Places to stay in Rio de Janeiro:

1. Caesar Park Hotel – One of Rio de Janeiro’s most luxurious and expensive hotels, the Caesar Park boasts a fabulous location on the famous stretch of the Ipanema beach. All the hotel’s rooms are spacious and look great after a very recent renovation. They are equipped with bathtubs, a suit rack, and a well-lit workspace. The standard rooms are those from the 5th to 10th floor, looking out over the side street. The superior rooms also face the side but are located from the 11th floor up. The exquisite deluxe rooms provide a full ocean view which is breathtaking.

2. Excelsior Copacabana Hotel – A member of the famous Windsor Hotels chain, the very pleasant Excelsior is situated on a wide corner which offers excellent and unique ocean views. Rooms either have a side view superior) or a full ocean view. All of the hotel rooms are quite nicely furnished, spotless, and well maintained. The best rooms are the deluxe suites of course which take up the entire corner and offer both side and full ocean views. These suites also equipped with spacious bathrooms, a relaxing Jacuzzi tub, a flat screen TV and a comfortable king-size bed. The hotel also offers free local calls, free parking and an excellent breakfast buffet, what more could a visitor want?

3. Casa 6 – A small and clean hostel with quite a few private rooms, with shared or private cozy baths. It is on a very charming street with other hostels and boarding houses, and an easy walk to the beach, making it a perfect solution. The simple rooms get a lot of natural light and are very well maintained by the employees, and the owner has a wealth of information about the surrounding neighborhood. Although it is a quite pleasant spot, it is the location that draws most travelers here.

Where to eat:

1. Confeitaria Colombo – This establishment is the ultimate example of Rio’s sophisticated cafe culture reminiscent of Paris or Vienna. The huge and elegant space opens up to a canopy of stained glass that washes filtered light onto huge mirrors. Their dark, carved frames are of the same ornate style as the opulent wood-and-glass cabinets towering above the counters.

2. Doce Delicia – This colorful and modern restaurant is located in Leblon (with another branch at Rua Anibal de Mendonca 55, which is in Ipanema) and serves dishes like salmon in soy and ginger sauce, design-your-own salads (with ingredients like palm hearts and papaya) and quite tempting desserts like a chocolate mousse cake which is as delicious as it sounds.

3. Espirito Santa – This restaurant was opened recently in 2005, by the famous chef Natacha Fink which uses little-used indigenous ingredients like jambu root and graviola fruit to create a new and rather unique kind of Brazilian cooking. Some of the dishes include a filet of namorado (some sort of white fish), baked in a Brazil-nut crust and served over grilled fresh hearts of palm.

What to do:

1. Corcovado – Here you can spot the very famous Sugarloaf Mountain, the island-pocked Guanabara Bay and the breathtaking beaches outlining the coast like links of white sausages. Even better than this, you can make fun of the inevitable sightseer aping the statue’s outstretched arms for a photo. “Turistas chatos” means “annoying tourists” in Portuguese, should that phrase come to mind when in the near vicinity of that area.

2. Blue Man – This store sells sungas which is the Brazilian version of the famous American Speedo. Its bathing suits tend to be on the more provocative side and the stores’ other offerings make it easier to show it all off. Bill Clinton and Anthony Hopkins made headlines when they bought bikinis there back in 2001, although it was not clear for whom they purchased them.

Tumbao do Malevo – This open-air bar is situated under a tree canopy. It is not uncommon to see its patrons, still sandy from the beach, sampling fresh fruit caipirinhas while a group of musicians played mournful, shuffling chorinho music. You won’t find this anywhere else in Rio de Janeiro.

By: Romijn A.

About the Author:

Do you know when Carnival in Brazil really happens in 2009? Do you know the official dates until 2030? Most people don´t know that the carnival dates are variable, and not fixed per every year. The carnival dates are of fundamental importance if you travel to Rio. 

In order to help your planning, we decided to supply you with all of the dates through 2030. We don’t want you to miss the best beach vacations of your life, which is Rio de Janeiro.

Carnival is a four day event that changes dates every year. It begins forty days before the Catholic holiday, Lent. The celebrations start Friday, prior to Ash Wednesday up until the following Tuesday. Ash Wednesday is a day used for recovering from the previous sleepless nights. However some cities in Brazil will present Carnival activities until the following weekend.

Below you will find the Rio de Janeiro Carnival Dates from 2009 until 2030:

Rio Carnival Dates For 2009:February 21st through February 24th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2010: February 13th through February 16th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2011: March 5th through March 8th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2012: February 18th through February 21st

Rio Carnival Dates For 2013: February 9th through February 12th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2014: February 3rd through February 6th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2015: February 16th through February 19

Rio Carnival Dates For 2016: February 8th through February 11th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2017: February 27th through March 2nd

Rio Carnival Dates For 2018: February 12th through February 15th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2019: March 4th through March 7th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2020: February 24th through February 27th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2021: February 15th through February 18th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2022: February 28th through March 3rd

Rio Carnival Dates For 2023: February 20th through February 23rd

Rio Carnival Dates For 2024: February 12th through February 15th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2025: March 3rd through March 6th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2026: February 16th through February 19th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2027: February 8th through February 11th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2028: February 28th, 29th, March 1, March 2nd

Rio Carnival Dates For 2029: February 12th through February 15th

Rio Carnival Dates For 2030: 4th March through March 7th

So, remember! Plan ahead your ultimate jade beach vacation in Rio de Janeiro. Preferably, stay in a vacation apartment: Enjoy extra privacy, luxury and comfort.

You will not regret the most exciting beach vacations of your life!

By: Andre Skowronski

About the Author:

Get the most out of your exciting holiday in this fabulous city, pay attention to some sound travel tips from those in the know.

Arriving in Rio at Christmas time may sound like the holiday you have always longed for, but only adequate planning and some key bookings made really early on in the year will ensure you get to truly enjoy those main festive days, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. Whatever your budget, your age or the number in your travel group, your time, money and opportunity will be wasted if you have to spend hours in travel agents or tourism offices once you are in Rio, trying to get from A to B.

If this is your first time in Rio city and you want to spend only 2 or 3 days taking in the “must see” tourists sights before heading off to famed festive resorts outside the city such as Búzios, Petrópolis or south along the Costa Verde to Paraty, then forward booked accommodation in all resorts and pre arranged transport to and from is vital. Pressure is always on accommodation in resort towns at this time of year, some bookings are made a year in advance, for peace of mind; don’t even think about chancing it once you get there. Unless you have driven the motorways in Rio or Sao Paulo like a local, hiring a rental car and driving to your out-of-Rio destination any time from mid December to late January is a crazy idea. Traffic gridlock (for hours, really) in unaccustomed Rio summer heat, getting lost because you can’t read those vital road signs is just so easy to do. Depending on your budget, a tour package with transfers included, with English speaking driver, or a taxi and bus ride with dictionary in hand, will get you there safer and faster.

Dress for the heat, the sun and the crowds appropriately. Carry at least a litre of bottled water with you when out walking locally and when travelling to and from your resort destination in buses or tourist vans. Keep your carry on bags, backpacks and last minute souvenirs to a minimum size and weight. There is never enough space for both you and your bags to be comfortable on board.

Finally, a word to the wise on the state of your stomach. With all that rich festive food and the heat, now is not the time to test the spicy street stalls, those glorious snacks from Bahia or the exotic fish dishes (moquecas) from Espírito Santo. Go easy on those caipirinhas!



By: philip smith

About the Author:

The dream of every tourist, Rio de Janeiro has become an affordable travel solution as there are many penthouses for rent in Rio at a more than affordable price. As most of you know, Rio de Janeiro is famous for its amazing and unique nightlife. To prove this statement, the article will summarize some of the most interesting nightlife attractions that can be found in Rio de Janeiro:

1. Cobal – Leblon: A large open-air patio filled up with tables for Rio’s bourgeoisie to go and gossip about their weekend exploits. Lots of beautiful people but unfortunately surrounded and protected by their beautiful friends but you never know. Great thin crust pizza.

2. Casa Rosa: It is located in the Laranjeiras neighborhood and is the only fun location in this part of the city. Casa Rosa is a large house that was redesigned into a party house with rooms, pool tables, a lovely garden and many more. If you go there on Sunday you will have the chance to feel the samba rhythms as many bands will perform along with some of the visitors.

3. Rio Scenarium: A live music saloon that has three floors, a dance floor and a lovely central balcony dispersing the music between them. It is beautifully decorated with antique items back from the 1910s to the 1960s, adding to its charming ambiance. Lots of seats are available to those who arrive early so plan ahead. Apart from superb caipirinhas made from Magnifica cachaca, the joint also offers great finger food such as the “bijus”. Luckily, there are plenty of penthouses for rent in Rio in that specific area.

4. Barcode: Is a bar that was build into a hostel so most likely you will find only young international crowd there. Tones of specials and unique drinks can be served here on the table area that is situated upstairs.

5. Feira de Sao Cristovao: Also known as the Feira dos Paraibas, this location if filled with bars that have live stage music that play cheesy arrocha, axe or forro. It is very eye-catching thanks to its Latin decorations.

6. Jazz at the Maze: The place is literally a maze of a building, inside the friendly streets of favela Tavares Bastos, where they filmed the famous movie sequel of Hulk. This is one of the most unique nightlife experiences a Rio tourist can have.

7. Clandestino: Clandestino is a European style underground club with the following characteristics: dark, dungeon-style and with a basement that has a compact dance floor. What is cool and unique is that every Friday is known as the Black Friday which is when locals and foreigners get down to hip-hop, Brazilian funk and all other types of so-called “black music”. Given the fact that most of the travelers have been confused about how to enjoy the Brazilian music, here you see them really enjoy and dance to music they know.

All things considered, Rio de Janeiro has an incredible nightlife that no other city in the world can match. Make sure that you book ahead one of the penthouses for rent in Rio.



By: Romijn A.

About the Author: