Rio accommodation
Replies: 29 - Last Post: Nov 4, 2012 6:26 PM Last Post By: inaciomartinelli
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Rio accommodation
HeyA friend and I are going to be in rio in December before Christmas for about 5 days. We are on a bit of a budget and are looking for something that hopefully has both private rooms and dorms and is nearish to the rio nightlife. Seen a lot of good things in Copacabana and ipanema, but there seem to be so many options that I'm not sure what the best area really is and what the best hostels are?
2
Unfortunately I can only tell you where NOT to stay at Copacabana Beach - the Windsor Excelsior Hotel. Desk staff are unhelpful and rude, rooms are overpriced, no free wi-fi, drinks (and most else) overpriced.Check out tripadvisor.com as there's plenty of competition.
6
Which, without some sort of context, renders the recommendation meaningless. I respect your opinion but frankly I get a little tired of these iconoclastic statements about one being better than the other. What forms the basis of aspiration or indeed parochial loyalty for middle class Brazilians may or may not hold true for a visitor.Here we go:
I prefer Copacabana to Ipanema, because I enjoy the mix of people there, you see people of all classes and walks of life, by comparison I find Ipanema a little sterile. In a practical sense I prefer Copacabana again, there are more options in terms of supermarkets. Plenty of places to eat cheaply and no shortage of interesting bars. It's marginally closer to the main tourist sights and the nightlife that most tourists will want to indulge in, ie Lapa. More options in terms of metro stations, three as opposed to one. It's also marginally cheaper than Ipanema, which may or may not be an important factor to someone travelling on a 'bit of a budget.'
Now as it happens, I don't have anything against Ipanema but there's no basis to the notion it has an inherent superiority to its neighbour.
If the OP wants cheaper and wants something beyond a hostel they may be better looking at sharing a hotel room in Catete, Gloria, Flamengo etc.
7
Recently stayed at the Mango Tree hostel in Ipanema which has dorms and private rooms and was very happy with it. Although Copacabana and Ipanema are more expensive than other areas like Santa Teresa or Botafogo, Ipanema felt like a very safe area and it was good to be at a hostel near the beach so you could leave your stuff there and just stroll over to the beach. There are bars in Ipanema and the hostel also organised/advertised nights out. I guess the only bad thing about Ipanema was there were not many inexpensive eating options.Edited by: sunshine22
8
I thought I didn't had to say "in my opinion" because it seemed obvious. But I can say it, IN MY OPINION, despite the beach street and a few isolated areas, Copacabana is dirty, ugly, and full of beggars and homeless people on the street. Ipanema´s beach is WAY better and Lapa isn't closer to Copacabana, since you can take the Rebouças Tunnel from Ipanema.Ipanema is a richer area, therefore, the prices are higher. This and the fact that there is only one metro station in there are the only disadvantages that I can think of.
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Maybe I've got rose colored glasses, but I strongly agree with the description/opinion expressed by #6. Personally, I feel more comfortable around Brazilians more like myself than all super rich, so I enjoy the mix and the movement and the choices in Copacabana. Dirty and ugly must be in the eye of the beholder, or my rose colored glasses must have an erase feature too. :-)And perhaps an inherent snob-factor/classism influences carioca/Brazilian opinion of certain Rio neighborhoods vs. others. Not so many English speaking/writing poorer Brazilians exist who're likely to spend time to contribute their perspective on any forum for gringo travelers.
As for where the OP should stay, IMO it should be based more on the particular hostel. Lots of crappy ones too in supposedly nicer Ipanema and lots of good ones in Copacabana. I only see ONE recommendation from personal experience above. (I don't use hostels so can't comment speifically.) Everything for tourists in Rio is so easy to get to anyway that neighborhood nightlife should not be such a deciding factor.
12
Someone who actually lives in Rio? Does s/he have the perspective of a foreign traveler to whom s/he is giving advice? Or is s/he informed by the above mentioned Brazilian classism/snobbery (as opposed to a perspective/background more similar to the traveler, but informed by more extensive experience traveling in Brazil than most Brazilians admit to having).Personal preference in Rio? These days it's Tomaz Coelho where my dear friend, with whom I often stay, lives. Convenient and comfortable, IMO.
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I don't find Copacabana particularly dirty or ugly and when I'm in Rio I tend to stay there (there's a clue in my forum name), so I know it fairly well. If a distaste for seeing the homeless is a criteria for the OP then they should probably sequester themselves in Barra and never venture out.Again it's all in the eye of the beholder, maybe #9 and I are far more used to neighbourhoods with more diverse demographics.
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amobr82Since the beggining my opinion was having in mind that travelers in this forum could follow these instructions. I'm sure that Ipanema is better than Copacabana for most travelers.
