Types of accommodation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
What is your ideal accommodation? A five star hotel, with class and style or a Backpackers where you can hang out after a hard day of touring meeting new friends from all around the world? Finding the right accommodation can sometimes be a complicated process and it depends on personal taste and needs. I wanted a place where my mom-in-law and I had our own space and privacy, we had a place to cook if we didn’t feel like eating out, and we were close to the beach in a safe neighbourhood. Not asking for much – was I?!?
Hotels
There are plenty of hotels to choose from in Rio de Janeiro ranging from 2 star to 5 star. I noticed that hotels found via the Internet quoted in US dollars and seemed expensive for what was being offered. Finding hotels that quoted in Brazilian dollars was more difficult but rewarding – their prices per night were more reasonable. Using travel guides and books such as ‘The Lonely Planet’ and ‘Travel on a Shoestring’ also helped me find hotels that quoted in Reais rather US dollars.
Pousada
A hotel is not my first choice though they do have many benefits. I prefer smaller more homely types of accommodation such as bed and breakfasts. In Rio these bed and breakfasts are called Pousadas. These Pousadas were mainly found away from the Copacabana beach in the suburb areas, mainly in Santa Teresa. In general they seemed to be cheaper than hotels though what was on offered varied a lot from just providing breakfast to having an outdoor cook area and swimming pool. Some Pousadas only had double beds and shared bathrooms while others you could choose between double, single and triple rooms with en-suites.
Backpackers
Staying at a Backpackers is another option. Though a backpackers is often thought of as the cheap, budget option, some of the places can be as costly as staying in a normal hotel. There are a range of options available from dormitory rooms to triple rooms. I found a couple of places that did twin en-suite rooms with air-con, fridge and kettle in the room. All of the backpackers I looked at had cooking areas, a lounge and TV area. Some came with wireless internet and others had no Internet connection.
Apartments
I found that booking an apartment works out the cheapest option (and best option for what I wanted) if staying for 5 nights or longer in one place. We are staying in Rio a full 7 nights so got a discount. Most of the apartments I looked at are in residential areas, close to train stations and in walking distance of Copacabana beach. They are also close to the food areas. What I liked about renting an apartment is I could choose between one to two bedroom places; they all had lounges, washing machines and fully equipped kitchens. Another bonus was the taxi to and from the airport is included in the rental. However, if you are staying 5 nights or less then this could be an expensive option!
It took two weeks to narrow down the list of possible places to stay. And even then it was a hard decision. But in the end I chose the one that ticked the most boxes – an apartment! So fingers crossed that I made the right decision!