Rio de Janeiro Hotel Guide
If ever a city were renowned for its beaches, it’s Rio. Even people who know nothing else about Brazil have heard of the famed Copacabana and Ipanema, whose very names conjure up visions of a buzzing, high-energy, high-glamour lifestyle. It’s no wonder, then that so many visitors like to stay as close as possible to the waterfront – which, as luck would have it, is exactly where you’ll find a selection of luxury hotels.
Platinum Card Members can book a Fine Hotels + Resorts stay through American Express Travel and receive US$100 Credit1 to use on eligible charges, guaranteed 4pm check-out, complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast for two.
1Credit use varies by property
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Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Rio de Janeiro
The grande dame of Rio’s hotel scene opened on Copacabana Beach to great fanfare in 1923 and a century later its reputation remains as ritzy as ever. As you’d expect, the interiors at this Art Deco beauty are grand and glamorous and facilities include a fitness centre, business centre, rooftop tennis court and one of the city’s largest and loveliest pools. There’s also a first-class spa, where many treatments incorporate Brazilian ingredients such as Amazonian clay, açai and guarana. The high-ceilinged bedrooms are individually decorated in a fresh country-house style – think antique furniture, floral curtains, Oriental rugs on polished floors and botanical prints on the walls. As well as being renowned for its luxurious surroundings and stellar service, the Copa has also evolved into something of a foodie hotspot in recent years. Two of its restaurants - Mee (pan-Asian) and Ristorante Hotel Cipriani (Italian) - hold a Michelin star apiece, and the third, Pérgula, does an excellent weekend brunch.
1702 Avenida Atlântica, Copacabana
Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro
The Fasano has a prime position on Ipanema Beach but one look at its rooftop terrace and you’ll understand why many people forsake the famous sand in favour of hanging out here instead. This chic guests-only area has ocean and mountain views, an all-day bar and a fabulous infinity pool. Like the rest of the hotel, it was designed by Philippe Starck, who took inspiration from Brazilian architecture and design in the 1950s and ’60s Bossa Nova era. His signature flamboyance plays out across the hotel from the ear-shaped mirrors on the walls to a reception counter crafted from an eight-ton fallen pequia tree. It’s balanced by undertones of old-world style introduced by hotel owner Gero Fasano, like the butter-soft leather armchairs and red-brick walls in Baretto-Londra. Facilities include a spa, fitness center and Gero, the Italian restaurant. Bedrooms come with hardwood floors, Sergio Rodrigues chairs and location appropriate flip-flops in place of slippers. Top tip? Splash out on an oceanfront room or suite: beds are positioned to face the window and it’s not every day you wake to a view like that.
80 Avenida Vieira Souto, Ipanema
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Emiliano Rio
Brazilian modernism meets contemporary cool at the beachfront Emiliano Rio, where white shutters perforated with curvy lozenge shapes create a famously distinctive façade. On the inside, natural materials are in abundance, with Brazilian woods, white Parana marble and a spectacular vertical garden in the restaurant, which showcases local flavours and ingredients. All 90 bedrooms are bright, spacious and calm above the clatter of Copacabana. To make the most of the location go for a sea-facing room, so you can draw back those shutters and gaze out at the sand curving around the bay, with Copacabana Fort on one side and Sugar Loaf Mountain on the other. The outlook is just as breath-taking up on the rooftop, where an L-shaped infinity pool runs across the front of the building, glass-walled so that even when you’re swimming underwater nothing blocks the view.
Avenida Atlantica 3804, Copacabana
Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR): Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR) program benefits are available for new bookings made through American Express Travel with participating properties and are valid only for eligible Platinum Charge Card Members and Centurion® Members. Platinum Credit Card Members who are not also Australian Platinum Charge Card Members or Centurion® Members, are not eligible for FHR program benefits. Bookings must be made using an eligible Card and must be paid using that Card, or another American Express® Card, in the eligible Card Member's name, and that Card Member must be travelling on the itinerary booked. Noon check-in and room upgrade are subject to availability and are provided at check-in; certain room categories are not eligible for upgrade. The type of US$100 credit and additional amenity (if applicable) varies by property. The US$100 credit will be applied to eligible charges up to the amount of the credit. To receive the US$100 credit, the eligible spend must be charged to your hotel room. The credit will be applied at check-out. Advance reservations are recommended for certain credits. The type and value of the daily breakfast (for two) varies by property; breakfast will be valued at a minimum of US$60 per room per day. To receive the breakfast credit, the breakfast bill must be charged to your hotel room. The breakfast credit will be applied at check-out. If the cost of Wi-Fi is included in a mandatory property fee, a daily credit of that amount will be applied at check-out. Benefits are applied per room, per stay (with a three-room limit per stay). Back-to-back stays booked by a single Card Member, Card Members staying in the same room or Card Members travelling in the same party within a 24-hour period at the same property are considered one stay and are ineligible for additional FHR benefits (“Prohibited Action”). American Express and the property reserve the right to modify or revoke FHR benefits at any time without notice if we or they determine, in our or their sole discretion, that you may have engaged in a Prohibited Action, or have engaged in abuse, misuse, or gaming in connection with your FHR benefits. Benefit restrictions vary by property. Benefits cannot be redeemed for cash and are not combinable with other offers unless indicated. Benefits must be used during the stay booked. Any credits applicable are applied at check-out in USD or the local currency equivalent. Benefits, participating properties, and availability and amenities at those properties are subject to change. To be eligible for FHR program benefits, your eligible Card Account must not be cancelled. For additional information, please call the number on the back of your Card.
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