Hotel recommendations in Rio

[cruise88cruise]

Hi,

 

I'll be joining a cruise to south america in Dec and boarding in Rio but not familiar with Rio. Can anyone recommend or suggest what area I should book? Or even some names of hotels they've stayed at that is clean and safe?

 

Thank you!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Hi,

 

I'll be joining a cruise to south america in Dec and boarding in Rio but not familiar with Rio. Can anyone recommend or suggest what area I should book? Or even some names of hotels they've stayed at that is clean and safe?

 

Thank you!

 

How long are you going to be there, and where do you want to stay? If you have no familiarity with Rio, I would suggest doing some research online and deciding what area would be nice. Many stay in Copacabana, we stayed in Ipanema, both are on beaches. Safety is relative in Rio, we felt safe in Ipanema but were warned to stay away from the beach at night. And things have changed in the years since we were there.

 

Do your research, you can't stay just anywhere. And while you're doing that, think about getting around. We had private guides, shared with another couple, who took us some great places. Not sure how we would have gotten around on our own. Even getting back and forth between the airport and the cruise port can be fraught.

[cruise88cruise]

I'll be there for 1 or 2 nights before boarding a cruise ship. Yes, I heard stories about Rio being unsafe so I wanted to stay in a safe area.

 

Also wanted to find a local tour company to take us around but not sure where to start.

 

Thank you!

[VidaNaPraia]

I'll be there for 1 or 2 nights before boarding a cruise ship. Yes, I heard stories about Rio being unsafe so I wanted to stay in a safe area.

 

Also wanted to find a local tour company to take us around but not sure where to start.

 

Thank you!

 

There are no completely safe areas in Rio. Your safety depends largely on your self. Most tourist crime in Rio is opportunistic. Don't give anyone the opportunity.

Start by leaving anything you have a financial or emotional attachment to at home or in the hotel until you are on the ship.

Most tourists stay in the Zona Sul. Most of the tourist hotels are there. Some of those neighborhoods look more like "home". Some perceive that as being "safer". In Rio, slum housing abuts wealthier and tourist neighborhoods, unlike most large world cities

 

 

There's no reason to hire a guide if you really are thinking 'bodyguard'. The large bus services spend a lot of time doing pickups and drop offs. If you want history and off the tourist path gems, hire a private guide ($250/day+ for 2) several recommendations in other threads