Hi all,

I've got two reward tickets lined up to take me and a friend to Rio over the Memorial Day weekend. We do have concerns regarding the reputed high crime and bad water/etc. Any thoughts from those who have experienced Rio? Good hotels? Good Rio tours/agents? We only speak English. Things to do? Places / activities to avoid? Thank You! in advance.

Hi,

I posted a similar question a few weeks ago. I am attaching the link to the post.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum94/HTML/004299.html

(Sorry, I do not know how to make it html active...maybe someone can help!!?).

Hope this works!!, and helps.

Best Regards,
AK

Thanks for the link - it worked great. I'm curious - did you decide to go flyer2001? What was the deciding factor?

Hi Whadu,

Actually we did not go to Rio. The reason we could not go was due to personal logistics, and not really anything to do with Rio itself.

Hope this helps,
Best Regards,

AK

Spend NYE there this year. Apart from the incredibly famously rude Brazil consular staff, RIO itself was a blast. It will be more dangersous at NYE (Reveillon) and Carnival than any other time I guess, and I travelled all above the place on the $1 bus rides and felt safe the whole time. Go, do it! Some tour notes only a couple months old here at:

www.GlenStephens.com/Falklands.html

Whadu -

Check out this link: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinat...ctions.htm#rio

You can also buy the book -- its even more full of information.

Best regards,
-levi aka eastwest
(Disclaimer: I don't work for Lonely Planet.)

Post an email address and I'll be glad to send you a couple of pointers . . .

Best regards,
-levi aka eastwest

If you stay in a 4 or 5star hotel, do not
overtly display/flash jewelry and keep away from dark places -- you'll do fine.

Any guide book will list the places one should see - SugarLoaf Mountain,Christobal... and finally through a packaged tour group-a soccer match @ the famous soccer stadium (The largest in the world I guess)

Enjoy.

I posted my hotel review of Rio @ http:://www.flyersplaces.com

www.ipanema.com

Try this site for some good info.

I go there 4-5 times a year and feel completely safe at all times. It's a big city....no different than any other when it comes to the things you must watch out for.

Went to Rio with some friends 7 or 8 years ago .... we used a firm called BrazilNuts, which now has a website. Stayed at the Rio Othon Palace, which was very nice, on Copacabana. A tour guide met us at the airport, took us on a half-day tour of the city the second day, then picked us up and took us back to the airport a week later at the end of our trip. We paid him extra one night to take us to a Samba School. One word about dining: don't go early. Twice we went to dinner at 7 p.m. and were the only people in the restaurant. Cariocas eat late ... the city starts hopping after 10 p.m.
We didn't have any trouble with crime, but we didn't go looking for trouble. Our tour guide advised us to never go on the beach at night, and to not even walk on the beach side of the street at night. We stayed in well-lit areas and felt safe.
None of the three of us spoke Portuguese, but we had very little trouble.
Have a good trip!