Globalista

Rio's spectacular setting is legendary. Curved around bays of powder-white sand and backed by lush tree-clad mountains (including the famous Sugar Loaf), you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere more visually stunning. In fact, the beaches are so important to the Carioca way of life that some even have their own addresses. Our guide tells you the most popular sections of sand to be seen in and the swim labels to wear (if you’re brave enough). The city is consumed by music and colour, not just for the week of the world's most famous carnival but for most of the months preceding it. We reveal where to soak up the electric atmosphere, from the hottest samba school to a beautifully restored mansion in the nightlife district of Lapa that’s perfect for showing off your new dance moves. And yet Rio is so much more than a big beach party town. Overwhelmingly, it's a city of contrasts: from its colonial past to its economic future, from the five star Fasano hotel to the shabby chic, bohemian district of Santa Teresa and, famously, from the locals' warmth and friendliness to the dark undercurrent of violence that runs through some neighbourhoods. It's a beautiful, fascinating and complex city. We can help you dig deeper and discover more.

You can preview the Best Hotels featured in our Globalista Report below. Or buy the full Globalista Report for this destination, available at the bottom of the page.

The iconic Copacabana Palace is Rio. An all-white monolith overlooking Copacabana beach, anyone who's anyone has stayed and misbehaved here, from Marlene Dietrich and Orson Wells (who threw his TV out of his room and into the pool) to Robert de Niro and Naomi Campbell. The pool still reigns supreme as a party scene and the hotel is a comfort zone of telepathic staff, marble bathrooms, a new spa and boiled eggs for breakfast. However, there is a downside. Things are looking a little dated and a revamp is definitely in order. Also, the Copacabana location is no longer the hottest in town, if anything it's pretty uncool.

If you prefer something younger and more up to speed, the 94-room Fasano, Rio de Janeiro is the only real five-star alternative to the Copacabana. (Fingers crossed it makes the Copacabana smarten up its act). Designed by Philippe Starck, with handpicked furniture from Brazilian architect/designer Sergio Rodrigues, it's just over a year old and offers high-design - a hollowed out hard-wood tree acts as a reception desk - and great views from its rooftop pool. Fasano Al Mare, the hotel's seafood restaurant, is a must. On the downside some rooms are small, the traffic is noisy (it's right on the promenade) and the staff a little too hipper-than-thou - but it's certainly the place to see and be seen.

If you want to go boutique Rio has many options. Although staying away from the beach may not appeal to first-time visitors, if you're on a repeat trip then check into our favourite Mama Ruisa in the arty Santa Teresa neighbourhood. An elegantly converted villa owned by Parisian ex-pat Jean Michel Ruis, this is a stylish seven-room boutique hotel.

For more quality travel information on this destination, simply buy the full Globalista Report (£15) below:

Globalista’s Pick of the Press

4 March 2009 - The Daily Candy - Her Name Was Rio
8 January 2009 - The Daily Telegraph - Denis Norden's heaven on earth: Rio de Janeiro
13 December 2008 - The Independent - Simon Calder's romantic rendezvous
13 December 2008 - The Independent - 48 hours in Rio de Janeiro
10 November 2008 - The New York Times - Rio de Janeiro travel guide
26 July 2008 - The Financial Times - At home with artists and eccentrics

Globalista Recommends