The Copacabana Palace is wildly over-priced as a trophy hotel. Unless you pay well above the "entry-level" rate, or have other leverage, you're likely to get a small, shabby room with no view at all.

You can find better value elsewhere, and certainly get a more relaxed and secure atmosphere round the headland in Ipanema. There's another Golden Tulip hotel here, the Ipanema Plaza, a much simpler hotel half a block in from the beach.

If you can stand being a short ride away from the big name areas, the Intercontinental is in a very smart area of the beach a couple of miles further on from Ipanema.