Sheraton Barra, and the city and surroundings of Rio de Janeiro

Upon arriving at the Sheraton Barra (and butchering an attempt to properly address the desk agent in Portuguese, though fortunately he replied "Yes" when I asked if he fala ingles, I blame my butchering on fatigue ), I found out I was upgraded three levels of room as an SPG Platinum guest to an Executive Suite. My first stay as an actual SPG Platinum and I got that, this is one way to gain my loyalty! The executive suite room included an alarm clock that had an iPod/iPhone dock, a great stroke of luck for me. On every trip, I inevitably forget one thing. This time, it was my iPhone charger! Saved me a trip to the mall to try to find a charger.

Hotel lobby:





Pictures of the executive suite room:









Microwave and minibar area:



The bathroom held L'Occitane amenities, very nice touch and excellent smell:



I thought something looked different about this Sheraton's mouthwash compared to other Sheratons I have stayed at in the US. After comparing with a bottle from a US Sheraton I had with me, I was right!



View from the room towards Barra beach, all rooms have an ocean view due to the hotel's design:



The beach across from the hotel:



For the days I visited, due to my limited time, I went with a private tour guide, the exceptional Manu Peclat. It was an excellent call, as Manu helped me visit all of the sights that could be seen and was very helpful throughout the entire trip including restaurant recommendations, and ended up eating at an excellent churrascaria nearby to the Sheraton Barra at his guidance. I fully recommend him if it is your first time or if your time in Rio is limited.

Some pictures around Rio de Janeiro:

The Escadaria Selarón:



The Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, more popularly known as the Maracanã:



And yes, the Cristo Redentor/Christ the Redeemer Statue, hard to do justice with a picture but I tried anyway!



More pictures of the city may be found here: Rio de Janeiro

It was an awesome 3 days in Rio de Janeiro, a beautiful city that, as long as one avoids the favelas, was quite safe. I never once felt as though I was potentially in any bad situation. and I wish to go back as soon as I can again and hopefully stay a little longer. After my time was unfortunately up all too soon, Manu dropped me off at Galeão Airport for my flights back to Boston.