Who's Going
Giselle Bundchen, Lenny Kravitz, Mick Jagger
Reason to Stay
Private Security, Penthouse Suites, Beach Location
Hotel Type
Luxury Beach Hotel
Dreamed-up by a French architect in the 1920's to evoke a Cote d'Azur elegance reminiscent of Nice's Negresco, the Copacabana Palace is a dreamy white hotel palace located at the tip of Copacabana Beach. Located on a busy thoroughfare of honking traffic and aggressive beach vendors, the hotel offers a stringent security detail for arriving guests and restaurant patrons. A two-story lobby area is decadently laid in glistening parquet floors accented by glossy white columns and sparkling chandeliers. A stroll to the main reception is a lesson in globalization as Portuguese, French, and English are exchanged amongst businessmen and uber-careful tourists. <br /><br />No longer the carefree beach destination of yesterday, Rio is now plagued with petty crime with hotel guests constantly reminded to stow-away valuables and jewelry. Looking too closely at hotel details like dated décor and frayed window treatments takes away from the overall decadence of the period detailing like hand-carved ceilings and in-laid marble tiling. Even the hotel's Cipriani Restaurant, the only in the Southern Hemisphere, is not immune to dreadful rose-colored club chairs and blindingly floral curtains. With more attention paid to expansion than renovation, new areas of the hotel tend to be the best. <br /><br />The pool area located next to the main building features a rectangular 'semi-olympic' design surrounded by white loungers, casual outdoor café and cocktail bar. An additional pool located on the 6th floor is reserved for guests of the penthouse suites, which is smaller in size but boasting head-on views of Copacabana Beach. A newly added fitness center and spa boasts a typically Brazilian gym that's tremendously well equipped with cardio machines, free-weights and almost always packed with fit model look-alikes. For those looking to strut their workout results, a private beach club is just a few feet away with private mattress service and lunch menu �" once you get past the 8-year old peddlers and begging street vendors.
The Room
Divided between the historic original main structure and newer Tower-Suite building, the Copacabana Palace features a bipolar hotel experience that varies between cramped, dated luxury and penthouse opulence. The main building, which dates back to the 1920’s, offers both cramped classic rooms and slightly-more upgraded suites. Each is individually designed in period furniture redesigned by Michel Jouanet with emphasis on original detailing like carved crown molding and antique marble bathrooms. The main building design allows for all rooms to offer views of the sea or Copacabana Avenue. On the 5th floor, a range of executive suites includes invitation to an Executive Lounge where refreshments and light snacks are served throughout the day. For guests staying on the Executive Floor, butler service is available, which includes unpacking and repacking of suitcases, daily shoeshine and morning tea. These suites feature separate sitting areas and more spacious marble bathrooms with furniture encrusted in Brazilian stones. The top-floor offers the newly renovated Penthouse Suites composed of living room, bedroom, bar, toilet, spacious marble bathroom and veranda facing Copacabana beach. The style of the Penthouse Suites is more modern and contemporary than the rest of the hotel, offering a stylish pause from dated deco-theme common areas and hallways. A private rooftop pool is also provided for residents of the floor that allows for extra privacy from the main floor masses. Recently renovated, the Tower-Wing suites located adjacent to the main pool area are the best in the hotel. Each is composed of a sitting room, with an adjoining veranda overlooking the pool and the Copacabana beach. Designed by Orient-Express French decorator Michel Jouanet, bedrooms are individually designed with Sealy orthopedic mattresses and upgraded Trussardi bed linens. If given the option, book-into the Tower-Suite Building and don’t be seduced by the affordable yet-horribly cramped classic rooms and suites of the main building.
Preferred Room
Pool Suite - Tower-Suite Building
Special Features
Spa, Tennis, Beach Club, Historic Hotel
Amenities
Pool, Spa, Restaurant, Lounge, Butler Service, Penthouse Suites
