Rio de Janeiro and South East
Copacabana Palace
The legendary French-designed Rio hotel built in 1923 was South America’s first luxury hotel and is still, under the ownership of the Belmond group (formerly Orient Express), one of the Continent’s top hotels.
Occupying a privileged location overlooking Copacabana beach, for decades the Copacabana Palace Hotel has been the meeting place of Rio’s high society and the world’s rich and famous. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced here, and the Rolling Stones turned up in the Grand Salon before their 1996 concert on the beach.
The rooms and suites are individually designed with period furniture, and original works of art – stretch the budget and stay at one of the beach view rooms with stunning views over Copacabana Beach. Some even feature Juliet-style balconies.
The Copacabana Palace Hotel’s Cipriani restaurant is rated as one of Rio’s best for its classic northern Italian cuisine, whilst the less formal poolside Pergula restaurant is renowned for its Saturday lunchtime feijoada, and Sunday brunch. The Mee restaurant is open in the evenings (not Mondays) and serves sophisticated pan-Asian cuisine.
Facilities
245 rooms and suites. 147 in the main building and 98 in the new Tower Wing with city view.
Optional Activities
Excursions to some of Rio de Janeiro’s most iconic sites such as Sugarloaf Mountain, Corcovado with its Christ the Redeemer statue, the Maracana football stadium, the botanical gardens and the Santa Teresa and Lapa districts.
John Melton
Area Specialist
Rio de Janeiro is a year round destination. It is hottest from December to April.
If you have any questions regarding our Brazil tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
The experience at the Pantanal Wildlife Centre & Jaguar Research Centre was outstanding. Our guide Benedicto was first class – he knew all the fauna, especially the birds and clearly loved them and could not wait to show us everything he knew. We saw the Tapirs at the mango tree (twice), coati, too many birds to list all, at pace which was perfect. At the Jaguar Research Centre the staff did an outstanding job and, OK the camp was not luxurious but WHO CARES? when you have a chance to see the jaguar, and we in fact saw seven. ALL of which were fantastic views, not just a blip in the distance.
