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They offer nice big lockers for all your bags allowing you to explore and enjoy the Copacabana beach (two blocks away) without the constant worry of the safety of your luggage. Friendly and helpful staff complete the package.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24056 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22379 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22379 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22069 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22069 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21683
We booked a twin room with Golden Lion Hostel a year in advance to ensure we had beds booked for carnival week. Then 2 weeks before we due to arrive, we tried to reconfirm our bookings. The hostel only replied (after prompting from hostel booking website), to say that “due to a change in ownership, our booking no longer valid”. The hostel did not seem to want to honour our valid booking. The worrying aspect is if we had not chased the hostel, we would have simply arrived there in Carnival week with no booking and little chance of finding alternative……so would you risk booking at this hostel?

Check out the other reviews

www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Golden-Lion/Rio-de-Janeiro/27298/reviews/]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21683 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21682 Located in quiet, safe part of Leblon district and very close to banks , bars , supermarket , restaurants etc.. Cleanest beach in Rio only about five minutes walk away. Excellent transport links to rest of Rio.
I highly recommend this place.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21682 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20918 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20918 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16988
I didn't run into any other Mexican restaurants around Rio (and trust me, I looked), so I imagine this is the one to go to. You'd better skip breakfast if you plan on spending an afternoon here!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/16988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11773
The driver will be glad of the fare and will do it on the meter. To make sure he's honest, tell the him your destination, point to the meter and say, "No relógio, ta bom?" (on the meter, OK?).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/11773 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10408 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10408 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9143 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9143 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1549 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1549 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1431 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1431 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1392 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1392 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1130
Recently though, some of a more enterprising nature have begun to open up the Serra Fluminense above the oil boom town of Macaé in the north of Rio State. The centerpiece of this area is the sleepy hill town of Sana, a bridging point across the crystalline, cascading waters of the Sana River, guarded by the majestic 3,700 foot Pedra do Peito do Pombo (Pigeon Breast Rock).

The best choices for accommodation in Sana are the town’s charming and inexpensive pousadas. Highly recommended is the pretty Repousa da Sana, with its mature gardens, restaurant serving tasty local dishes cooked in a wood burning oven (ask for the baked trout), shop selling local crafts and its comfy, tastefully decorated riverside chalets.

A big bonus here is that the owner, Antenor Sousa, speaks passable English, a rarity in this part of the world. He is a keen photographer and has spent the last 20 years documenting the town and its surroundings so there isn’t a lot he doesn’t know about the place.

For travelers with an eye on their budget, many pousadas also offer a camping option with bathroom and laundry facilities. From your base in town you can take guided walks to the dozens of waterfalls and natural swimming pools that dot the region, trek up some of Sana’s steepling granite peaks or enjoy a very agreeable couple of days’ pony trekking. There’s also enough rock climbing, abseiling, mountain biking, kayaking and white water rafting to keep the adventure sports enthusiast absorbed for days.

And after these strenuous calisthenics, what better way to wind down than in a hammock on your chalet deck, caipirinha strategically placed at arm’s length, with the calls of roosting flocks of parrots and the chattering of the river lulling you to sleep? Keep a weather eye on your drink though, as the local Micou monkeys, emboldened by human contact, are rather partial to those cachaça-impregnated lemons.

I should point out one small inconvenience. The nearest bank is 12 miles away in Casimiro de Abreu and, as telephones are a relatively new phenomenon in Sana, many of the town’s pousadas, bars and restaurants don’t accept credit cards.

However, carrying cash does not present the safety risks that it does in Rio. You are less likely to be mugged than savaged by a member of the town’s bovine community which outnumbers the human population by some distance, in other words, not very likely at all.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/1130 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/409 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/409 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/406 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/406 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9144 The price was very reasonable.
On Saturdays, Brazilians eat feijoada, the most delicious pork dish you will ever eat. I don't really like pork and it blew my mind. Botequim make feijoada to die for. I am salivating writing this.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/9144 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8638 Osteria Policarpo, an intimate spot (about 20 seats), with excellent appetizers, pasta courses, main courses, and desserts, and reasonable prices. If I remember correctly the owner is Venetian. Close to Cobal, an open-air gathering place to drink and socialise into the early hours of the morning.

Tijuca:
Il Nonno, slightly larger (80 seats), and easy walking distance from the north end of the main metro line in Saens Pena. Pasta in various flavours (our last outing was squash and spinach). They also specialise in galeto (small chickens).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8638 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8247 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/8247 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4312 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/4312