Most of the daytime action at the sun-soaked Copacabana Palace, located across the street from Rio de Janeiro’s popular Copacabana Beach, takes place around the hotel’s majestic swimming pool. Reclining in chaise longues, guests sunbathe and sip caipirinhas on the expansive pool terrace. When night falls, they trade swimwear for evening attire, but they often reconvene back at the terrace, where a band plays samba and bossa nova under the stars. Accommodations Many of the hotel’s 225 rooms and suites have ocean views, and all feature period furnishings and original artworks. The one-bedroom pool suites include sitting rooms and verandas overlooking the beach. Facilities Two swimming pools, a rooftop tennis court, a fitness center, a new spa, a beauty salon, a business center, and 13 function rooms including the 500-guest Salon Nobre. Dining Gourmet northern Italian cuisine at the elegant Hotel Cipriani restaurant and Brazilian buffet and afternoon tea poolside at Pergula. Concierge Recommends Visit the nearby Bar Garota de Ipanema (formerly the Bar Velosa), where Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes penned “The Girl from Ipanema” in 1962 while they drank beer and watched beautiful women walk to the beach. Little has changed at the bar except for its name. Rates From $510 for a deluxe city-view room to $2,760 for a penthouse suite with ocean vistas.
