Rio de Janeiro (or simply Rio) is home to the world famous, Carnival and one of the largest cities in Brazil! Falling in love with Rio's natural beauty will probably be the easiest thing in the world to do! Add to that the STUNNING beaches, samba music, lively nightlife and you've got yourself a perfect holiday - almost! (More on that almost part later on in this blog)!
Flying in to Rio de Janeiro is UNBELIEVABLY beautiful, but I quickly noticed how things around us changed once we were on the ground and en route to our hotel. The poverty in Rio is undeniable. A great deal of this city is underserved. Seeing the favelas (favelas are described as Brazilian shacks or shanty towns) instantly put things into perspective for me! But just like that, our surroundings changed again!
The favelas in Rio de Janeiro.
The city started to look absolutely BREATHTAKING! We were now in the South Zone (Zona Sul) of Rio de Janeiro where our hotel was located on the famed Copacabana Beach!
My brother Dion & I decided to celebrate the last of his 20's in Brazil this year! We booked some pretty cheap flights from L.A, had a bomb layover in Miami (Heeeeeeeeey Nikki Beach) and made reservations to stay at the Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana.
*Travel Tip: ALWAYS make the best of your layovers!
Before we get into all the deets of this amazing trip, let me give out a few personal tips from my experience in Rio:
Rio de Janeiro Tips
☀️ Learn the language: The citizens of Rio mainly speak Portuguese. Very few spoke English, so all of us were basically making crazy hand gestures at each other trying to communicate! The 'Google Translate' app definitely came in handy!
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro!!
☀️ Visiting Rio de Janeiro in January: In some parts of the world, January is the winter season. However, that is not the case in Rio. During the day, the temps were as high as 90°F | 32°C. So pack your SUMMER WARDROBE because it gets hella' HOT! I've never sweated so much in my life (I got a BEAUTIFUL tan though just FYI)!
☀️ Getting around Rio de Janeiro: There are several ways to get around Rio: the city buses, taxis, bicycles/scooters, rental car and Uber. We decided to mostly use Uber because it was pretty cheap. Our rides ranged from .90 cents to about $6 a ride (I still can't believe I took an Uber somewhere for NINETY CENTS)! I definitely recommend using Uber while in Rio! To catch an Uber at the airport, go to the 2nd level (after baggage claim) and you’ll see the signs!
If you decide to rent a car – be safe! The driving in Rio is pretty damn wild in my opinion. There were several times when I thought the city buses and other drivers (our Ubers included) were going to collide. It was CrAzY!
This hotel was an easy choice us! Why? Because we’re Hilton Honors members (points! points! points!) and it’s located right across the street from the popular Copacabana beach! It’s the tallest hotel on the strip with a rooftop that has some of the most magnificent views of the city! This hotel has a total of 538 rooms, spa, 2 pools, a rooftop pool/lounge + more!
The customer service here was amazing and a lot of the staff spoke English which of course made communicating more easy!
We selected the ocean view room with 2 twin beds for our stay! For being a Diamond member with Hilton, we were upgraded to a higher floor on this trip - the 28th floor! Our room #2819 had spectacular views of Copacabana and the city of Rio! This 258 sq. ft. | 24 sq. m. room can sleep up to 3 people.
A few of the amenities include: air conditioning, sound proof windows, free WiFi (sometimes spotty), a work space + more!
I will say this - the hotel's interior/exterior is very dated (it was definitely giving me a 90's vibe), but everything was functional and the room was perfect (and comfortable) for what we needed it for!
MORE ABOUT THE HILTON:
Easily my FAVORITE thing about this hotel is Isabel Lounge, the rooftop pool and lounge located on the 39th floor! We probably spent the majority of our trip here! (LOL)! The food, cocktails & views of the city will keep you coming back for more! The lounge’s playlist was on point and on Saturdays, a DJ spins which kept us dancing all night! Not to mention, my brother & I met friends for life on this rooftop!
Isabel Lounge is EVERYTHING! The vibe here is GREAT!
The staff is super sweet and attentive (special shout out to our darling server, Priscilla! She’s amazing)! Now let me say, service here (or anywhere in Rio really) wasn't fast, but we always got what we needed, plus everyone was extremely pleasant.
When you're ready to hit the beach, Hilton has a section on Copacabana beach with umbrellas and towel service. Just walk across the street and show your room key!
Breakfast buffet is served every morning on the 4th floor. It is buffet style. During this period of COVID, it is mandatory to wear your mask when entering the restaurant. They’ll be hand sanitizer and gloves at the breakfast station before you eat.
There is no ATM in the hotel, but there is a pharmacy a block away called Boa Saúde where you can get Reais for your trip.
What is there NOT to do in this city?! Seriously! If you want to go have a drink on the beach at 5:00 AM – you can! There is so much to see/do! Let’s get into it:
Hiking
There are a ton of hikes you can take to see Rio in all of it’s glory: Dois Irmãos, Pedra da Gavea, Pedra Bonita, Vista Chinesa, Morro do Leme, just to name a few!
1 of my favorites is the popular illusion hike – Pedra do Telégrafo. Yes, this is the hike where it looks like everyone is hanging from a cliff with the ocean several hundred feet below them!
We decided to use a tour guide to show us around Rio. The tour company we used for this hike was JuanoTours. The price of this tour was 130 R$ (about $24 USD) + 200 R$ (about $37 USD) per person to be picked up from the Hilton and taken to the hike – which is a little over 1 hour away from Copacabana. Our tour guide for the day was named Gil. He was very knowledgeable of Rio and he spoke English.
*Tip: The best time to do this hike is in the morning. It gets VERY hot & crowded in the afternoon*
*Tip: Bring cold water, light snacks & sunscreen with you for this hike*
When we pulled up to the hike, I can’t even lie.....I was a little nervous. We were definitely in a sketchy area, but our tour guide assured us that everything was alright. Once the hike started, I thought FOR SURE that I left my lungs in the tour guide’s car! OMG! This hike is nothing but INCLINE!
This hike is a lot of incline!
You’ll be walking through the lush forest while doing some semi-intense climbing. Make sure to bring water, light snacks, sunscreen and wear comfortable clothes/hiking boots! Once we reached Telégrafo after 30 minutes of hiking and sweating profusely, we were met with some INCREDIBLE views!
After catching our breath for a bit (LOL), the photographer took pics of us on the Telegrafo stone. Sooooo much FUN! Let me say this though, we paid extra 30 R$ for professional photos (which the tour company advertises), so naturally I thought the tour guide was going to whip out a professional camera to snap our pics – NOT. He literally took our “professional photos” with our own phones! We laughed about it, but be aware of that. He will be taking pics with YOUR phone or camera.
Our pics from this hike came out absolutely AH-MAZING! My lil' bro KILLED this shot below!
My lil' bro KILLED this shot! O M G!
This was for sure a fun hike for the silly pictures and views alone. I definitely recommend getting a tour guide if this is your 1st time doing it!
The Beaches
You cant visit Rio without going to the beaches. That’s a CRIME! At least it is in my book! The tour company we used offers a beach tour as well for you beach lovers like myself. But here are a few must see beaches when visiting Rio:
☀️ Copacabana Beach: I mean, duh!! You know you have to spend the day here! It's 1 of the most famous beaches in the world! Food vendors are lined up along the beach if you're hungry for a quick bite! We were able to grab a drink at 5 A.M. while watching the sunrise. It was magical. Chairs & umbrellas are available to rent as well. Copacabana is GREAT for people watching and just hanging out in general. The water is pretty cold (at least it was to me) and the sand gets scorching hot! They'll be plenty of vendors trying to sale you everything under the sun! If you're not interested, look them directly in the eyes and kindly tell them 'no thank you'.
☀️ Ipanema Beach: This beach is surrounded by beautiful dramatic mountains, delicious eateries & chic boutiques! The scenery at Ipanema is BREATHTAKING! On any given day, you'll find a ton of people hanging out here so grab your spot EARLY!
☀️ Prainha Beach: I spotted this beach on the way to the Telégrafo hike and I instantly became OBSESSED! It is however about 1 hour from Copacabana. It's secluded, unspoiled and way less crowded than Copacabana & Ipanema - which I loved! Prainha is great for surfing or just relaxing and taking in the unbelievable scenery around you!
☀️ Praia do Perigoso: Yet another beautiful beach in Rio. And a great beach to watch the sunrise. You can also enjoy some incredible hiking here as well!
Now that you’ve had fun at the beaches, it’s time to see what the nightlife in Rio is all about!! Let’s get cute and LIT! Heeeeeeeeey!!
Rio's Nightlife
This is perhaps the reason why Dion & I couldn’t make all of the tours that we wanted to do! (LOL)! Rio’s nightlife is VERY vibrant! And we enjoyed WAY too much of it! There are several little areas around the city to get your party on:
*Tip: Be sure to have cash on you to pay the entrance fees for the bars/restaurants*
☀️ Lapa: This neighborhood is located in the centre of Rio and is known for it's nightlife and historical monuments! Lapa is about a 15-minute Uber ride from Copacabana. While in Lapa, you'll find lively Samba and mellow jazz clubs, amazing restaurants + more! Things started to turn up around 10 P.M. A couple of my favorite spots were Sarau Rio (they had live entertainment) and Leviano Bar.
When I tell you we had waaaaaaay too much fun in Lapa - I mean it! From what I remember, there were too many caipirinhas, mojitos, sangrias, LOTS of dancing, losing an iPhone, throwing up and a massive hangover the next morning! It was a hot, FUN mess!
☀️ Leblon: This neighborhood is known for its upscale restaurants - Rua Dias Ferreira is central spot for everything! ! Leblon is about a 20-minute Uber ride from Copacabana. We started off in a cute bar called Boteco Boa Praça and ended up partying in the streets with the locals! TOO MUCH FUN! During the time that I visited, there was no curfew in place. When we left Leblon that morning around 4:30 A.M., the parties were STILL going!
☀️ Copacabana: We didn't get to check out a ton of clubs in Copacabana, but I did accompany my brother to a gay club called 'Pink Flamingo' that is within walking distance from the Hilton hotel. My brother had the time of his life in this spot - and let him tell it, he met the love of his life at this club (but that's a blog for another day! LOL)! The music was bangin', the drinks were great and the boys were LIVIN'! It was definitely a vibe - even for a straight woman like me!
☀️ Ipanema: If you're looking for a restaurant with S T U N N I N G views of Ipanema, delicious food and cocktails too pretty to sip, then Espaç0 7ZERO6 is for you! This quaint eatery is located on the top floor of Praia Ipanema Hotel and is worth the visit!
DELICIOUS cocktails @ Espaç0 7ZERO6!
After you're done with your meal, check out the shopping in Ipanema! I found a wonderful bikini boutique (Patuá Beachwear) that I couldn't get enough of!
Spending the day in
Rio de Janeiro
If you’re on a time crunch and want to visit as much of the city as you can, then taking a day tour is highly recommended. We used JuanoTours again and selected their 8-hour day tour of Rio which included:
Christ the Redeemer | Selarón Steps | Sugarloaf Mountain/Cable car ride | Sambódromo (the stadium built for Carnival) | A buffet lunch + more!
The cost was 250 R$ (extra 20 R$ on Saturday & Sunday).
For this tour, we were picked up from our hotel at around 9 A.M. Roundtrip transportation is included in the tour. Our tour guide was multilingual which was extremely helpful! Here is the tour in more detail:
☀️ 1st stop | Catedral de São Sebastião: this cathedral is a beautiful piece of architecture! You'll get a glimpse of how religious services take place in Rio!
☀️ 2nd stop | Escadaria Selarón: these beautiful steps were made by Chilean artist Jorge Selarón and have become a staple in Rio! By the time we arrived to the steps, it was packed with people. If you want the steps all to yourselves, then get there by 7 A.M.
☀️ 3rd stop | Sambadrome Marquês de Sapucaí: it was weird to see this venue empty. But this is where the world famous Carnival takes place! Unfortunately there is no date on when this AMAZING parade will take place again (DAMN YOU COVID)!
☀️ 4th stop | Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor): listed as one of the 'New 7 Wonders of the World', you can see this 98 foot tall statue from almost anywhere in Rio. But seeing it up close was definitely an experience. There were too many people to enjoy it how I wanted to, but it was still amazing to see. You will have to do a lot of walking/stair climbing to reach the statue, so be prepared. If you don't fall head over heels in love with this creation, then surely you'll love the views from the top - BREATHTAKING!
☀️ 5th stop | Buffet Lunch @ Restaurante Dalapa: easily 1 of my favorite things on the tour! ? (I loooooove to eat)! The buffet lunch is included in your tour. The only thing you have to pay for are your desserts & drinks! The food was absolutely DELICIOUS! The different flavors of rice, chicken, beef, etc., was too good! I think there were oxtails on the menu as well that I had several plates of! Mmmmmmm! FYI though: they charge you for wasting food at these types of places so only select from the buffet what you're going to eat.
☀️ 6th stop | Sugarloaf Cable Car (Pão de Açúcar): as 1 of Rio's world-famous trademarks, this attraction has received MILLIONS of visitors since opening in 1912! Each cable car holds about 65 passengers. The ride is divided into 2 parts, lasting 3 minutes. 1st you'll go from Praia Vermelha (Red Beach) to Morro da Urca (Urca Hill). The 2nd ride will be from Morro da Urca to Sugarloaf Mountain. Once we got to Sugarloaf Mountain, ish' got real - REAL BEAUTIFUL! The views from Sugarloaf are ASTONISHING! Take your time to enjoy what each stop has to offer! There are restaurants, shopping and even a tattoo spot on these mountains!
The tour was over after the Sugarloaf Cable Car attraction. Our driver made the last stop to a souvenir shop for those of us who wanted to rack up on things to take back home. It was around 5 P.M. This was without a doubt a great way to see Rio! I definitely recommend this tour for all of the 1st timers (like myself) visiting Rio!
This is a big issue in Rio! And I have heard horror stories about the crimes being committed on tourist in this city. Remember earlier in my blog when I said, "Add to that the STUNNING beaches, samba music & crazy nightlife and you've got yourself a perfect holiday - almost! (More on that almost later on in this blog)!" Well here's what that almost is about!
As we were walking back to our hotel, a couple of teenagers started yelling at us in Portuguese. All of a sudden, we were ambushed by a group of teenagers that were yelling as well and they physically tried to go in our bags in search of money. We hurried inside the hotel, but they were able to follow us inside before being stopped by security. Luckily they didn't have any weapons and the whole situation turned out to be harmless, but we were caught off guard!
Please be aware of your surrounding AT ALL TIMES in Rio!
Rio had been on my bucket list for YEARS, so naturally I was excited when we came across those inexpensive flights to visit this BEAUTIFUL city! Was it weird visiting during this pandemic? ABSOLUTELY! But we stayed with our mask, kept everything sanitized and enjoyed ourselves! We were fortunate enough to meet some incredible people from all over the world to share this trip with and for that, I have NO regrets on making this vacation happen! What an AH-MAZING holiday! I can't wait to visit again (post COVID for sure)!
Let's chat! Have you visited Rio de Janeiro yet? Or will it be your 1st time as well? Drop a comment below and tell me about your time in Rio!
