Rio de Janeiro: where to eat, shop and stay in the 2016 Olympics host city

Dipal Acharya shares her guide to Rio aka Cidade Maravilhosa  
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Dipal Acharya2 August 2016

Feeling inspired by Olympic fever? Use it as the perfect opportunity to book that ticket to Cidade Maravilhosa.

We all know Rio de Janeiro boasts lush rainforests, a 24-hour party scene and two of the world’s most iconic beaches (Ipanema and Cococabana) but since being awarded the Games, it has become home to a growing number of hipster enclaves, while the ambitious new Museum of Tomorrow is invigorating the old port.

Here’s the best of what the city has to offer.

What to do

Sunbathing is practically a national sport and there’s no shortage of beaches in Rio. ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ might be the song that launched a thousand elevators, but Ipanema Beach still attracts lithe young Cariocas in their designer dental-floss bikinis and budgie smugglers — unsurprising given that it’s a stone’s throw from the chi-chi boutiques of Leblon. If you’re bringing the family along, Flamengo Beach on Guanabara Bay is a lovely spot for paddleboarding and picnicking.

Family-friendly: Flamengo Beach

Where to eat

Traditional Brazilian cuisine runs the gamut from rustic to refined in Rio. For casual dining, check out Market Ipanema — with its delicious açai bowls — or Zaza Bistro Tropical, which serves experimental Brazilian cuisine beachside.

On the other end of the spectrum is Lasai, one of Rio’s more upscale restaurants. Head chef Rafa Costa e Silva draws his influences from Basque cuisine, but gives each dish a Brazilian spin (lasai.com.br). Finally Roberta Sudbrack, whose fine-dining spot is a Rio institution, has just launched her foodtruck, SudDog, selling haute hot dogs in Leblon (@garagemdaroberta).

Gourmet beach kiosk: Atlantico Rio

Where to drink

Renato Giovannoni is Rio’s premier mixologist. Choose between his gourmet beach kiosk, Atlantico Rio, which serves fresh seafood and the city’s best G&Ts, or a yet-to-be-named Sixties-inspired cocktail bus, parked up in the cool Botafogo area (@atlanticoriodejaneiro). Want a caipirinha with a side of samba? Head to Carioca de Gema, one of Lapa’s best-loved samba halls, with nightly live music (barcariocadagema.com.br). Tucked between Ipanema and the Cantagalo favela is Clubhouse Rio, the city’s answer to Soho House. It’s members only, but if you manage to slip past the doorman head to the terrace for a sundowner with Rio’s creative movers and shakers (clubhouserio.com).

Clubhouse Rio

Where to stay

Overlooking Ipanema beach, Hotel Fasano is the design buff’s favourite. It was Philippe Starck’s first complete hotel project, with sleek white interiors (fasano.com.br). For a more historic vibe, check into the Copacabana Palace. This grand dame hotel has welcomed Hollywood’s great and good (Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire) along with the occasional One Directioner (belmond.com). For boutique lodging, try Casa Marques in bohemian Santa Teresa. Each of the 12 rooms is tastefully adorned with street art by locals (casamarquesrio.com).

Starck by design: the Hotel Fasano
If these walls could talk: Copacabana Palace 

What to see

Once a dilapidated slum area, Porto Maravilha is tidying up its image with the opening of the futuristic-looking Museu do Amanhã (Museum of Tomorrow), designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and dedicated to exploring the intersection of science, technology and climate change (museudoamanha.org.br).

Fans of Oscar Neimayer can marvel at the pre-eminent Brazilian architect’s signature style at the Museu de Arte Contemporânea, with its flying saucer-shaped shell, across Guanabara Bay in Niteroi (macniteroi.com.br).

The distinctive profile of the Museum of Tomorrow
 The Museum of Contemporary Art

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