Rio de Janerio, Brazil
Brazil, Here I come!!!
In 2007, the New Seven Wonders of the World were announced after more than 100 million votes were tallied. Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro made the list. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need any more reason than that to visit Rio in Brazil.
Many people feel that it is not safe to visit Brazil; my husband was one of those people before our recent visit. But, when we visited Rio we felt pretty safe and no one bothered us. I did my research ahead of time and discovered that the best way to sightseen is to book a tour or private driver. If you are on budget, get an Uber or taxi. I do NOT (!!!) recommend renting a car because that is when it becomes unsafe. The favelas, the slums, are not easy to locate. Your car’s navigation system will give you the fastest route, but the fastest is not always the safest. With a driver, it is different. Your driver will know the streets and will take the safest route.
HOTEL:
The Windsor Hotel: This hotel has a few different locations. We booked the one a block from the Copacabana, called the Windsor Plaza. Upon arrival, they informed us that they have to move us to their sister hotel. We were not overly disappointed, because … They moved us to the more expensive Windsor Miramar which is right on the beach, and we had a room with a view. No complaints from us! The hotel offers a complimentary breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner. We had breakfast every day at the hotel and it was good. There were numerous options, including: bread, jam, cereal, eggs, juice, and other hot and cold choices. I was happy with customer service and the front desk. The rooms were clean and a good size.
RESTAURANTS:
Restaurante Tereze: The restaurant, which is a hotel as well, is located in Santa Teresa. We went here on our first night for an early dinner. Tereze is on the expensive side, but it could be a great date night.
Aprazivel Restaurant: We went here for after-dinner drinks. It boasts an amazing view of the city, and is definity a great way to start or end your trip to Rio. We also ordered some appetizers with our drinks. Everything was tasty and delicious.
Marius Degustare: This place is rated as $$ signs, and yes, it is rather expensive. But, on the positive side, it is all you can eat. They bring different kinds of meat, chicken, or fish to the table. And, you can get side dishes from the buffet, so make sure you go hungry.
Garota De Ipanema: The song “Garota do Ipanema” (“The Girl From Ipanema”) was written by Vinicius de Moraes and Antonio Carlos Jobim, at this famous restaurant. We did not order a main course, but instead we had drinks and some appetizers. But, from the looks of it, the food at nearby tables looked amazingly good.
SIGHTSEEING:
I’m just gonna say it. I hate tours! I cannot stand waiting for others. I like to be in charge of time and pace. So, recognizing this, we booked a private tour. I loved it and would highly recommend this option. Private tour guides are professionals who will answer all your questions and ensure that you are happy with every aspect of your itinerary. And, the best part is you can pay them at the end of the tour in cash, in either dollars or Real. Our driver spoke fluent English; he was also our guide. He took us to a local restaurant that we would have never found on our own. He was really informative, and during the drive, he would point out interesting places and stop if we wanted to take pictures.
Christ the Redeemer: Well, of course, this was the whole point of the trip. I highly recommend going first thing in the morning. The best way to go up is via the train, which traverses the Corcovado mountainside through Tijuca National Park, and the train gets super busy and crowded. If I go to Rio again, I will definitely visit Christ the Redeemer. It is awe-inspiring and majestic in person.
Dona Marta Viewpoint: This one is amazing. It is not crowded and you get amazing views of the whole city, Christ the Redeemer on one side and Sugar Loaf on the other. Make sure to take as many pictures as you can here.
Tijuca Forest: With stops at the Chinese View Belvedere and the Taunay Waterfall. This was probably one of the more disappointing parts of our visit to Rio. It was mainly a drive through the forest. You can hike for hours as well, but unfortunately, we did not have enough time to take advantage of the hiking opportunities. If you have already seen a lot of waterfalls in your lifetime, Taunay will likely be a disappointment. I had been super excited, but in reality, it was quite small. Skip this trip, unless you have a lot of days in Rio and nothing else on your schedule!
Selaron Stairs: These stairs are cool, artsy, and full of color. They are the work of Chilean-born artist Jorge Selaron who described it as “my tribute to the Brazilian people.” Originally, tiles for his work were scavenged from various construction sites and piles of urban waste from Rio streets. But, in later years, tiles were donated by visitors from around the world. Of the 2000+ tiles, approximately 300 are hand-painted by Selarón and depict a pregnant African woman. Selarón didn’t comment on this, except to say that it was a “Personal problem from my past.” From Wikipedia.
Sugar Loaf: Oh My God, I loved it! It has beautiful scenery with a fun cable ride that goes all the way up. You can also hike up, but since we wanted to catch the sunset, we didn’t have time. The hike takes about 30-40 minutes to the first stop, Morro da Urca. From there, you can take the cable car or continue hiking up to Pão de Açúcar.
RIDE:
As mentioned before, definitely do NOT rent a car. One day we hired a private driver for a tour. The other days we used Uber. Safety should always be priority number one.
