Red

I am flexible with my travel plans in terms of dates.<BR><BR>I want to relax in Rio for a couple weeks. I want to golf (I know there are only a couple gourses in Rio), realx at a pool and go to the beach during the day. I want a very nice hotel with all the amenities.<BR><BR>At night I want to go to very nice restaurants. I also want to sample the clubs and have fun. This includes going to the Help Disco.<BR><BR>I want to be safe and feel safe.<BR><BR>I want to go when the weather is warm and there are people to meet yet I don't want a mob scene as in Carnival.<BR><BR>Suggestions of when and where to go??<BR><BR>Thanks.

Joaquim

Red, you have a couple of conflicting requests where you can have one without the other. the best pools are at the Sheraton and the Intercontinental but they are not on Ipanema or Copacabana. On the other hand if you want to entertain new friends in your room you would be better off choosing a 4 star hotel that has a liberal guest policy. This year Carnival in March 4 so a good time to go would be 2 - 4 weeks before Carnival and 1 - 3 weeks after Carnival. You may want to check out the Luxor regente hotel, The orla hotel or the Debret.

liz

Red,<BR>You will want to stay at the Copacabana Palace if your budget allows...the most famous and lovely hotel in Latin America, and the most gorgeous pool and the most gorgeous people! Plus beach front with beach service, a fitness center, etc. They will set you up (as will any hotel) with a hotel assigned taxi driver, you will cut a deal and he will take you where you want to go at night and wait to take you home, and also day trips that involve driving, like the top of Corcorvado or more remote beaches. The weather in March is fabulous, go just after Carnaval. Also: only the Copacabana Palace has rooms with windows that open! The air is so sultry, it is a shame to be airsealed in your room. So I would skip the Caeser Park, Meridien, Intercontinental, Sheraton and Marriott for that reason. Plus the concierge at the Copa can get you entre to the golf clubs, etc. Be sure to dine at Antiquarius - a traditional restaurant with Portuguese cuisine.<BR>but be aware that Rio is a FUN mecca, not a FOODIE mecca. Cariocas like to have good bodies for the beach! I have dined at 3:30AM on various occasions. It is VERY HOT at noon. You will awaken, breakfast in your room, run or walk on the beach in your speedo, hang out at the pool probably in the shade or spend some time on the beach, perhaps walk to other neighborhoods in the later afternoon, come back to the hotel, swim in the gorgeous pool, take a rest, then get up on go out late (except on Monday and Tuesday which are pretty quiet nights). Probably you will want to visit Buzios for a few days, the hotel can make all the arrangements. Enjoy!

Cadu

I'm from Rio. Any help u want plz send me a message. U'll love our city, it's wonderful.

Joaquim

Liz, you are a very romantic writer, keep in mind that if you open your windows in Rio you will only smell the sweet burning of alcohol from the car engines. Also I would imagine that if you go to a travel agent they can give you the names of all the 5 star hotels in Rio including the Palace so this is not insider information this is common knowledge. Anybody can spend up to $300 for a room and almost be guaranteed a fine hotel and room. I would imagine people come to this board to try to find information more than that

liz

Joaquim, I live in Sao Paulo and have spent many, many weekends at the Copa Palace so I have no idea what you are talking about. Why don't you stay there sometime and then you can make a knowledgeable posting.

Russ

Wow, so THAT's what that smell was?! I did notice it in the air and wondered what it was. I thought I might be catching a waft of a woodburning oven, but saw no smoke.<BR><BR>I wouldn't say that it would stop me from opening a window? I don't think the smell was nearly as pernicious as the diesel one would smell in NYC.

oona

Yes, that corn alcohol (Is it called ethanol?) that Brazilians burn in their cars has a sickly sweet smell. It's not an awful smell, just one that takes some getting used to, because as the other poster said, exhaust fumes smell different in the U.S.<BR>Also, Liz, you aren't airsealed in your room at the Sheraton because each room has sliding glass doors to a balcony. I've stayed there several times. I believe that's also true at the Intercontintal, if I remember correctly from a few visits. And don't some of the other hotels you mention have balconies and sliding doors so that you can get the air if you want?

Rob

A little sensitive, Liz. All opinions are welcome on this thread.

Joaquim

Liz, thank you for the tip on the Copacabana Palace but on my next trip to Rio I want to stay for 10 days and with my budget for the trip I can do that at the Debret Hotel. If I was to stay at the Copacabana Palace then my budget would only allow me to stay for 2 days in Rio. In Rio I don't usually hang around my hotel, I am usually out and about experiencing all that Rio has to offer. If I wanted to go to a place that I was bound to my hotel then I may choose somewhere closer to home like the Dominican Republic or some other place like that, where I could be anywhere.

bralim

Moreover, why would you want to get an assigned cab driver and have him stick to you all night and arrange corcovado trips etc with him? It is extremely easy to get a cab and get wherever you want, maybe you'll get ripped off of a few reais, so what?<BR>