South America Holland

[kentuckysailor]

We are departing from Rio de Janeiro on March 17, 2009, on the Amsterdam. Planning to be in Rio two nights before we leave. Would appreciate any help as to hotels, sights and restaurants in Rio. We end the cruise in Santiagl. Also any discussion of this cruise which is for 16 nights. Which excursions? . We enjoy sightseeing on our own. Thanks for any help.

[owl61]

We are departing from Rio de Janeiro on March 17, 2009, on the Amsterdam. Planning to be in Rio two nights before we leave. Would appreciate any help as to hotels, sights and restaurants in Rio. We end the cruise in Santiagl. Also any discussion of this cruise which is for 16 nights. Which excursions? . We enjoy sightseeing on our own. Thanks for any help.

I live in Rio. Sightseeing on your own here is not hard as the distances between sights is not that great and cabs are relatively inexpensive.

You might also want to consult the www.tripadvisor.com site and particularly the "things to do" link thereat.

If you have not booked your hotel yet, I suggest either the Marriott or the Sofitel if you can afford that luxury. Ipanema Sol is a Best Western fronting the beach in Ipanema. It is a step down but better in location.

Cab to Corcovado in the morning (R$ 15/20 from Ipanema). Cogwheel train up Corcovado ( R$44). You should not go up if it is cloudy as you will not see anything. By mid March the lines should not be too bad. If there is a long line/wait consider teaming up with another couple and hiring a taxi for a 3 hour tour (less than R$ 44 pp). You will need to hike the last km or 2 as cabs now cannot go to summit. If you are not in shape to walk, for R$13 you hop a waiting bus to the summit. The cab will wait for you and stop at other vistas on the way down. Pay at the end of tour.There is a Museum of Primitive Art (Arte Naif) one block from the train ticket station. If it is open, check it out.

When you do Sugarloaf ( R$45 pp for skycar) try to time your visit so you can catch sundown while on top. At foot of Sugarloaf the restaurant Zozo is a good place for a drink or to eat a fixed price buffet meal. Interesting interior decor.

Go to a kiosk situated on the perimeter of the central lake (Rodrigo de Freitas) in Ipanema. I like "Arab's" Mediterannean cuisne. Many kiosks concentrated in this area have live music for which there may be a modest cover.

Sunday is not a day to be downtown ( deserted) and neither Sunday or Monday is an optimum day for a local music club in Lapa barrio, but you will want to check out one or two in Lapa. See www.Lanalapa.com.br for a list of clubs. Rio Scenarium is a favorite of many. This web site is not in English, but many of the individual clubs have English language web sites. Click on "Casas" for individual clubs.

For beaching it, the prettiest remains Copacabana because of its crescent shape. Posto 9 in Ipanema is where the hip younger set hangs out. Check out the restaurant thread in the Rio forum of tripadsior.com for suggestions. If you like sushi try the Japanese restaurant in the lobby of the Hotel Everest in Ipanema (Edo). The best pizza is found in the Zona Sul supermarkets scattered across town - many, but not all, have brick ovens on premises that offer the best thin crust pizza at a low price. Besides which you can buy a bottle of wine at supermarket prices and consume it with the pizza while mixing with the locals.

Have fun.