Rio de Janeiro holiday

My best friend and I stayed here for Carnival 2009 in February. The condo is amazing! 2 balconies, living area, bedroom with A/C, 2 TVs, full kitchen & bath. Everything was very clean and new! The swimming pool is 10 steps away from the beach! Surfing lessons a block away! Also there is a restaurant on site for a quick bite to eat. The service at the front desk was extremely kind and helpful. FYI you must know Portuguese to get around this country. If you don’t know Portuguese make sure you have a travel translation book in hand! :) We used the lonely planet travel translation book - very very resourceful!

Getting there was slightly difficult due to the address. But this could have been due to our taxi driver not knowing the area. It was further than I expected from Impanema and Copacabana. However a 30 minute (no traffic) and 1 hour (with traffic) taxi ride into Rio is very easy to set up through the concierge on site. If you are looking for a perfect getaway nice and quite - you will love this location. The area of Recreio is where the locals come to vacation, escape, and relax. Bring food or buy it there things shut down around 9 to 10 pm. My favorite place to grab an Acai Smoothie, Fresh Coconut, or Franga Coxhina (chicken pastry) at the little food stands along the beach sidewalk some stay open late. Be sure to get really good sunscreen! I tan easy here in North America but within 30 minutes you will be burnt and it can ruin your vacation! Please remember the sunscreen :) doesn't matter how dark you are!

Another recommendation if it is your first time in Rio/ Brazil is to set up mini day tours before you leave the states. However please know that they are subject to change and you should confirm several times your tour times and bus departure times. Just because you have a reservation does not mean they are firm times they are subject to change and getting there earlier will save some frustration later. We took the Rio Sheraton’s day tours to Sugar Loaf, Corcorvado, and Maracanã Stadium. Which I highly recommend! Also please take time and go to Leblon (close to Impanema) this was my favorite area for shopping and meeting people. Just walk the streets and enjoy the tropics!