My sister & I hate guided tours. Mainly because we don't need to spend a lot of time at each sight…read more You spend half the day waiting for other people as there is always someone who wants to spend hours at 1 sight or worse, a gift shop. After reading about private tours on TripAdvisor we decided to give it a try. After we inquired prices were not that much for 2 of us on a private tour than a bus tour. The decision was easy. We booked a full day tour with Ederson. He picked us up at 8 am and we were off to the Tijuca National Rainforest. Our first stop was the Chinese View, but we mentioned that we wanted to get some fruit and we happened to pass a fruit truck. He stopped for us and even helped us select the best fruit and negotiate a great price for all the fruit. The Chinese View (Vista Chinesa) gives you a great overlook of the city of Rio and Ipanema. After a few minutes, we stopped by a local waterfall. Then, we were on our way to Christ the Redeemer. The crowd wasn't too long, but with his pass, we were able to cut the line. I can imagine how great that benefit is during busy season. It's amazing to the see the modern wonder that is Christ the Redeemer. The view of the city is amazing too. I can't believe how this city go blessed with so many mountains all over that give you a truly breathtaking sight of this gorgeous city. We stopped by a local restaurant that just opened up for lunch. He had never been there but asked if we were curious like him. I always am. It was a Brazilian/Italian mix restaurant that served very good food. Even Ederson was impressed. We made our way back to the city and we drove through the Lapa neighborhood & stopped at the mosaic steps. They reminded me of the steps in San Francisco but these were on a bit of a grander scale. To end the day, we went to Sugarloaf Mountain. This was my favorite view of the city. It was gorgeous up there. Sugarloaf left me in a completely awe. Edersen is a great guide. He can adjust the tour based on people's interest and can speak on lots of topics. He loves local politics and history so be sure to prod his mind on those topics. If you prefer other topics he's happy to change the subject. His English is not perfect and there can be a slight language barrier at moments, but we had no problems communicating.

My boyfriend and I did a private tour with Ederson, whom he found on Trip Advisor. I HIGHLY suggest…read moreprivate tours! It is more intimate and you don't have any conflicts with people holding up the tour. Ederson was very knowledgeable and answered all our random touristy questions. Lol. Oh yes, and he takes AMAZING photos which is always nice because it's better than asking strangers for a pic. We visited Christ the Redeemer, Selaron Steps, Sugar Loaf and other beautiful locations in Rio. The end we went to a Brazilian steakhouse that Ederson suggested and it was the perfect ending to the tour. Oh and his car is very clean and cooling. Just a perfect day!

Didn't want to take one of those bus tours that treat you like cattle when visiting Rio de Janeiro…read more Expensive and you spend alot of your time sitting on the bus picking up and dropping off other tour guests at all the different hotels. Instead we booked toursbylocals.com - and found the best English speaking tour guide Michael Serruya. You can book before you leave and it is a reputable agency. Michael gave us a personalized tour of Rio for 8 hour which included all the major attractions and more, and booked a 4 hour tour for the following day to see the beaches, favelas, Santa Teresa, and downtown at a very resonable rate. I highly recommend Michael for a personal, friendly, insightlful introduction to Rio. He was prompt, reliable, dependable, knowledgable, friendly and an all round great guide!

Fully agree with Cynthia H. Toursbylocals.com is the best way to go. Our guide Michael Serruya…read morespoke English and was very prompt, courteous, professional, knowledgable and very personable. From the moment we touched down in Rio, he was right there . He met us at the airport ready to show us his town. We covered all the main attractions, Corcovado,Sugarloaf, all the beaches Leblon, ipanema and Copacabana , downtown and even ventured into some Favellas. Cannot say enough about the personal touch having a local person one on one to tour a totally unknown territory. No worries about safety or language dilemma . He booked shows and gave us very valuable tips to help navigate our way through an amazing City/place. Our vacation in Rio , was made that much more magical and memorable with the assistance of Mr. Michael Serruya and toursbylocal.com. Would definitely recommend them and our guide Michael Serruya!

We had an amazing experience with Manu. It was a two-day tour (on non-consecutive days), and we saw…read morealmost everything Rio has to offer: Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain, Santa Teresa, the favelas, the Selarón Steps, the old town, Tijuca National Park, Ipanema and Leblon, and much more. Each tour lasted nearly nine hours, yet the time flew by. Manu arranged a private car and was fully at our disposal throughout the tours.

Manu is a an amazing guide!! We had a wonderful experience in Rio seeing sights on and off the…read morebeaten path. He is entertaining, knowledgeable and fun and knows where to get the best food!

The location of this hotel is bar none. It's a very short walk to either Copacabana Beach & Ipanema…read moreBeach. We enjoyed both beaches and the neighborhood is very safe at night. There are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby. The hotel also has free wi-fi and the front desk will exchange currency for you at a very reasonable rate. The rooms are pretty basic with not a ton of amenities, but we just used them for the beds which I found to be pretty comfortable. They also have 110v outlets for American plugs. They have lots of tour options here one of which is to watch a futbole (soccer) match at the legendary Maracana Stadium. It's definitely worth the $80 price as the tickets are in the VIP section right around midfield and offers free food and non-alcoholic beverages (they don't sell alcohol in any of the Brazilian stadiums except during the World Cup). It even include a pickup from the hotel. If you want a tour of the big sights in the city, I suggest you use tripadvisor for a private tour. The price is pretty much the same, but you don't have to go in a big bus tour and wait for everyone else. They also pick you up & drop you off right at the hotel. I recommend Edersen at http://www.tripadvisor.com.br/Attraction_Review-g303506-d3611593-Reviews-Trip_In_Rio_Day_Tours-Rio_de_Janeiro_State_of_Rio_de_Janeiro.html

Overall, Windsor Martinique Hotel was pretty good for Rio I think. Here's what I think:…read more Pros: Free breakfast-pretty much the same selection every morning but the fruits were really good. Juices were good. Coffee was good. They had scrambled eggs, bacon, some sort of sausage, pastries and cereals. Shower had commando strength! I had no complaints there. Always had hot water when I wanted. Location. Location. Location. Hotel is maybe 1/2 block from the beach. Windsor Miramar is closer and more expensive but seriously, it's not worth it. It is only 2 streets (literally) away from the beach. Customer service-the front desk personnel were always on point. They were always nice and willing to give to give you directions. Room service/housekeeping-definitely on point. We didn't get it every day we were here but they delivered. Food was hot. Sheets were clean. In room safe- always a plus. Con: LOUD! Ok, we were on the 3rd floor. We can hear so many noises. We can hear bathroom noises like flushing or water water running from neighbors. Shuffling or stepping noises outside the room I guess or upstairs. No microwaves in the room. They have a minibar/refrigerator. If you call downstairs, (because sometimes they have a common microwave) they said they have a management policy that they can't heat up outside food. Really? We're in Brazil. We had a standard room and it has no view. The pool is TINY so don't bother. The bar at the pool has nice drinks though so that is a nice perk. The fitness center is also TINY. It has literally 4 equipments. So I would stay here again. *****If you are a first timer in Rio***** only exchange a few bucks at the airport. You will find a exchange place in Rio for better exchange rate. Ask around. We found a place right by the hotel for for .299 and we walked around and they exchanged for .30. The "taxi" ride from the airport was about $45 US dollars so if you do better than that then that is good because the same "taxi" driver offered to drive us back for $23.

Great location but minus 1 star for the lack of wifi in the room!! For me the major setback was…read morethat the Wifi was only available in the lobby and the rooftop bar, which was quite inconvenient. The room is basic and clean, but the overall aesthetic of the interior is far from that of fancy boutique hotels. Stylistically it reminded me of Holiday Inn. The breakfast buffet is on the boring side, comparable to the typical Marriott standard breakfast buffet. The staff is friendly and helpful. The selling point of this hotel is the fantastic location, it's only a block away from Copacabana Beach (Posto 5) and it's pretty safe to walk around even at night. Posto 5 beach is pretty chill, it has a nice eclectic mix of locals and tourists and we didn't get harassed too much by the street vendors who roam around the beach . The wave is pretty high, but you are better off around Posto 5 because it's even worse around Posto 1-3.... I would avoid those unless you are a surfer. Posto 9 & 10 (Ipanema/Lebron) are considered to be the safest and the most trendy beach area where you will find more rich and stylish folks and from Posto 4 and below, the beach becomes more ghetto. There are enough restaurants and convenience stores around the hotel. If you want a cool romantic hotel, this is not the one for you. But if you are looking for an affordable hotel that's close to the beach , this might work for you.

I recently traveled solo to Rio de Janeiro, and stayed at JW Marriott. My main takeaway is where…read morethis hotel lacks in modern, aesthetic amenities and updates in comparison to the Hilton and others, it made up for it more than 5x over with excellent customer service, comfortable/clean rooms, and great onsite restaurant. As a Bonvoy Gold Elite member I received early check in, late check out, and room upgrade to the 15th floor overlooking the illustrious Copacabana. The hotel met my needs well and the staff went above and beyond for me, even assisting with getting around and selecting the right options during booking an excursion. I had compared JW to the Sheraton in Leblon but ultimately made a final decision based on location. Special thanks to Fernando, Julio, and the entire Carioca restaurant staff. Tip: There's no a full length mirror in some rooms, just be prepared to check yourself out in the elevator mirrors instead ;)

My husband and I stayed 11 nights here from Dec 14 to 25, 2025. This is a great hotel. It's located…read morehalfway between Sugarloaf Mountain & the fort, so you get a great view of everything. The staff is really nice- the pool lifeguard & bar staff plus the folks in the Executive Lounge- all so friendly and helpful. The rooftop bar & pool are awesome- we spent many hours there. Overall, we highly recommend this hotel if you are staying in Rio.

I go to Brazil often on business. It can sometimes be difficult to get around especially if your…read morePortuguese is terrible like mine. I finally found Rio Cultural Secrets in Rio to help guide clients through the city going to and from appointments for business and also to squeeze in some fun. Alan and his partner Fabio were fantastic. They were prompt, professional and really knew the city. We always felt safe, as they always appeared exactly when we needed them. In addition, as we went to our business meetings, they told us about the city, it's history and people. A special highlight was to visit favela Vidigal near Rio. It was a special honor to visit there and see the talent of the street artists, and meet the people little bars and snack shops. We went to Helena's bar and thrift store. She made us a nice drink and visited with us. It was a lovely place curated with found objects which she cleverly decorates and uses through her decor. Go there- so wonderful. We can't thank them enough and will always call Rio Cultural Secrets for every trip to Rio and look forward to seeing Alan and Fabio soon!

From the owner: Rio Cultural Secrets - Tour Privativo no Rio de Janeiro Que tal acordar em seu hotel, tomar seu…read morecafé da manhã e encontrar seu guia privativo pronto para lhe mostrar tudo o que o Rio de Janeiro tem a oferecer em um inesquecível Tour?A Rio Cultural Secrets nasceu com o objetivo de oferecer Tours alternativos na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Temos a motivação de mostrar a Cidade Maravilhosa de uma maneira descontraída e informativa. Queremos mostrar locais incomuns até mesmo para os cariocas, seja em um Favela Tour, um passeio pelo Centro Histórico, ou atravessando a ponte rumo à Niterói, como também descobrindo os Segredos de Petrópolis, a Cidade Imperial.