where to stay in Rio and IGU
Mar 17, 2015, 10:55 am
#46
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
(unless of course you happened to go to conservatory ;-)
Take a look at the Mar Ipanema. Depending on dates, it should be around that stated rate.
May 20, 2015, 10:56 pm
#49
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: SAN
Programs: DL SM, Marriot PLT, Tall guy in need of legroom
Posts: 1,478
RIO question
My wife and I snagged a great MR to GIG and we're making 5 days out of it before heading to IGU for 2 days.
I can book a 5 night SPG award at the Sheraton but am worried about the location as wellas its beach/water quality. Ive been to Rio twice and know that its off the beaten pathn but also know its closer to Leblon and Ipanema, which is where we'll want t hang out. My wife will be about 5-6 months pregnant so we wont be partying hard, just nice dinners, some sightseeing and chilling at beach etc. Is the Sheraton still worth it? Wife and I are not super keen on apartments and would prefer to use pts as opposed to thousands of bucks on a "meh" hotel.
I can book a 5 night SPG award at the Sheraton but am worried about the location as wellas its beach/water quality. Ive been to Rio twice and know that its off the beaten pathn but also know its closer to Leblon and Ipanema, which is where we'll want t hang out. My wife will be about 5-6 months pregnant so we wont be partying hard, just nice dinners, some sightseeing and chilling at beach etc. Is the Sheraton still worth it? Wife and I are not super keen on apartments and would prefer to use pts as opposed to thousands of bucks on a "meh" hotel.
May 21, 2015, 4:45 am
#50
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
My wife and I snagged a great MR to GIG and we're making 5 days out of it before heading to IGU for 2 days.
I can book a 5 night SPG award at the Sheraton but am worried about the location as wellas its beach/water quality. Ive been to Rio twice and know that its off the beaten pathn but also know its closer to Leblon and Ipanema, which is where we'll want t hang out. My wife will be about 5-6 months pregnant so we wont be partying hard, just nice dinners, some sightseeing and chilling at beach etc. Is the Sheraton still worth it? Wife and I are not super keen on apartments and would prefer to use pts as opposed to thousands of bucks on a "meh" hotel.
I can book a 5 night SPG award at the Sheraton but am worried about the location as wellas its beach/water quality. Ive been to Rio twice and know that its off the beaten pathn but also know its closer to Leblon and Ipanema, which is where we'll want t hang out. My wife will be about 5-6 months pregnant so we wont be partying hard, just nice dinners, some sightseeing and chilling at beach etc. Is the Sheraton still worth it? Wife and I are not super keen on apartments and would prefer to use pts as opposed to thousands of bucks on a "meh" hotel.
As far as beach/water quality, the whole Zona Sul has ocean water quality problems at times, the posto showers have been reported to be contaminated, and Globo once did a report on fecal colliform levels in the sand that would have you tip-toe-ing in your highest platform shoes. Nothing out of the ordinary on the Sheraton's beach.
May 31, 2015, 12:40 pm
#52
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,667
Rio doesn't really have what would generally be considered a resort.
Ipanema and Copacabana don't have a lot of open residential space. Most of the hotels have rooftop pools whose size is limited (plunge pools or anyway not full "Olympic size" lap pool). Marina Palace in Leblon advertises swimming laps in theirs, but iirc it is only a lane or so of that length. Royal Rio Palace in Copacabana has a couple of lap lanes I think.
The Flamengo Club in Lagoa has lap pools. Don't know if they do day passes.
Ipanema and Copacabana don't have a lot of open residential space. Most of the hotels have rooftop pools whose size is limited (plunge pools or anyway not full "Olympic size" lap pool). Marina Palace in Leblon advertises swimming laps in theirs, but iirc it is only a lane or so of that length. Royal Rio Palace in Copacabana has a couple of lap lanes I think.
The Flamengo Club in Lagoa has lap pools. Don't know if they do day passes.
May 31, 2015, 3:47 pm
#53
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: NY
Posts: 737
since the thread has been revived, I thought I'd come back and give a trip report.
Windsor Exelsior in Rio - rather basic accommodations. Average size rooms, average level amenities, average breakfast, average lobby, and significantly below average rooftop pool. In American/European terms, this would be a 3.5 star hotel -basic and dependable, but not much else.
In Iguazu, I am glad we didn't stay at Cataratas. By the time we got to the hotel, it was 1 AM. Had breakfast in the morning and went out touring with a guide, getting back to the hotel after 7 PM. A quick dinner in an extremely limited restaurant was more than adequate before the kids crashed, and one drink outside sent the adults packing too, especially since everyone had to get up at 3 AM for a very early flight to GRU so we could connect to MAO. As I suspected, we only saw the hotel for a couple of hours. Cataratas would have been $700+ extra between much more expensive rooms and dinner. Not worth it in our case, IMO.
Anavilhanas was very nice. Very comfortable lodge, nice sized rooms, good quality guides. Only complaint was a very limited menu...every dish was similar all 3 days. Fish was the most disappointing - different one every day, if you believe the label, but prepared the same way - baked beyond recognition until it was a mushy substance tasting like cafeteria fishsticks.
The best dish was the fried piranha we caught earlier that day
But we didn't go there for the food, so it retracted little from the experience. Still, a fourth dinner might have been too much.
Thanks everyone for their help.
Windsor Exelsior in Rio - rather basic accommodations. Average size rooms, average level amenities, average breakfast, average lobby, and significantly below average rooftop pool. In American/European terms, this would be a 3.5 star hotel -basic and dependable, but not much else.
In Iguazu, I am glad we didn't stay at Cataratas. By the time we got to the hotel, it was 1 AM. Had breakfast in the morning and went out touring with a guide, getting back to the hotel after 7 PM. A quick dinner in an extremely limited restaurant was more than adequate before the kids crashed, and one drink outside sent the adults packing too, especially since everyone had to get up at 3 AM for a very early flight to GRU so we could connect to MAO. As I suspected, we only saw the hotel for a couple of hours. Cataratas would have been $700+ extra between much more expensive rooms and dinner. Not worth it in our case, IMO.
Anavilhanas was very nice. Very comfortable lodge, nice sized rooms, good quality guides. Only complaint was a very limited menu...every dish was similar all 3 days. Fish was the most disappointing - different one every day, if you believe the label, but prepared the same way - baked beyond recognition until it was a mushy substance tasting like cafeteria fishsticks.
The best dish was the fried piranha we caught earlier that day
But we didn't go there for the food, so it retracted little from the experience. Still, a fourth dinner might have been too much.Thanks everyone for their help.
May 31, 2015, 4:52 pm
#54
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,606
Last edited by boboqui; Aug 22, 2015 at 2:15 pm
Aug 20, 2015, 7:35 pm
#55
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE, IHG-Pt, HH-D, BW-D
Posts: 71
I would like to bump this thread and look for recommendations specifically in the Ipanema area (staying in Copacapana a few other nights on rewards).
I'm looking online and hoping to keep the nightly cost at 600BRL or less. There seem to be a number of a good options.
Any place with a balcony and where we can walk to restaurants and places for drinks would be ideal.
Cheers,
Macmet
I'm looking online and hoping to keep the nightly cost at 600BRL or less. There seem to be a number of a good options.
Any place with a balcony and where we can walk to restaurants and places for drinks would be ideal.
Cheers,
Macmet
Aug 20, 2015, 10:24 pm
#57
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC SE, IHG-Pt, HH-D, BW-D
Posts: 71
C010T3,
It sounds like a great area. I am excited to get there. Can you recommend a particular hotel? The websites look similar and it seems like there are many I can get a room for 600brl. But I've been to cities and hotels before where the websites were not a good a indication of the experience.
Thanks,
Macmet
It sounds like a great area. I am excited to get there. Can you recommend a particular hotel? The websites look similar and it seems like there are many I can get a room for 600brl. But I've been to cities and hotels before where the websites were not a good a indication of the experience.
Thanks,
Macmet
Aug 21, 2015, 5:06 am
#58
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Rio de Janeiro
Posts: 557
C010T3,
It sounds like a great area. I am excited to get there. Can you recommend a particular hotel? The websites look similar and it seems like there are many I can get a room for 600brl. But I've been to cities and hotels before where the websites were not a good a indication of the experience.
Thanks,
Macmet
It sounds like a great area. I am excited to get there. Can you recommend a particular hotel? The websites look similar and it seems like there are many I can get a room for 600brl. But I've been to cities and hotels before where the websites were not a good a indication of the experience.
Thanks,
Macmet
Aug 22, 2015, 10:27 am
#59
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 1,606
I would like to bump this thread and look for recommendations specifically in the Ipanema area (staying in Copacapana a few other nights on rewards).
I'm looking online and hoping to keep the nightly cost at 600BRL or less. There seem to be a number of a good options.
Any place with a balcony and where we can walk to restaurants and places for drinks would be ideal.
Cheers,
Macmet
I'm looking online and hoping to keep the nightly cost at 600BRL or less. There seem to be a number of a good options.
Any place with a balcony and where we can walk to restaurants and places for drinks would be ideal.
Cheers,
Macmet
View from the balcony on the sixth floor:
There are many neighborhood bars and restaurants. For a snack head to BB Lanches, an outstanding fruit juice bar, just one block away.
Nov 3, 2015, 5:27 pm
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,060
Here's another bump for Ipanema recommendations, but more on the luxury side. I'm OK with about $500US/night or potentially more if the place sounds amazing. I was thinking about the Copacabana Palace or the JW Marriott, but I think I'd rather be in Ipanema than Copacabana.
Like everyone else on FT, I'd love to burn my SPG/Hyatt/Hilton points, but I'll burn some at Iguazu.
So for the tail end of our trip, I'd like to stay somewhere in Ipanema that's pretty nice.
Can anyone give me some recs? Is Fasano decent, if I'm willing to reach even further into my pocket?
Like everyone else on FT, I'd love to burn my SPG/Hyatt/Hilton points, but I'll burn some at Iguazu.
So for the tail end of our trip, I'd like to stay somewhere in Ipanema that's pretty nice.
Can anyone give me some recs? Is Fasano decent, if I'm willing to reach even further into my pocket?