Rio---Nov 13-17

[LurkerSpeaks]

Ok.. I have now booked my flight and hotel for Rio.. I will be arriving on Nov 13 and departing on Nov 17.. My birthday falls right in the middle on the 15th. I will be staying at the Atlantico Copacabana. I still have to arrange for my Visa..but that has to wait another few weeks so it will make the maximum 90 day grace period. Anyone else going to be in Rio during that time period? I am trying to convince TxAlphaDog to join me on my trip. Would love to meet up with other M4m-er's. Drop me a line if you will be there, and if not, then give me some ideas of "must see's" or "must do's" for my first visit to Rio..

[imrthr]

"I will be arriving on Nov 13 and departing on Nov 17.. "must do's" for my first visit to Rio."

***************************************************************

 

Hello LS,

 

For your first "must do" I recommend you change your trip from a four-day trip to at least ten days or two weeks (even that is a short time for Brazil). Unless it is absolutely critical that you spend only four days in Brazil, you will later look back with regret at having spent such a short time there.

 

This board has plenty of information that will guide you on your first trip. Although the Atlantico Hotel is, in my opinion, not a very good hotel, its location and its visitor policy make up for the lack of things you will find at nicer hotels.

[Guest dreynsol]

LS, I do agree with imrthr that four days is a bit short, but long enough to certainly sample Brazil.

 

But, I have to disagree that the Hotel Atlantico is "not a very good hotel".

 

At US$ 89 per night plus the hotel taxes, it's much more than a Comfort Inn you could book here in the U.S. for that rate.

 

It's been newly rennovated, the maids do a wonderful job of cleaning, and the breakfast that's included is much more than dry cereal, coffe and juice. It's a very nice spread where you can invite the boys to join you.

 

The lobby is a little dated, there's tile flooring, the linens are not of a finer thread count, but it's by no means a dump.

 

For the money, the location, the gay-friendliness of the staff, and the convenience, I don't think you can beat it.

 

And where else in the world can you visit their roof top pool and new fitness center while taking in the amazing view of Corcovado mountain and the surroundings.

 

Hotels on Ipanema Beach are going for US$ 1,000 per night during Carnaval next year. So I'll settle for the tile floors :-)

 

And thanks for booking your trip through Gay Travel Brazil

 

- Drey

[+ Axiom2001]

The Atlantico Hotel is 3 star. It's located in an area that gets quite busy during the day because it's near the last subway or metro or underground that was constructed, but the hotel itself is quiet (which I've found on six occasions). As another writer pointed out, the breakfast is vast and wholesome, the only woman who works in the restaurant is extremely amiable and appreciates one's use of basic Portuguese (bon dia for good morning and obrigado for thank you; he name is Sheila.

 

Request a room on an upper floor and in the rear; if this happens-- it should be quiet for you.

 

Do read previous posts: before all of my visits I've read here and at http://www.gaytravelbrazil.com and have NOT encountered any difficulty, and I have wandered by myself both night and day. But when out late at night, TAKE A TAXI to wherever you intend to go.

[imrthr]

">But, I have to disagree that the Hotel Atlantico is "not

>a very good hotel".

>

>At US$ 89 per night plus the hotel taxes, it's much more than

>a Comfort Inn you could book here in the U.S. for that rate.

>

>It's been newly renovated, the maids do a wonderful job of

>cleaning, and the breakfast that's included, is much more than

>dry cereal, coffe and juice. It's a very nice spread where

>you can invite the boys to join you.

>

>The lobby is a little dated, there's tile flooring, the linens

>are not of a finer thread count, but it's by no means a dump.

>

>For the money, the location, the gay-friendliness of the

>staff, and the convenience, I don't think you can beat it.

>

>>- Drey"

********************************************************

Hello again, LS:

 

I just now read what Drey wrote about the Atlantico Hotel. It dawns on me that I might be scaring you off about the Atlantico with my comment that the hotel is not very good.

 

What I should have written is that the hotel is very good, by Brazil standards, but not a good hotel by standards in the U.S. or in many hotels found in Europe and elsewhere.

 

This is your first trip to Brazil. Please do not let my ambiguous comment about the hotel cause you to think you are getting into a hotel that is bad. To the contrary, as Drey pointed out, there are many good things about the Atlantico Hotel.

 

Despite what I wrote about the hotel not being very good, I stay at the Atlantico when I go to Rio de Janeiro. I will be returning to Brazil next week.

 

Have a grand time.