Intro to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rio de Janeiro is home to Brazil’s most beautiful beaches.
Reader Tom Jeffries provided this guest post.
Rio de Janeiro was recognized as a World Heritage Site in 2012. Known as The Cidade Maravilhosa (“marvelous city”), it is one of the most striking urban areas in the world and famously home to the annual Carnaval, which takes place on Rio’s bustling streets.
Cariocas, natives of Rio de Janeiro, proudly hosted the 2014 World Cup in Rio’s many high-class football stadiums.
In 2014, Rio hosted the World Cup.
Some of Brazil’s most iconic landmarks are located in Rio de Janeiro – including Christ the Redeemer, the 99ft tall, 635 ton Art Deco statue that overlooks Guanabara Bay. The Sugarloaf Mountains are visited by over 4,000 tourists a day and can be seen from the Praia Vermelha – one of Brazil’s many beaches.
The beaches are one of the most important parts of Cariocas life and each one has its own personality. Copacabana Beach is known for its Portuguese mosaic pavement and is the classic Rio beach. Ipanema, birthplace of “The Girl from Ipanema” is confident and audacious. Leblon is young and glitzy and is also the name of one of Brazil’s favourite brands of Cachaça, a distilled spirit similar to rum; the beaches Barra da Tijuca, Praia Vermelha and Prainha aren’t as well-known, but still deserve a look.
Cooacabana Palace is Rio’s top hotel.
Beaches aren’t the only thing to see in Rio de Janeiro. Go hiking in the Tijuca forest; eat and drink in some of the city’s many world-class restaurants and bars; visit the wealth of museums and historic buildings; take a Samba class in Lapa, the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood where the dance was born; or save yourself for the evening and visit some of the thriving Rio de Janeiro nightclubs.
Street vendors line the beaches selling Coxinhas – a drumstick based on dough made with flour and chicken broth. Equally popular, Caipirinhas – Brazil’s national cocktail made from Cachaça, ice, mint and sugar. If you try a coconut, don’t be alarmed when the vendor takes out a machete and cuts the top off right in front of you!
The Carnival is one of Rio’s most defining features, and draws in crowds of 2,000,000 per day to the event where 600,000 cans of beer are consumed per hour. Huge floats, scores of people dancing and pounding music all come together to create an atmosphere unmatched by any other event in the world.
Rio de Janeiro Hotels
Hotel Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro.
As you would expect from such a thriving city, Rio has a wealth of luxury hotels.
The Hotel Santa Teresa uses natural materials from the surrounding areas including coconut, burnt slate, banana tree fibers, wild cotton and tropical hardwoods to give it a warm atmosphere, which is enhanced by the locally sourced objets d’art.
With 44 spacious rooms, all of which feature hardwoods like jacaranda, ipe and cinnamon, as well as furniture by Brazilian designers and work from local artists, you will be sure to enjoy the boutique feel of this hotel. Hotel Santa Teresa is a member of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux group.
La Suite Rio is an intimate guesthouse with only a handful of rooms.
Another good choice, the small, but elegant, La Suite Rio has an intimate, friendly feel throughout. The small number of guests allows you to make the most of the space and enjoy the amazing furniture dotted around the hotel. Only fifteen minutes’ drive from Ipanema and Barra, the location of this guesthouse makes it perfect for anyone wanting to enjoy Rio to the full.
A Rio landmark, the Copacabana Palace is one of the most stylish hotels in South America. Having hosted everyone from rock stars to royalty, the Copacabana Palace has all the luxury you’d expect at such a well-known destination. Looking out over the Copacabana beach and just minutes from Ipanema, this is the hotel to go for if you want absolute luxury.
For a greater selection of Rio de Janeiro hotels, look at this Sunset Visitor Web site.
Category: Brazil
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Just to let you know, the correct translation is “marvelous” city (not wonderful) and “Carnaval,” not Carnival.
Sorry…thought you’d like to know.
Thanks. I’ll make the changes.
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