Tips for Spending New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro

(Before you begin reading, click here and let the song play in the backround. I’m setting the ambiance the post.)

For us, New Years Eve is the ultimate in Hip vacations. We always find a fantastic location, lots of culture, a sexy party and warm sunshine! For these reasons we head into the Southern Hemisphere to Rio de Janeiro!

Rio de Janeiro has inspired many wonderful things in the US: the Brazilian bikini, the Brazilian wax, the Brazilian butt augmentation(thanks to the perfect Brazilian booty), Cachaca, the Brazilian Steak House and of course the Girl From Ipanema.

Check out Rio for yourself and see what inspires in you!

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is one of the world’s leading NYE destinations. That’s the reason that you need to book your air and hotel ASAP! You could be sipping champagne on a roof top overlooking the Copacabana at 11:59pm (23:59) counting down with over a million people dressed in white or you could be sitting at home watching the ball drop with Ryan Seacrest wondering which shellac he used that night for his boy band hair. Which sounds better to you? Don’t be a dumb ass, book your trip by August at the VERY VERY latest.

Here’s some tidbits about Rio:

Hotels: There are so many hotels to choose from. Usually, the hotels in Rio are very inexpensive, even a 4-5 star hotel can be shockingly cheap. However, times are changing and now that the Fasano has opened a new spot in Rio, they are really raising the bar and the prices! The South American and European jet-set are flocking to the be among the hard bodies laying at the only hip pool scene in Rio. For my money, this is the place to be. And I will actually be there this New Year’s to ring in 2009 in style!

If the hefty price tag of the Fasano is too much for your bank account, you have hope. There are great rooms and even greater rates at the hotels like the Rio Internacional. This hotel provides great service (with an English speaking staff), great suites and a roof top pool that has views of the Copacabana and Christ the Redeemer. The price is right and it’s a perfect place to watch the millions gather on the beach below for the ultimate in NYE fireworks displays.

What to Bring: Rio is all about the body and the bikini. Ladies bring plenty of bikinis and men cool swim wear. Also, on NYE everyone in the city wears white, and I mean EVERYONE!

Know Before you Go: Two things:

#1: Get a Passport & Visa You’ll need a passport and a visa. Make sure you send your passport to the Brazilian Consular in enough time for your trip.

#2: Go on a diet! Do us all a favor and skip the cookies for the couple months preceding your trip! Chances are even in your best shape, you won’t stack up to the Brazilians. Yes, they are naturally gifted in the physique department, but Rio is also one of the major Plastic Surgery capitals in the world.

Drinks: You can sip the native drink, a Caipirinha for about a dollar at any of the many beach bars. But be careful, they go down quickly and if you stand up to quickly, so will you!

Food: Rio is filled with amazing local restaurants. Skip the tourist traps and hit the local scene in Leblon for interesting and sexy Brazilian flavor!

Shops: Rio is the home of the Brazilian Bikini. Therefore, you should stock up ! I don’t mean the fake ass American version. I mean the real deal, and you need a Brazilian to wear a Brazilian, if you know what I mean! Rio is the best place to find unique bikinis that you can wear around the world. Just think, you won’t have the same bikini as any one else on your next vacation. Also check out the Havaianas.

Flights: From many US cities you can fly delta directly into Rio’s airport. It’s usually an overnight flight both ways (depending on where you are coming from) The Rio de Janeiro airport code is GIG. When you go to customs, you will be asked to hit a button that’s connected to a stop light. If you get a green light, you may proceed and leave the airport. If you get a red light, squeeze you ass because they’re unpacking EVERYTHING! That’s the real “random search”, there’s no racial profiling there!

Safety: I can’t tell you how many people have asked me about my safety in Rio. Basically, my answer is this. Yes, it’s a dangerous city. But so are New York, Miami and Detroit. Use common sense. Stay in well lite areas and don’t go anywhere with strange people you don’t know. Don’t go into the ghettos. Don’t wear big flashy jewelery or watches. Don’t flaunt money. Same things you’d do in any big city. One thing that made us feel really safe is the “tourist police”. Yep, they are there to protect you, the tourist. We had absolutely NO problems. The Brazilians were lovely!

Other weird and interesting things:

• I decided that the national dog of Rio is the poodle. I actually named it the Rio Poodle because I saw them EVERYWHERE! No really, EVERYWHERE!
• Strip clubs in Rio are basically places to pick up a Brazilian prostitutes. However, all the women are clothed and it looks more like a 70′s disco party than a strip club. Buy a girl a “wine cooler” yes, I said it, a “wine cooler” and you can begin to discuss the price. Don’t ask how I know this. Weird story that’ll stay in Rio… hopefully.
• The national language of Brazil is Portuguese and it’s incomprehendable even if you speak Spanish. Hello is Oi. Thank you is Obrigado. Need I say more. Good luck, English is not widely spoken outside the hotels, but that’s the fun of it all.
• The currency is the Reais. Currently the rate is about 1 USD to 1.7 Reais. Still a great exchange rate in comparison to the Euro!

That’s it. Get online and start booking your trip. If you’re gonna wait until next year, make sure to check out our website for the Rio de Janeiro Movie & The Hip List: Rio de Janeiro. They should be available in January of 2009.

If you have any questions…feel free.

Kimberly

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