Hello FTers,

Myself and some other colleague constantly travel to Rio for work. Typically 2-3 of us going there twice a month, staying for 3-4 days each trip. With the recent nonsense FX and inflation, decent hotels are now charging $250-$350 USD/night.

And I have suggested to my company that perhaps it make sense for us to rent a 2/3 bedrooms service apt until the end of our project, (mid2012).

I googled "Rio apartment" and got about 100 rental companies and are completely overwhelmed. Some of these websites look kinda shady and I don't want to risk company's money and end up getting robbed by a stupid deal.

Does anyone here have experience in renting monthly/weekly service apt in Rio ? Any recommendations ?

Thanks in advance.

I have never done it myself but several others who post here have done it. Service apartments in good locations will not be much cheaper than hotels, if cheaper at all. One think that has worked well is negotiating directly with hotels. Recently the Windsor Atlantic (former Meridien) in Leme has made good deals as has the Sheraton Leblon on Avenida Niermayer. The service apartments, though, usually have hotel-like checkin-checkout too.

Did you have any luck finding a short stay apartment in Rio?

We found a few options, but they're all unreasonably expensive. Some thing around $4k USD for 2 bedrooms.

For the price I could've rented a 5 bedrooms in Beverly Hills.

Thanks. So:

- Apartments crazily priced
- Hotels ridiculously expensive
- Hostels are more expensive than 4* hotels in most European capitals

Where should one stay in Rio?

My advise. For business trip, its ok, company expenses, everything still pricey, but won't kill you.
For vacation, AVOID Brazil.

Everything is so ridiculously expensive. A regular lunch cost $20USD, a dinner cost $75. A nice steak dinner cost $150USD.

Those hotel I usually stay, to US/European 3-4 stars standard, charge $400USD a night.

And Hostels are mostly dump, and extremely dangerous. I'll bet you anything one day you wake up, half of your belongings will be stolen. (That happen to one of my co-worker, inside a so-called 4 stars hotel)

Ridiculous advice. Brasil has become more expensive which on the plus side has reduced the number of thuggish tourists that plagued Rio when the Real was weak against the US$.

However as always I advise people to stay in apartments. I pay US$50 a night to stay in a 800 sq ft apt. with 10mb internet and HD TV. Admittedly it is a friend's that normally goes for US$90 a night. Wrt lunch a glass of acai and fillet steak sandwich costs R$20 at a lanchonete, for dinner a beer, caipirinha, file parmegiana and expresso costs about R$70 even in the Ave. Atlantica beachfront restaurants.

oiRRio: do you have any good resources to find apartments? Anything I have googled has been US$150+ /night for a not great location.
Thanks.