RIO DE JANEIRO PRIVATE AND EXCLUSIVE
Rio De Janeiro Private And Exclusive - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Rio De Janeiro Private And Exclusive | |||||
| By: Lucy Jones, Issue 47, Winter 11 | |||||
| Rio De Janeiro | |||||
| A CITY AS CHAOTIC AND FULL OF POSSIBILITY AS RIO DE JANEIRO CALLS FOR THE SERVICES OF BESPOKE TRAVEL COMPANIES TO FIND YOU EXPERIENCES MONEY CAN’T USUALLY BUY. Rio de Janeiro is nicknamed the cidade maravhilosa – the marvellous city. It is a heady mix of glamorous neighbourhoods, gritty favelas, beautiful locals (known as cariocas) and pulsing samba beats. And all under the benevolent gaze of Christ himself. Rio can be at once exhilarating and overwhelming. It is a chaotic city to navigate with a vast number of unlicensed taxis and a few areas that are a definite no go for tourists. The population density is among the highest in the world and up to one million visitors can swell the population each summer. Rio is big, loud, dirty, fast-paced and confusing, but there are some amazing luxury experiences to be had if you know where to look. Here are Luxury Travel Magazine’s best picks. Sitting on a narrow strip of land on Brazil’s Atlantic coast, flanked by world-famous beaches, lush rainforest and soaring mountains, Rio is visually stunning from the air. A private helicopter tour is a convenient way to take in the city’s most famous sights. Take a joy flight around Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copacabana, Leblon and Ipanema beaches, the Imperial Palace, Marcana Stadium and the Sambodromo. The grand finale of any flight around the city is a circle of the infamous Christ the Redeemer, the 30-metre statue at the top of the Corcovado mountain. This is undoubtedly the best way to see the statue – you avoid the crowds that surround the base from early morning and the helicopter will get within metres of it. You can do all of this before heading away from the city on a day trip to Angra dos Reis, a lush archipaelego of 365 islands half an hour away by helicopter. Back at ground level there are a number of exclusive or behind-the-scenes experiences to be had away from tourist crowds. Take a private or after hours tour of public buildings like Oscar Niemeyer’s Museum of Contemporary Art or the Botanic Gardens. Visit the Unidos de Tijuca samba school, winners of Carnaval 2010, and see their costumes, floats and the dancers at practice. Guests eager (and brave enough) for the full experience can participate in the annual Carnaval parades with the Unidos de Tijuca dancers. The bohemian Santa Teresa neighbourhood is considered the Montmartre of Rio with its well preserved colonial and neo-classical architecture, art museums and artists ateliers. Visit the home of a local artist in Santa Teresa for a private dinner and drinks. Live bossa nova, samba or capoeira shows can be held in guests’ private villas. Soccer fans can take a private tour of the Maracanã Stadium, built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and attend a soccer match with a former Brazilian World Cup soccer player. Cariocas know how to have a good time and Rio is filled with cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. But the better ones can be difficult to get into and visitors can get stuck eating or drinking in overpriced, poor quality tourist-traps with only other tourists for company. Local concierge services can assist in booking tables at the hottest spots in town. Roberta Sudbrack’s eponymous restaurant is one of the best in the city, with the prices and waiting list to match. Sudbrack was once the private chef of the Brazilian president and has cooked for international heads of state like Juan Carlos of Spain and the UK’s Tony Blair. Three, five or eight course tasting menus are served nightly using mainly local ingredients, but it is almost impossible to get in. To rub shoulders with local celebrities and socialites book a table at Sushi Leblon, Rio’s most famous and fashionable Japanese restaurant. To sample some of Rio’s legendary nightlife, visitors can arrange entry and private VIP tables at exclusive clubs in Rio like Prai, Ipanema and Melt, which is frequented by celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Jake Gyllenhaal when they are in town. Visitors have even been lucky enough to sit next to Brazilian soccer superstar and enfant terrible Ronaldhino on a night out. If you’re looking for something more private, have private cocktails with a personal bartender on Urca’s Hill next to Sugar Loaf Mountain or on one of the city’s more secluded beaches. With its five-star hotels, glamorous nightspots and beautiful people it can be easy to forget that Rio de Janeiro is still a third world city. More than 500 favelas, or shanty towns, cover the hills that surround the city and are home to almost 20 per cent of Rio’s population. Crime is rife, poverty is crippling and in many of the favelas the law is in the hands of drug lords instead of the police. But the favelas are also home to ordinary working people who cannot afford to live anywhere else. In recent years, and especially in the lead up to the 2016 Olympics, a process of urban renewal has begun. In the favelas there is the opportunity to give something back to the city and experience something that cannot be bought. Voluntourism projects allow visitors into the favelas to work with the communities. Visitors can beautify the living environment by painting murals on walls, or work to repair buildings. You can play a game of soccer with sports-mad local children or volunteer as a reading partner to help them improve their English. If visitors have specific skills, such as medical training, they can offer their services at the local clinic for a day. You don’t have to sacrifice comfort to participate – luxury voluntourism projects are hosted by a private guide, stay in luxury boutique accommodation at the Santa Teresa Hotel and can be completely customised. The sun is shining, the caipirinhas are cold and almost anything is possible in the cidade maravhilosa. | |||||
| WHERE TO STAY A private concierge company, Blue Parallel, operates four private residences in Rio on the famous Copacabana Beach and in the exclusive Joatinga neighbourhood. The Sugar Loaf, The Carnival and The Corcovado are all luxury beachfront apartments on Copacabana with sweeping views, large living spaces and luxe furnishings. Four-bedroom Villa Joatinga is set among tropical rainforest overlooking the secluded Joatinga beach and features a large heated swimming pool and lots of outdoor living space. All villas are staffed with cleaning personnel and a nanny, private chef, bartender, masseuse or even a sommelier can be arranged at extra cost. Villas are cleaned daily, fridges are stocked with fresh food and all guests are appointed a personal travel concierge and on-site host to organise travel arrangements and ensure the smooth operation of the house. RATES: villas range from US$26,000 (about A$24,577) to US$59,000 (about A$55,775) per week. | |||||
| bpvillas.com | |||||
| The Santa Teresa is a boutique design hotel located in a restored coffee plantation mansion in the fashionable Santa Teresa district. All rooms and suites are unique, designed by Brazilian design studios and filled with Brazilian artwork and natural materials. Stay in the 160 square metre Loft Suite which was chosen as the world’s best new hotel suite by Wallpaper* magazine in 2010. RATES: superior rooms from R$835 (about A$494) per night and the Loft Suite from R$3,080 (about A$1,821) per night. | |||||
| santa-teresa-hotel.com | |||||
| Designed by Philippe Starck, the Fasano hotel is on the beachfront at Ipanema and harks back to the 1950s and 1960s, the golden days of Rio. The sleek wood, metal and glass hotel features specially customised vintage furniture and staff uniforms designed by Brazilian fashion designer Ocimar Versolato. The Fasano is arguably the sexiest hotel in Rio and one of the social hubs of the city. It’s no wonder Madonna stayed here when she was in town with Brazilian toy-boyfriend Jesus Luz last year. RATES: courtyard view rooms from US$585 (about A$553) per night, deluxe oceanfront rooms from US$850 (about A$803) per night. | |||||
| fasano.com.br | |||||
| GETTING THERE | |||||
| Qantas codeshares with Aerolineas Argentinas for one stop flights to Rio de Janeiro. Qantas flies direct from Sydney to Buenos Aires on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and there are daily direct flights from Buenos Aires to Rio. Return economy fares start from A$1,882 and business from A$10,320. | |||||
| qantas.com | |||||
| Aerolineas Argetinas and LAN Chile also operate flights to Rio de Janeiro via their hubs of Buenos Aires and Santiago respectively. These flights operate up to six times a week and have a stop in Auckland. | |||||
| aerolineas.com; lan.com | |||||
| RIO BESPOKE | |||||
| Boutique bespoke travel agency and concierge service Blue Parallel can organise accommodation, transport and exclusive access for an unforgettable holiday in Brazil’s most famous city. Blue Parallel provides a personal host, private guides, continual monitoring of your trip by its in house concierge team and a behind the scenes logistical expert to ensure everything runs smoothly. | |||||
| blueparallel.com | |||||
| Hands Up Holidays operates luxury voluntourism projects in the Pereirão favela. The Renewing Rio in Style 10-day tour includes sightseeing and favela visits and can be customised for a minimum of two people. | |||||
| handsupholidays.com | |||||
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