trayled by tolochenaz

This famous hotel is directly on the corniche, so if you cross the street you are on the beach. It's an old fashioned palace, on the first floor there is a gallery of fotos of celebreties and stars which have stayed in this hotel.

Opened in 1923, this impressive stucco-fashioned edifice is Rio's most traditional and luxurious hotel. This landmark was designed by the French architect Joseph Gire who was inspired by two hotels, the Negresco in Nice and the Carlton in Cannes. Since opening the hotel has had only two owners, the Guinle family of Rio de Janeiro and from 1989, Orient-Express Hotels, Trains & Cruises.

I had a room in the back "city view" which was rather deceiving, nothing you would expect from a palace but the hotel has been renovated since, you better you check before you book.

The real plus of this hotel, besides the location, is the swimming pool with live music in the evening. The breakfast is a buffet with a lot of different fruits you can't buy in Europe because they would't survive transportation.

Watch out for criminals on the corniche in the evening, my collegue escaped in the last moment into the hotel when 2 young boys started to run after him while he was going for a walk to the beach.