day before your trip it may be more expensive than booking 7 days in advance. Do you know if that is true for GOL?

KDM: I would say that Gol is the Southwest airlines of Brazil. They are supposed to be the cheapest one operating from Sao Paulo to Rio. I am actually flying from Sao Paulo to Rio on a business trip so I am taking TAM Airlines. I will see if I can do some more digging on how GOL handles last minute tickets vs. advance purchases. Stay tuned. When are you travelling? If you prefer, feel free to e-mail me: [email protected].

Satrijoe that will be great if you can check for me. I just sent GOL's website group an email to see if they could assist. Since I travel standby I can tell you that I hope to catch a flight in June, but we will see how booked the flights get for this month. Trying to stay positive, but lately many people are starting to book flights in your direction.

kdm and anyone else interested in Sao Paulo, if you are on this thread you see how entranced I was with Sao Paulo. Coincidentally, in the June issue of "Food and Wine" Magazine there is a great article about Sao Paulo and what a glamourous city it is. Try to see an issue. Don't know if you can find the article online but you might try it if you cant locate a magazine copy - foodandwine.com KDM, if your daughters see this article they will insist on staying in the Jarins area and will force you to see the clubs mentioned, including SKYE at Hotel Unique.

Larry I found the article and can't believe I am reconsidering this hotel....Até logo

Denise

Good for you, Denise. I hate to say it; but even with the beauty of Rio and Iguazu, Sao Paulo is what we wind up talking about when we rehash our trip. Can you believe that article about the late hours. Will you take your girls to a place like that and stay with them til dawn? If so, you're a better person than me. But wasnt that a great article? And so timely.