After a hard day swimming, drinking caipirinhas and watching the beautiful people, come off the gay area of Ipanema beach and head directly up Farme de Amoeda to the Bofetada.

This is a little historic bar that's great for people watching and enjoying an ice cold beer. No need to dress up. Just turn up in your trunks like the local boys do!

Rua Farme de Amoeda
Ipanema

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Ipanema beach is lined with tents selling food and drink, and renting beach chairs. We like the one run by Jorge, located between Posto 9 & 10, right in front of the Caesar Park hotel. It's called Ordem & Progresso (the motto from the Brazilian flag), and the employees wear shirts in the Brazilian colors of yellow and green. Give your name to Jorge at the tent, and you can run a tab, to be settled when you leave the beach. Until then just wave, and their folks will bring sandwiches, soft drinks, beer, caipirinhas, piña coladas... the latter comes in single (served in a cup) or double (served in a pineapple). Delicious (and huge). The sandwiches are tasty. Best of all, the folks are cheerful, quick, and honest.

Ipanema Beach, in front of the Caesar Park hotel.

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All of Rio’s beaches tend to get packed – except the small, idyllic Joatinga beach, which feels like you could be on a deserted island. Locals go there on weekends, so if you turn up on a weekday you will be one of the only people there.

The only way of getting there is in a cab – and you need to check he knows exactly how to get there. It’s at the end of the Estrada de Joá and through a private condominium, where there is a precarious trail down to the beach.

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