[dronias]

I've been reading the Rio threads and I just want to thank everyone who has contributed comments and made this forum the best place on the web to find travel information, and particularly travel info on Rio.

APTS in Ipanema:
In three weeks I fly out to Rio and I'll be there until mid-August (a six-week trip). I'm still looking for an apartment; so far I've been searching online for places in Ipanema, and I placed an add on craigslist with my price range (about R$1450/mes). Do you guys know of a better method/website for searching an apartment in Ipanema? Also, is $1450/mes what I should expect to pay for an apartment in Ipanema?

I received an email back from a woman today. She said her apartment is 5 minutes away from Arpoador Beach. She sent some photos, it seems legit (I would post the photos but I don't want to use up the bandwidth, especially with me being a "Janitor" and all).

Here's what Maria (the lady with the apartment) wrote:

"I have this place, air conditionair, tv cable, werelles, beatifull plantes, flowers, place balance, all furnished kichen, and all place,dependencias maid ,laundry. I have rented,price 4.500 to months all apartments, but i do too bed and breakfast, i live alone, i can do good price you or 2 peoples in suite,no more taxas with air, can cooking, laundry, all clean every day and you pay 1450.00. In Ipanema hostel bedroom with 6 or 8 peoples is 30.00 one day, My apartments is in five minutes beach arpoador."

So I guess Maria lives alone, and will give me the bedroom for R$1450? Which (coincidentally) is the same price I listed on craiglist.

The end of her message was a little confusing to me:

My celular 55 21 ------- [I, dronias, deleted the numbers]. I no want to receved money after,and can not give my telephone because is not good to do it,because many peoples no good ,go in internet do know were is peoples americans. I clean all apartments,npo send maid to do,because i prefer to carre my clients.Do you undesrtand?

VISA:
I still need to apply for my tourist visa. I'm a little scared of applying for the visa without listing a contact address of where I'll be staying in Brazil. How did you all go about filliing out the "Contact In Brazil" section of the visa application?

ABOUT ME:
I'm a grad student in NYC (Brooklyn). I studied abroad in Mexico for a year, and later spent a summer in Santo Domingo. I'm fluent in Spanish. Lately I've been studying the Pimsleur Portuguese tapes like a mad man. So far I've finished about 25 lessons. Today I called a couple apartments in Rio thinking that it'd be a decent opportunity to see how far my Portuguese has come, and I froze up like a shy 8-year-old...I could barely man up enough to say "Boa tarde."

Thanks for your help!

[Roosh]

Be smart... do not settle on a place until you've seen it WITH YOUR OWN EYES. Stay in a hostel for the first couple nights. And for the love of god do not live with a middle aged women, which this seems to be. They are pretty terrible to live with and probably wont be open minded when you bring girls back.

For contact info, just use any hostel you can find on the internet. I did this for my visa a couple years ago and they didn't try to verify it.

For apartment rentals, this site is pretty good: http://www.easyquarto.com.br/
Also try the Rio forum on couchsurfing.com

[dlmelvin86]

(06-08-2010 09:41 PM)dronias Wrote:  

I've been reading the Rio threads and I just want to thank everyone who has contributed comments and made this forum the best place on the web to find travel information, and particularly travel info on Rio.

APTS in Ipanema:
In three weeks I fly out to Rio and I'll be there until mid-August (a six-week trip). I'm still looking for an apartment; so far I've been searching online for places in Ipanema, and I placed an add on craigslist with my price range (about R$1450/mes). Do you guys know of a better method/website for searching an apartment in Ipanema? Also, is $1450/mes what I should expect to pay for an apartment in Ipanema?

I received an email back from a woman today. She said her apartment is 5 minutes away from Arpoador Beach. She sent some photos, it seems legit (I would post the photos but I don't want to use up the bandwidth, especially with me being a "Janitor" and all).

Here's what Maria (the lady with the apartment) wrote:

"I have this place, air conditionair, tv cable, werelles, beatifull plantes, flowers, place balance, all furnished kichen, and all place,dependencias maid ,laundry. I have rented,price 4.500 to months all apartments, but i do too bed and breakfast, i live alone, i can do good price you or 2 peoples in suite,no more taxas with air, can cooking, laundry, all clean every day and you pay 1450.00. In Ipanema hostel bedroom with 6 or 8 peoples is 30.00 one day, My apartments is in five minutes beach arpoador."

So I guess Maria lives alone, and will give me the bedroom for R$1450? Which (coincidentally) is the same price I listed on craiglist.

The end of her message was a little confusing to me:

My celular 55 21 ------- [I, dronias, deleted the numbers]. I no want to receved money after,and can not give my telephone because is not good to do it,because many peoples no good ,go in internet do know were is peoples americans. I clean all apartments,npo send maid to do,because i prefer to carre my clients.Do you undesrtand?

VISA:
I still need to apply for my tourist visa. I'm a little scared of applying for the visa without listing a contact address of where I'll be staying in Brazil. How did you all go about filliing out the "Contact In Brazil" section of the visa application?

ABOUT ME:
I'm a grad student in NYC (Brooklyn). I studied abroad in Mexico for a year, and later spent a summer in Santo Domingo. I'm fluent in Spanish. Lately I've been studying the Pimsleur Portuguese tapes like a mad man. So far I've finished about 25 lessons. Today I called a couple apartments in Rio thinking that it'd be a decent opportunity to see how far my Portuguese has come, and I froze up like a shy 8-year-old...I could barely man up enough to say "Boa tarde."

Thanks for your help!

damn dude! 6 weeks will be plenty of time to truly experience Rio. Id suggest trying to meet girls online before u actually get there, and also check out the little bars in the side streets of copa. Befriend the young bartenders that parents own the joint and they will be a valuable tool in ur trip. Hit up the balcony bar atleast once. Even if working grls arent your thing it is mad fun having girls come up and talk to you left and right with CHEAP beer and food on the street. I had more fun there than most clubs. Make an account on Nightrio.com to find all the hot local events going on each night.

[dronias]

Thanks Roosh for the visa/apartment tips, I'm going to use a hostel address, and I'm going to wait until I get to Rio before getting an apartment.

I called Maria today, and you were spot on. She's 59 years old, and she was already explaining me to how she doesn't drink and she goes to church...lol Plus, I could barely understand her English, she could hardly understand my infantile Portuguese, and yet just just kept talking and talking. I tried to politely interrupt but she just kept yelling "Whaaat??" and kept on going. She kept me on the phone for 12 long minutes, but some how that ate up like 48 minutes of my phone card?! All that time spent on the phone and I still have no idea what she said.

Dlmelvin, thanks for the website and bar game tips. I'll keep posting updates and let you all know how it goes down.

Also, I called a few Rio apartments earlier today, (we spoke all English), and one guy flat at told me that I can't find anything for R$ 1.450 in Ipamena, and Copacabana will have more affordable options.

I wasn't excited about hearing that, especially after reading, "There is not a single reason to go to Copacabana. If you are staying there you have already lost the game. Enjoy your souvenirs."

[Flashman]

I wasn't excited about hearing that, especially after reading, "There is not a single reason to go to Copacabana. If you are staying there you have already lost the game. Enjoy your souvenirs."
[/quote]

I may have been a bit categorical there. You could use it as a home base but I wouldn't spend any socializing time there. Touristy and shady, the worst combo.

[dronias]

(06-09-2010 04:17 PM)Flashman Wrote:  

I may have been a bit categorical there. You could use it as a home base but I wouldn't spend any socializing time there. Touristy and shady, the worst combo.

Then maybe I could find an apartment in Copacabana and take the bus to Ipanema to hit the beach...save money on rent and have a some extra change for the Ipanema nightlife.

[Quasi]

Walking isnt bad... even at night its not bad in that area.. offcourse depends on your demeanor..dunno about prices living etc, but I would go for Ipa over Copa.. but there also is some nice clubs in Copa area our lady Nossa Semhora is pretty good and a few other are also worthwhile cant recall that other place.. but overall Ipa is the place to be.. or Leblon...

[InternationalSwagger]

Try staying in Aproador...It's a little section between Ipa/Copa that is a a cool area with the benefits of both areas (Copa-Easy Public Transportation via buses/more train access/cheaper shoping/quick snakes and Ipa-better, scenery, beaches, girls, ect.)

Even Botofogo isnt a bad option If your there longterm as it's closer to Lapa/Santa Teresa and it doesnt take long at all to get to Zona Sul since its basically the next neighborhood over from Copa and it's a nice neighborhood In it's own right with a really good mall, beach and recreation area where locals hang out.

You should be able to get a studio there for a decent rate especially since It's low season...There is another good local website in portuguese only that advertises I will try to dig up the site when I get home.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=arpo...a=N&tab=wl

[dlmelvin86]

id stay in copa or aproador if you want to save money.

try to go to a favela funk party!

[Quasi]

All comes down to taste, if you like the smell of urine and tattooed thugs in tanktops Lapa is probably the place for you... personally "the real" Brazil in Rio wasnt to my taste, but depends on where you are in your life and just had my share of that stuff..... its very festival like, easy going and cheap..

[dlmelvin86]

girls seemed to be the most friendliest in Lapa. I just wish that place was jumping ALL week instead of just on fri and sat.

im prob gonna hit up porte alegre next. unless i decided to return to rio.....

[Tony Snow]

I've been in Rio for a little over 2 weeks and I'm planning on heading down to Sao Paulo tomorrow. All the info on this thread was very useful and it really helped me out. I stayed in Santa Taresa for the first 5 days that shit was whack. Don't stay in the Rio Hostel in Santa Taresa. It was dog balls and plus you feel like your going to run up on by some little favela kid with a kitchen knife when your walking back late at night. (It happened to one dude from the Czech Republic) I was kind of disappointed with nightlife in Rio even though I wasn't expecting too much. I've been staying at the El Misti Hostel in Botafogo for the last 11 days. It's a good hostel. They have a friendly staff, good breakfast, they clean everyday and have good dinners. I rolled out dolo most nights in Rio since your taking a big risk rolling out with unknown wing-men and I'm traveling solo. I had good luck at Casa Da Matriz and would recommend it to anyone traveling to Rio. There are some cute girls and you'll find girls that speak passable english.(Which was important because my Portuguese is pretty basic) Every-time I went here I hooked up and the last time I went I got my brazilian flag. I was stoked that I didn't have to go to a love hotel and got to go back to her apartment. Also younger are girls are usually better but if you meet girls that are 26 and up there's a good chance they have their own place. (The girl I smashed was 28) I went to Emporio last night with a big group from the hostel which was weak as fuck. Hella dick and a couple brazilian girls that were probably quasi hoes. I'm excited to go to Sao Paulo because I feel there will be more nightlife options that match my steez.

[Roosh]

Quote:

I had good luck at Casa Da Matriz

Yeah that was my go-to spot, but after a while I ached for higher quality.

[Tony Snow]

I know what you mean that and Pista 3 you won't find that many hot girls and you'll see some girls rockin converses and some homely hipster bitches.

[Dash Global]

damn sounds like i should have went to casa da matriz. ill be sure to hit it up in dec.

[Roosh]

Pista 3 has some hot girls on certain nights, but they're way too young. Some of those girls are barely out of high school.

[Dash Global]

(08-11-2010 11:44 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

Pista 3 has some hot girls on certain nights, but they're way too young. Some of those girls are barely out of high school.

if they down for the business i wont discriminate lol

[3extra]

Did any of you try to contact local girls in Rio on facebook etc prior to your trip? If so, did it help your cause? I'm heading to Rio early next year and was thinking of using this approach before I arrive. Apologies if this has been discussed already.

[Dash Global]

i didnt try it. most brasilians are not on fb though. they are on something that starts with an O i think. if you dont speak the language or have some connections already set up be prepared for alittle let down lol

[InternationalSwagger]

Most Brazilians use Orkut.

[InternationPlayboy]

Damn, I must have just been set up well in Rio, but I don't even feel like I was honestly. It was one of the least places in Brazil I was set up. My first trip, maybe. My second time though, basically I met up with kids that I stayed with the first time, but they were friends of friends and basically were working the whole time I was there. I would say 1/3 days I was in Rio I was with friends that knew the place, but honestly, during the day, I had more fun on my own than with my local friends. They def. did help me out what was up with nightlife though. I don't see not knowing Portuguese in Rio being a HUGE problem compared to places like Minas or Vitoria. There are a lot of English speaker in Rio, especially the upscale clubs. I didn't know shit for Portuguese at the time and had a blast. I wouldn't let not knowing Portuguese hold you back from vistiting Rio. Maybe Vitoria or Belo Horizonte, but no way Rio. And as far as women go, maybe Rio doesn't have the most beautiful women in the world, but they sure are friendly and approachable, and just because they aren't the most beautiful I've seen doesn't mean there still aren't tons of hotties. Try your luck at day game, I feel it goes much further, especially on the beach. I can see being turned down at the high end clubs, but if you get rejected by 10 girls on the beach, you either need a new screening process or to step up your game. I met a couple of girls that didn't speak shit for english, but if you know how to communicate with body language, you should be fine if you have your game on point as long as you know a tiny bit of Portuguese or she knows a tiny bit of English. One language is universal, and that's sex. Yeah, if you want the creme de la creme, go to Vitoria, the women are much more beautiful than Rio, but be ready to deal with REAL hard women. If you are having trouble in Rio, don't even bother. For a first timer in Latin America, I strongly suggest Rio. It's a good starting point despite what's been said about it. I'd like to know a place better so I could go visit.

Added:
1) Yep, most Brazilians use Orkut, and it's horrible. My friend suggestions haven't worked since the first week I've had it. Many Brazilians do have facebook as well though. I've never tried the whole online hook up, I always thought it was kinda creepy. Has it worked for anyone?

2) I thought Casa de Matriz was way too gringo, but may have been an easy spot to get laid. I personally didn't like it much. I felt it was more of a place to either bang chicks that were visiting from other countries or Brazilian chicks that have already been to the US or highly interested in US culture. Not to mention you'll find much higher quality girls at most clubs and even on the right spots on the beach. A good spot on the beach is posto 7 or 9 on Ipanima, cant remember which one, but follow the weed smoke on a good day and you'll find it. It's a hotspot for the 20-30 croud. Lots of weed smoking and fun going on. Try and meet up with some Brazilians there, as it seemed like everyone were in groups. They could be a little hard to approach, but I feel like once you're in with one croud, it's an open invitation.

3) Someone mentioned Lapa on Fri and Sat. Good choice, women are friendly and open to meeting gringos but at the same time, great Brazilian culture. The Spot: Rio Scenario. Get there early unless your friends dad is the VP of a soccer team, it gets packed!

4) Something I haven't yet seen mentioned.... GAVIA ON THURSDAYS!!!! I'm telling you, this place is PACKED! It's a legit block party! Tell any taxi driver and he'll know what you mean. It's in BFE and be careful wondering off, but it's legit. Also probably good to have a Brazilian with you, but definitely not a must. The streets are PACKED with people. Check it out and tell me what you think.

5) I see many people suggested staying in Aproador. I think this is a great suggestion. It puts you right between Copa and Ipanema. There are some great clubs right there, Baronetti and Zero Zero, but both very expensive and high end with stuck up girls, but I actually did well in Baronetti (I was eating acid and doing cocaine at zero zero, probably could have done better). But the scenery is amazing. Go to the point in between Copa and Ipanema at Aproador and you have a full view of both beaches. One end is Sugar Loaf and the other is Duas Irmas. Some of the best scenery I saw when I was in Rio. Check it out. It's pretty centrally located for a lot of things as well.

[bigbootyluvr]

The major variable missing from the OP's original post is what he looks like (his picture). If he's 45 and bald, and overweight, chances are good he may not have the same experience as a muscular jock type with blond hair/blue eyes. Is rio really this shitty now? I was thinking of going there this summer.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Good suggestion about Gavea, another great little gem that doesn't get mentioned a lot in here and I might believe it's for a good reason and that's Feira de Sao Cristovao. Ask any cabbie and he'll take you there, not very far from Zona Sul. It's an open air area with big tents that get packed with loads of locals, loads of women ranging from dog fugly to spectacular and anything in between. Drinks and food are dirt cheap, like 1 real for a shoppe and 1.5 real for a caipirinha. They usually play there Nordestino music such as forro, so it's a very good place to hook up and get laid, but Portuguese a must or go there with someone who either speaks good portugues and knows their way around town or go with a local. Do not go there on your own and with no portugues, you'd be eaten alive there. But go with a local or someone that knows the place and speaks the lingo and you'll have a blast.

[GiovanniRio]

I think there should come another "game in Rio" post )) Let me write some more about Rio - hope it helps, sorry if it gets very very long

All below reflects on women between 18-34. I have (and don't want to) ANY experience with 40+ dating. I'll write about this in 20 years.

I'm living in Rio after travelling to more then 50 countries & living in different parts of the world (born in Europe). I'm sure that it's safe to say that you'll find a huge number of top looking women in Rio, if it's not about the best place in the world, especially during summer time. Cariocas will not go out during the day when it's raining or "cold" (being 18-24°). You'll have to meet them at night during Rio's "winter".

In general cariocas are really open for conversations, very outgoing and love to touch while talking. there is however an important BUT:

Most beautiful women will try to avoid foreigners, especially the girls out of the mid-to-high-class. The problem is that they don't want to be connected to prostitution & at the same time believe most foreigners only come to find prostitutes. And as they understand you'll just stay for a short time, they believe it's not worth it to kiss-sleep with you & then say goodbye. Most of them however do speak English - although I have many female friends that while we go out refuse to use it when a foreigner approaches them .

Many foreigners also come with the "I'm rich attitude". While this helps for the favela dark colored women (safe me please attitude) the women living in Ipanema/Leblon/Barra mostly come out of rich families themselves. Trust me, when you are rich in Brazil, you are really rich !
This is one of the main remarks I get about foreigners when female friends talk about foreigners.

The most important thing when approaching a Brazilian women (and that counts for the whole country) is to be funny & put on your biggest smile. Don't try to be the cool guy and for sure don't wast to much time in buying drinks,... actually, just don't ! Don't wast to much time, as they'll loose interest, go for it, be clear & make sure it's all fun !

Portuguese will help you A LOT! Especially if you go outside the Ipanema/Leblon area where women in general are very approachable & have a very easy game... Area's I really recommend going to are Gavea (both baixo = hundreds of people drinking & having fun on the street and zero zero for a little up-scale fun). Other areas worth visiting are Tijuca, Lapa (Sundays), Barra and even Niteroi if you hit the right night/club/bar.

I personally like the model types, prefer blonds/brunettes with perfect sizes & up-scale atitude. These girls are mainly living in Ipanema/Leblon/Barra and go out in:
- Boox, Ipanema (TOP nightclub, LOTS of fun, a little small, pricey, the most beautiful girls 7-8-9's but you'll need a good game & style)
- Baronetti, Ipanema (famous, girls around 18-24,many 7-8-9's pricey, especially good on Tuesdays (girls night) & Saturdays/Sundays
- Bar do Copa, Copacabana Palace (top exclusive, women around 25-34, stunning, all looking for a rich husband - but no prostitutes , you need a good game, but if
you do...)
- Zozo, Urca considered the best, very beautiful people during the weekend & on Thursdays - nice & approachable, Portuguese is however a nice thing as many girls there just had a basic course
- Nuth, Barra & Lagoa: Nice clubs, famous, both beautiful as well as good looking women and... the other once - Portuguese necessary with the 6-7's. Some 8/9's but you'll need your game right. Check the best nights while in Rio.

If you like to meet 6-7 and sometimes some 8-9's then you can head for Lapa (different clubs & bars there), Baixo in Gavea, Casa Da Matriz, Casa Negra (nice on Tuesdays & Thursdays), Cobral & Tijuca. The younger the girl is the easier it will be to approach her. They lack the experience with being used & dumped many times, which is about the natural sport in Brazil.

I recommend to have some local friends to take you out. They'll know where it's good to go on a given night & more important, they'll help you to get rid of your gringo image. I have different styles of friends, from surfers to the higher class carioca. Depending on the mood, evening & what type of women to meet, you'll need them to mix in

Also a typical one: when a girl approaches you or keeps looking to you (eye thing) she's probably a gringo hunter or working (GDP). Especially during the day, most of the girls in Rio will not look into your eyes as they are used to get ever Brazilian man approaching her immediately (in an annoying way). The Brazilian approach is very direct - I learned a lot from my Brazilian friends and now use it in the whole of South America, but only there

Don't worry to much about safety anymore. Rio is getting more & more cleaned up and much safer then MANY other cities in the US & even some in Europe. Don't be to gringo and of course, stay in the Zona Sul/Zona West area or go with locals. Don't worry a thing about Lapa in the night - but adapt to the very local atmosphere... meaning sneakers/flip-flops, short & t-shirt (except when going to the clubs). It's far away from upscale but so local & fun if you are in a group. I always take a nice girl 7-8 home after a night in Lapa since I go there with Brazilian friends.

PS1 A known word in Brazil = Ficar. It means you kiss, sleep, date sometimes, but are not "together". You can go out alone and tell everyone you are single. If you don't find anyone better, you know you have your ficar girl. I have done this many times (and do it now) even during some months. There are no obligations, just fun. Most (not all) of the women however hope you'll choose for them at the end... Just to show that Brazilian women in general love kissing, touching, affection and of course... sex.

PS2 I'm 32, visiting Brazil for more then 5 years now, and living here about 8 months.

PS3 I personally HATE the girls in Manaus... Just check some forums, I'm not the only one - most of them are ugly & they have an aggressive attitude... Santa Catherina is nice, but make sure you know your game & Portuguese !

[Luckystar]

Awesome report, Giovanni. Rio sounds great, mon ami.