Been to rio de janiero

[highspeed]

Anyone been there. I have ZED tix from NYC to GRU (YY open tix). I've been reading its a 5 hour drive from GRU (Sao Paulo) to Rio and not very safe ie cops who shake down tourists. I'm going to call AA and see if I can hop on the JFK to GIG connecting through GRU and just stay on the plane to get to rio.

Anyone done this? Know of any crew hotels? Places to go or not.

Lil help

[ohossain31]

hey, i used to live in Rio, it is wonderful city, but you must be very careful, and very smart, or something might happen. The nicest hotel in rio, is the Copacabana Palace, which is right on the Copacabana beach, however it is rather pricey, but very convenient and safe. Im not sure about corrupt cops, sao paulo and rio de janeiro, our the 2 biggest cities, so i cant imagine any trouble traveling between the two, look into a bus charter between rio and sao paulo, charter buses are extremely popular within brazil, PM for any more questions.

[I_Money]

My dad went there for 8 hours, had a hot dog, slept in the park and then flew home to South Africa (after an airport tax dispute). He saw the statue, and the slums - which are according to him, very eye opening.

[chrisdahut1]

The highway between Rio and Sao Paulo is actually well maintained and safe to travel. Drove along it many times when I lived in Sao Paulo, and we never had any problems. The police never shook us down for bribes- despite my dad's strong English accent. However, it has been known to happen. Fortunetly due to the relatively low cost of living there and the strength of the $ against the real, bribes are usually very inexpensive. If you can fly though, I would recommend it over driving.

Rio is a nice city to see, just have to be careful. Don't wear anything expensive, don't carry a lot of cash and keep a low profile. I always did, and never got robbed.

I lived in Sao Paulo for 9 years and I really can't say the highways are nice. Last time we traveled using a highway there, we had 3 tires blown out.

It is so sad how I'm Brazilian, yet I've visited more states in the US than in Brazil. I actually never left Sao Paulo.

[highspeed]

Well I'm not getting that much help from my staff travel office ... they give answers in the form of another question. "Would you be able to complete my travel request by tommorow?" "Well it depends on how busy we are."
I think to myself, I'm talking to staff travel now, don't you know if you're busy or not. Staff travel at Virgin Atlantic is the worst, I've had better service from the Continental office in Terminal C then I have had from my own airline. Stupid requests have to be done online. But since its not an online application it has to be done from a computer at work.

/rant

Anyway. Have you guys taken a bus from SAO to RIO? Know what that might cost since it looks like my tix may only get me that far.

[Icaro]

[ QUOTE ]
hey, i used to live in Rio, it is wonderful city, but you must be very careful, and very smart, or something might happen. The nicest hotel in rio, is the Copacabana Palace, which is right on the Copacabana beach, however it is rather pricey, but very convenient and safe. Im not sure about corrupt cops, sao paulo and rio de janeiro, our the 2 biggest cities, so i cant imagine any trouble traveling between the two, look into a bus charter between rio and sao paulo, charter buses are extremely popular within brazil, PM for any more questions.

[/ QUOTE ]

I liked the Meredien better. Also Leme is quieter than the hustle and bustle of Copacabana.

[farwellbooth]

I've taken a bus from Sau Paulo to Rio. The buses are about 20X nicer than Greyhound!!! Super posh Mercedes with video, nice seats etc. You can easily arrange bus transport there. I started in Quito, Ecuador and left out of Rio. I felt rather safe in Rio. I had a couple knives pulled on me in other SA countries... Work on your Portuguese!

[bullmastiff]

I have been to RIO and loved it!!! If you are there for FUN, you will not be dissapointed

If anyone is interested in learning portuguese, I wouldn't mind teaching. Just PM me.

[chuck91]

I've been to Rio atleast 7 times and I'll be leaving again for a two week vaction on the 12th. It is the most incredible cities I've been to. Lots of fun, beautiful things to see, and if you are a single male like me, you are going to have one of the best times of your life. The beach scene is second to none, THONGS everywhere, the average girl on the beach is a 7.5 out of 10 and you have to try real hard to find a girl with more than 10% body fat. I went to this night club several times in central(center of the city) and the women were charge more at the door than men, because there are way more women in the club than men.

The cost of living is very easy on the pockets, almost a 3 to 1 ratio. When I say that the women are beautiful I mean both inside and out, the attitudes of the people there are nothing like the people in the states. Just about everyone is laid back and approachable. If you want more info. PM me and I will do my best. Oh yea, I've never had any problems with cops, crime or anything else negitive, just use common sense and you will do just fine. BY THE WAY, DID I MENTION THAT RIO IS A GREAT PLACE FOR THE SINGLE MALE?

chuck.