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With beautiful hotels stretching down its coastline, Rio de Janeiro isn’t short of options when it comes to accommodations. But, as you begin to weed-out the good from the exceptional, the options grow fewer and fewer. In fact, you can narrow-down “the best” to just one. The iconic Copacabana Palace hotel.
Sitting smack dab in the middle of the world-famous Copacabana beach, the Copacabana Palace has stood as Rio’s best luxury hotel for over 90 years. In 1923 the hotel rose through the hands of French architect Joseph Gire, and became a magnet for guests from Europe and the Americas, including celebrities like Rita Hayworth, Walt Disney and members of varying royal families, like Princess Diana and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Throughout the years, the Copacabana Palace has retained the glamour and its reputation through innovation, renovation and more. Today, the hotel still remains on everyone’s list of top choices in Rio. That’s not surprising. With 216 rooms, including a bevy of oceanfront suites, each guest instantly feels right at home. The hotel offers a beautifully decorated interior lobby and ballroom spaces for events, an olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis court, as well as a three-story spa with fitness center, treatment rooms and steam/sauna options. There are three dining spots on-site which include Pérgula, poolside casual dining, MEE – A pan-Asian favorite, as well as the famous Cipriani, an outpost of the highly awarded Italian restaurant in Venice.
Service at the Copacabana Palace is simple – whatever you want or need, the staff makes it happen. On a recent stay, I was in-need of clothes pins and didn’t know where to turn. The hotel hadn’t stocked them recently, so they had someone run-out and purchase them, delivering the items to my door within 30 minutes. This was just the beginning. Poolside, in-room and dining around the hotel – I found it consistent and impressive. Smiles. Willingness. The need to please, in the most generous way.
For those looking for the right place to stay in Rio de Janeiro, it truly depends on your objective. But, without hesitation, it’s easy to say that the “Copa” delivers pure luxury, charm, historical importance and glamor – all in a beautiful glowing white package. It truly does reflect its name, Palace, because here you really do feel like a king.
