SydneySteve

We are planning our trip of 4-5 days in Rio late August next year. While it may not be warm enough to swim at that time of year we have been told to stay in Leblon or Ipanema close to the beach. After looking up some sites I like the look of the Sheraton Rio Hotel and Towers, mainly because of its location. Has anyone been there ? Recommendations and advice on that hotel or alternatives would be very helpful. Thank you for any help you can provide to us.

fab

I highly recommend Marina Palace or Marina All Suites, both from the same owner and located in Leblon. Check their website: http://www.hotelmarina.com.br/

Dondiega

Sydney, Im curious to know what was it about the location that attracted you to it?

SydneySteve

We have friends who lived in Leblon for three months and also others have recommended the area for safety and access to tourist related activities.

Dondiega

Ok, the safety part of the Sheraton is that you are isolated and the pool area is secure. In order to go to anywhere from the Sheraton for the most part you will be taking a taxi, so that is secure. Now Im not sure if the Sheraton is actually in Leblon even though the address you may have seen for it states Leblon, what Im trying to say is that it is not right in the middle of Leblon. Some say it is in Sao Conrado and I have heard others say it is in Gavea or even Vidigal. If you are looking for Leblon and it is a nice residential neighborhood than the suggestions on the previous post about hotels are good ones. Since you are going when swimming is not an issue than the secure pool and isolated beach is not an issue, you would just be staying at a hotel that is outside of the attractions that Rio has to offer. About safety, I just got back from a 9 day trip to Rio where I stayed in the heart of Copacabana where most people would say is the unsafest place to stay and not for one moment did I feel unsafe at all.

cariocagirl

Also to note about the rio sheraton. The hotel is very old. I know this because we are the property brokers for the Sheraton hotels. In addition, the traffic up and down the hill where this hotel is located is excessive. Also, if i'm not mistaken a few feet before of after the hotel is the foot of a favela residences. If you are looking for a quite place to stay. I would recommend Leblon or the back ends of Impanema. I stayed in impanema on the main avenue and it was very noisy. However, I'm used to the noise since O live in NY.

Dondiega

Sydney, another option for you to look at is the Ipanema Plaza hotel in Ipanema. This hotel is new, one block from the beach and on a great street Rua Farme De Moeada which has great restaurants and bars, it really is well located.

What Cariocagirl said is correct, the hotel Sheraton while it is a fine hotel is at the floor of the Favella Vidigal which means if you walk outside you expose yourself to an element that you may not want to be exposed to if you are concerned about safety. Also she is right that sometimes that street which approaches the Sheraton which is Ave. Neimeyer does get congested at times and flooded when it rains.

You also might want to check out the Marriott which is in Copacabana, nicely located, nice new hotel and when you walk out your door you walk right into the life of Rio.

george_scott

My partner and I are actually going back to Rio tonight and staying again this year at the Sheraton.

We stayed there last year and loved it!! During the day we walked the half hour from the Sheraton down the hill along the beach through Leblon to Impanema and never had a problem. It was a great way to spend the morning!!

However, at night we would catch a cab outside of our hotel room to Ipanema and back. I think it was around $2 to $3 US one way.

I stay in hotels about 200 nights per year due to my job and I can say without a doubt the Shearton Rio is a very good value and a nice property and a great gym too...just take cabs at night and you'll be fine.

Dondiega

George Scott, have a great time in Rio, Feliz Natal e ano novo. The first time I stayed at the Sheraton was in 1980 so the hotel has been around a while but don't let that stop you they have refurbished that hotel many many times since it was constructed.

Everything George says is true and everybody has a different way of doing things. I personally like to walk right outside my door and be in the center of all the action thats why I don't stay at the Sheraton anymore but if you prefer a more quiet remote atmosphere than this may be the perfect spot for you. You may also want to look at the Intercontinental hotel which is along the same lines as the Sheraton.

When I was in Rio last I got a massage on the beach in front of the Ceaser Park hotel and had to put my belongings down to get the massage. I told the lady doing the massage to please be careful with my stuff as I don't want it stolen, she told me not to worry that this area is not a problem. They have security there, so this may be another area to look at also.

george_scott

Thanks Don!! The same to you...it's because of all your great tips last year that resulted in us having such a fantastic time donwn there last year!! Not only are we going back this year but we have a few friends going too...

Flyboy

Another possibility that is a little further down the same road from the Sheraton, but not TOO far -- (maybe 2 km or so, tops?) -- is the InterContinental Hotel. I've seen mixed reviews here but we've stayed there a couple of times; most recently in August. We find it to be a very fine property with excellent amenities, including a car service that makes a lot of sense for certain types of getting around. The staff is very friendly and helpful. All rooms have private balconies with great views.

The past couple of summers, there has been a special called "The World at Half Off" or something like that. Rooms at the I-C were $105 U.S. per night under that special and we were able to upgrade to the club floor for an additional $40/night. It's worth a look:

http://www.rio-de-janeiro.intercontinental.com/

It is not unlikely that it would be warm enough to swim at that time; daytime highs tend to be around 80 degrees and they can be even a bit warmer.

Yaletown139

Dear SydneySteve,

We are currently in Rio and just checked-out of the Sheraton Rio Hotel. We agree with those who say security is not a huge issue at this hotel. While you always have to be careful in Rio the walk from the hotel to the beach Leblon/Ipanema is fine. We walked and ran it multiple times each day.

Another consideration if you don't want/need to be in the middle of the action is the new Sheraton Barra Hotel and Suites. We are sending you this e-mail from there.There is free, hassel free, high-speed internet in our room! Just plug in the laptop and go. The beach in Barra is beautiful (one of the best -- although less people watching and action than the more famous beaches closer to town) and all of the rooms have large balcony's with views of the ocean. The hotel is brand new.

I would recommend staying at Copacobana or Ipanema if you haven't been to Rio before but if you want a great alternative check-out the new Sheraton Barra. We are spending 4 days in each location.

Cheers - R & A

SydneySteve

It would be great to experience beach weather in late August-we were not expecting temperatures much above high sixties F. After reading back through various threads over the last year we note that Caesar park in Ipanema gets a great deal of positive coverage. It woulkd be great to wake up each morning to a view across the beach. I guess we thought that it might be off season at that time of year and that we might get a really good beach view at a discount. Thanks for your posts - we need to find the standout music venue now where lots of Antonio Carlos Jobim inspired music is performed.

Flyboy

August average temperatures for Rio in F degrees:

High: 78
Low: 66
Mean: 71

Dondiega

You can get nice weather in August as the previous poster states close to 80 degrees, it depends upon where your from. Some people may not go anywhere near the beach at 70 degrees and for others it would be fine, you may not see too many Cariocas on the beach as they prefer it at 110 degrees.

I love Bossa Nova myself and have experienced great Bossa Nova music upstairs at Mistura Fina in Lagoa and in a club called Vinicius in Ipanema across the street from the famous cafe/restaurant called Garota de Ipanema where the famous tune was written.

SydneySteve

At first I thought security was all important, but from all I have read from the archives of this Forum, it is important to be vigilant whether staying at the Copacabana Palace or at The Sheraton on the beach west of Leblon near the favela. Like in each tourist destination where theft is performed, if you know the diversionary games played with tourists that are typical to that area, then you can reduce or minimize the risks.

We are naturally adventurous people for early 50's and we would like to find a hotel or apartment style of accomodation on the beach if we can. As we scan the map and come back down the beach in Leblon it appears that the Marina properties for instance look very good and Leblon appears to rapidly disappear into Ipanema. If we stayed at Copacabana, the Copacabana Palace would probably be irrisistable given all things history, however maybe a cleaner beach and the less complicated/complex environment of Ipanema is the way for us to go.

So is there anything better than the Caesar Park as a benchmark in that area - that is the question I guess?

Dondiega, thank you for the tips on where we can take in some live bossanova with an accent on Jobim. We will certainly be there.

Dondiega

Sydney, you have hit the nail on the head with being vigilant, if you do all the right things then you can stay anywhere you want without any fear.

The Caesar Park is the best hotel in Ipanema.

There are also many nice hotels in Copacabana like you mentioned the Copacabana Palace.

As far as music is concerned, some nights if I don't want to go out and make a big deal then many of the 5 star hotels have a small band in their lobby bar that play super Bossa Nova, I do it all the time, sometimes before dinner or after I stop in the bar at the Sofitel or the Rio Othon Palace or the Marriott and hear the best live Bossa Nova in their lobby bar, its great.

Don't be consumed by safety, one night I wlaked out of my apartment at 2 in the morning walked up to the corner and saw 3 thugs on the corner. I sat down at a hotdog stand and ordered a sausage with mustard with a beer and made my self comfortable sitting back and putting my feet up chatting with the owners of the hotdog stand. I turned around and looked straight at them , one said to the other, Ele fale Portuguese and they walked away.

SydneySteve

Thanks Again Dondiega. Any hints on best way to book Caesar Park - any particular beach facing rooms/floors etc ? Thanks for the restaurant hints posted further up the Forum.

Steve from Sydney

Dondiega

Steve, you can ask Bobby in Rio to make the reservation for you at: www.blameitonrio4travel.com he has pics and rates on his website. Remind him that it is off season and see if you can get a better rate. The view on the high floors of Caesar Park is unbelievable, so go for the high floor if you can. Tell Bobby Dondiega sent you.

narob

We have just won a bid at skyauction.com for a package including hotels in Rio and Iguassu Falls plus air transfers,air, meals and touring. We need your adice for our hotel choices. There are four choices linked together. Rio and Iguassu--Package number one--Hotel Copa Sul(Rio) and Continental Inn(Iguassu)-no extra charge; pkg.#2-Hotel Lancaster Othon(Rio) and Continental Inn(Iguassu)$100 extra --Pkg.#3--Hotel Orla Copacabana(Rio) and Hotel Tropical Cataratas(Iguassu)-$150 extra--Pkg.#-Hotel Rio Internacional(Rio) and Hotel Tropical Cataratas--$275 extra.---These are all per person extra. Please advise as to which one asap, as we have to make up our mind within 24hrs. Thanks