Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana

“Great Hotel on the Copacabana”

The Hilton is located on eastern Leme beach section of the Copacabana. Transfers from the GIG international airport are around 45 minutes to one hour in Rio rush hour traffic, this is reduced to 30 minutes on a quiet Saturday afternoon. We booked our transfers through Lucca, the Hilton concierge,... more

The Hilton is located on eastern Leme beach section of the Copacabana. Transfers from the GIG international airport are around 45 minutes to one hour in Rio rush hour traffic, this is reduced to 30 minutes on a quiet Saturday afternoon. We booked our transfers through Lucca, the Hilton concierge, before departure. This is more expensive than a yellow cab, uber or public transport. However after an 11 hour flight, we valued a smooth transfer. We were not disappointed. Upon landing at GIG at 05:20 am we received a Whatsapp from our driver Pedro who was ready and waiting at arrivals. If you're flying from the UK, O2 offer an excellent contract extension for £6 per day allowing unlimited use of your phone whilst in Brazil. Alternatively, you can buy a card from simcorner.com. Both worked well. Clearing immigration and customs at GIG was a doddle and less than two hours after landing we were at the Hilton. Check-in was quick, our rooms not being ready we left our luggage in secure storage at reception. Breakfast is served in the fourth floor restaurant with spectacular views of the Copacabana. The breakfast buffet is excellent. Service is excellent and friendly. Tables were cleared quickly and buffet items replenished before they ran out. There is a omlette station. Coffee and tea are flavoursome; the tea selection is excellent. Gold and Platinum Honors members have a reserved section of the restaurant which is nice when it gets busy. After breakfast we headed to the roof top bar on the 39th floor. This is reached by taking the main lift to the 37th floor. This floor houses the Spa. Guests have the choice of a small elevator or the stairs to reach the rooftop. The view is spectacular. There is comforatable seating, sun loungers, and a small infinity pool. Bar and food service starts at 11:00 am. Food and drink are fairly priced and of excellent quality. Again the staff is friendly, service is prompt, nothing is too much trouble. At 12:00 we were informed via Whatsapp that our room was ready. We were in 1113 which is a junior suite corner room looking out onto the Copacabana. The room was spacious and bright. The bed was very comfortable, the bathroom was huge, with a jacuzzi and shower. The side window of the bathroom looked out onto the concrete wall of the adjacent building. To avoid this you would have to book the same room ten floors higher - I am guessing that from room 2013 you'd be fine and looking onto Leme beach not concrete. This was not issue for us. House keeping did an excllent job at tidying and cleaning up. Talking of bathroom, whilst in Rio, do not flush toilet tissue or similar down the toilet. This will lead to a blockage; there is a bin beside a the toilet set aside for this. Being tired, we had out first night dinner the the restaurant on the fourth floor. Again, I can't fault it. The only thing I would say is, wear a fleece or a jumper, the aircon makes the place chilly. The location of the hotel is at the eastern side of the Copacabana. This side has the widest beach. The western side by the Fairmont Hotel has very little beach at high tide. The waves are also more vigourous there. Leme beach, on which the Hilton is located is quiet. The hotel has a beach service. The staff there were less friendly and helpful, the chairs were not set out properly, the chosen section of the beach was dirty und unappealing. Generally, be it at the Copacabana or Ipanema, we foundthe to p of the beach - the bit away from the water - dirty, littered with cigarette butts, wrappers, straws,etc. and quite uanppealing. We saw local traders on Ipanema, digging a small hole in the sand, dumping their rubbish and covering it with sand. Rio profits from tourism, and more could and should be done to keep the beaches clean. Back to the Hilton, there is a choice of nice restaurants next to the hotel which serve excellent food at reasonable prices. The beach kiosks in front of the hotel serve excellent caipirinha - we used the one furthest left. Just behind the hotel you will find a pharmacy where you can also buy snacks and drinks. The walk west to Ipanema beach takes about 45 minutes and is 4.5km each way. Stop at Momo gelato beside the Copacabana Palace Hotel for a wonderful selection of icecreams. If you're tired from the walk, have a drink and a snack at Arp bar in Ipanema. The area around the Copacabana feels safe, locals are friendly, street vendors accept a no as a no. The vibe of the place is charming. We loved it the beachcentric lifestyle. The sea is refreshing and appears clean. If you are looking for the traditional tour of Rio - Bruno Rodrigues from Itaway Ecotours is a definite recommendation. To sum up: The Hilton is an excellent base whilst in Rio. We will certainly be back.

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