Bromelia Rio Travel and Tour are the best way to introduce yourself to Rio and fall in love with…read moreit. I was amazed by how each experience I had with Lauren and Val led me to want to do another tour with them. Each one I did was unique and amazing. First I decided to stay at Casa Bromelia. This B&B is ran by Lauren and Val. I found this option on their tour site. I stayed 3 nights and am positive I will return for more. Casa Bromelia is a block from Ipanema beach. You cannot beat this location. It has so much historical charm on the outside and the interior decor Lauren selected is beautiful! It has 3 bedrooms that could potential be booked. The beds are super comfortable and the sound proof windows make you forget the outdoor world is even there. Trust me this is bliss after long adventures all day in Rio. You share a bathroom with the other guests, but I often felt like it was my own. Never had issues waiting for it. Besides the amazing comfort of the rooms having Lauren and Val there to give advice on your stay made the trip. They could point you in the right direction for whatever you are in the mood for that day. You could join in on one of their tours, they will give you advice on restaurant to try, and the best beach stand to visit. Lauren and Val are so genuine and you can tell love Rio. They want you to love it too. I highly recommend staying at Casa Bromelia for your accommodation for your stay. Second, I did the Rainforest Hiking Tour to Dois Irmãos. The view for this is the best I have seen. Better then Christ or Sugar Loaf in my opinion. You can see a 360 view of Rio. I joined in last minute for this tour. I heard about it from a guest who was staying in a different room the afternoon before. Staying at Casa Bromelia made it easy for this last minute addition. A couple staying at a different location joined our group too. We met at Casa Bromelia and headed to the mountain. Val guided this tour and you can tell he has a love for the environment. He was picking up any little piece of trash as we hiked. I appreciate this gesture. In this tour we started at the bottom of the Vidigal Favela. We each took a separate motor bike taxi to get to the start of the hike at the top of the Favela. This was very safe and a great way to see the favela briefly. The hike was great for beginners. I am 35 years old and in average shape. There are some steep parts, but nothing you can't do. Val guided us at our pace and made sure we all were doing okay. The group talked the entire way up. Trust me the view is worth it!!! We walked down through the favela on the way back. It felt safe and interesting to see close up. Third, I did the Back Street Samba Party Excursion. I scheduled this in advance when I booked the place. Lauren guided this tour and you can tell she truly enjoys Samba and the spirit it brings to the Rio culture. I did it with one other guest (31 years old) staying at Casa Bromelia and an older couple (70 years old) staying at a different location. The ages didn't matter. We all had such a fantastic time together. There is no way you can't in this particular tour. First, we all met at Casa Bromelia at 6pm and learned how to make a Caprinhina! We also had one too! Then we headed to the central part of Rio to a back street Samba gathering. The location was amazing to see. Something I would never have found on my own in Rio. We listened to music, drank a few more Caprinhinas, ate espichinos (meat on a stick) and danced the night away!! Lauren's enthusiasm for this amazing tour really made us all fall in love with Rio and Samba. If I had more time I would have loved to do the cooking class tour, which Lauren doesn't run, but sets up for you or the City Walking Tour that Lauren does. Oh .... or the Photography Tour. The photos taken look amazing and how often do you have a beautiful background like Rio to do a personal photo shoot in. Lauren sets this up for you as well. I have officially fallen in love with Rio AND Bromelia Rio Travel and Tour! I will be back!!

Best Local Experience! I would not have found any of the information I received nor experienced any…read moreof the authentic moments I had without the help of Bromelia Rio Travel. And best of all, you made me feel prepared for my trip even before I arrived! Always available to answer my questions, offer suggestions and get me excited for my Rio holiday. Highly Recommended.

Faced with the challenge to provide introductory tours of Rio de Janeiro to senior corporate…read moreexecutives from Japan, the USA, and Europe, I did thorough research into several leading Rio tour companies before selecting Raul Melo and his team to conduct the tours for our group. Within minutes of the start of the tour, it was clear we made the right choice. Raul brings every facet of Rio to life with his deep knowledge of Rio's complex history and understanding of the City's vibrant Carioca people and culture. The result is a fun and captivating experience for everyone. Indeed, Raul is the "Guia Maravilhoso" for any tours of the "Cidade Maravilhosa"!

For those who love History, this is the best in town!!! Amazing crew, Priscila and Raul Melo's…read moreknowledge in Rio de Janeiro's scene as it was and is now is massive. You end up falling in love with Rio even more... Very much recommended!

This is one of the best food tours I have ever done and I do one in every city I travel to that has…read morethat option. You will not be hungry. The wide range if food and the Rio history go together well. Save your appetite. You start in a food market and end the day with a full course meal. All I can say is: awesome.

We did this tour the day we arrived in Rio for the Olympics in August! It was a true highlight of…read moreour trip and the organizers could not have been more helpful! They even offered to store our bags for us while we went on the tour since we were coming straight from the airport. It's a great way to get an introduction to Brazil, its food, the city of Rio, and the culture! If you are lucky you will also have some other great folks on your tour with you that you will meet up with again later on in your trip! Cannot recommend this enough! Worth every penny!!

We had an incredibly positive experience with Berkana Travel. The guides were knowledgeable,…read moreprofessional, dependable, with wonderful personalities. The accommodations that were arranged for us were first class in every way. We had wonderful experiences in both Rio and and Iguassu Falls. The ease of it all from airport transfers to tours was flawless. Obrigada for an amazing experience.

If you're traveling to Rio, Copacabana Palace is the place to stay. The service, amenities, and…read moresmall touches all add up to a restful and restorative stay. The resort has something for families, singles, events, conferences, couples and more. Located directly on the beach there is no where better to stay. We booked with Chase Sapphire Reserve and had quite a good amount of specials. A resort credit, an upgrade, late checkout, and free breakfast. The suite had beautiful high ceilings, spacious bathroom and living room, and we were met with a bottle of champagne upon our arrival. Concierge and hotel staff took care of everything for us from restaurant bookings to attractions to attraction and spa bookings. I can't say enough about the friendly and helpful nature of everyone we encountered. We enjoyed breakfast each morning with a beautiful buffet of fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses, fresh fruit juices, eggs, sausage, and more. We also could order off the menu for specific items. Coffee, sparkling wine, and juices included. The pool was the perfect temperature(its temperature controlled), and well attended with bathrooms right there. Outside on the beach the hotel has its own tent, chairs, and towels. Complimentary beach bag and flip flops upon your arrival. Turndown included fresh water and treats, and I loved the scents of all their products. Great restaurants on site as well as nearby.

Five star Belmond hotel in Rio, located on the infamous Copacabana Beach. Arrived in Rio at 8:30…read moream and the hotel let me check in early! Nice! The room was spacious, luxurious with crisp white bedding, bathroom was large with separate bathtub and shower. The hotel celebrated 100 years There were 3 restaurants located in the hotel, I dined at Mee, an Asian fusion restaurant and Ristorante Hotel Cipriani, both with Michelin stars. The main restaurant, Pergula features one of the best Brazilian buffet on Saturdays. The scene by the pool was a little hectic, I stayed on a weekend and this hotel is very busy. Havianas are in each room - love that special gift for each guest. There's a Gucci store on the main level if you need a designer shopping fix. The hotel's shopping area was very sparse, not much left after the Rio Carnival..

We arrived early afternoon & probably not at the best time since line for check in was long & took…read moresome time, they need a better checking in system, people were all over. After checking in we settled down & quickly headed outside for food & drinks on Copacabana beach. As for the hotel, they provide breakfast, the early morning was better since more options, later towards the end of breakfast not so much with the options. While dinning u get nice beach views. One day we had some down time so we went to the Spa for massages, great massage, nice area u get to relax, drink tea & eat fancy chocolates by end of your massage. I would say one of the best things at this hotel is the roof top pool, Just wow, the views during any time are just lovely. They have a bar area for food & drinks, we had drinks caipirinha were good but pricey compare to else where, beers were not bad but I didn't like that they had no Brazilian beers. We spend a nice amount of time at the pool just relaxing & enjoying the amazing views of Copacabana beach. Hotel is a great location right across from the beach, they have a cafe across the street that is part of the hotel, we had drinks & food here one day not bad. During the day this is where u get the hotel towels for the beach, the hotel has a designated area for guest which was nice. After the beach visit u can rise off in the showers before entering the hotel, nice & convenient. There was some construction during our visit which disrupted sleep some mornings since the construction was a bit loud, not terrible but of course just more annoying than anything else. Overall we had an enjoyable stay, great pool & a great location make this a good hotel stay.

Rio Othon Palace is a very nice four star hotel that I stayed at one time. The hotel is well…read moremaintained, clean and has everything you'd want. There is a rooftop pool, fitness center, and restaurant. It is not a luxury hotel but is considered expensive for locals. For Americans, rooms can be had for a s low as $100 a night. The best part of this hotel is its location. It is right in the heart of Copacabana Beach surrounded by restaurants and stores. My room was fairly high up so I got beautiful views of Sugar Loaf Mountain and the beach as well.

Condor Travel is the company hired by our travel agent, Captivating Journeys based out of Wailuku,…read moreHI for a 15-day, private tour of Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Lima. RIO DE JANEIRO: One of Condor's reps met us at the airport and got us situated for transport to the Miramar Windsor hotel on Copacabana Beach about 30 minutes away. The next day Renata was our guide. She was friendly, patient, spoke English well and taught us a new panoramic trick with our phones! We took in Christ The Redeemer where there was no waiting in line for the train thanks to pre-purchased tickets, then stopped off at the Metropolitan Cathedral, Escadaria Selarón (steps), Sambodrome and Mário Filho stadium. Lunch was at Churrascaria Carretão (see separate review). Sugarloaf was last on the agenda where she left us because we wanted to watch sunset from there. She was nice enough to drop off our belongings we left in the car back to our hotel. On departure day, no Condor rep escorted us, just an unknown woman who dressed like a business executive but helped us with our bags like an airport porter in heels! TIPS: Definitely use Uber in Rio. Cars were plentiful and fares were cheap! Try not to use your credit cards as mine got compromised early on.