Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio is a city bursting with color, art, beaches and beautiful people and vibrant sunsets, especially when viewed off the Windsor Atlantica, the tallest building in Rio where we stayed!

We spent our time in Rio de Janeiro making our way around the entire town from Copacabana Beach to Ipanema, to Sugarloaf Mountain and the Cristo Redentor. There were epic views to be seen around every turn and amazing meals every few hours! (Can you tell the amazing meals in Brazil is starting to become a trend… I was in food heaven!)

There were little mini crab legs, octopus ceviche, more amazing and experimental caipirinhas and tapioca crusted shrimp to name a few. Rio is dotted with some truly lovely restaurants. A few of my favorites included Mauá at MAR Museum, Mira! At Casa Daros, Volta and Aprazivel. Aprazivel is tucked away high up in the hills of Rio is set up like a super lux tree house. The food was impeccable and the drinks are not to be missed. If you ever find yourself in Rio this is an absolutely MUST! Mauá and Mira! are both part of modern art museums with a variety of perfectly executed dishes that will make you want to never leave. And Volta is an old house that’s been converted into a darling restaurant where they serve the most amazing appetizers in Rio de Janeiro. I left each restaurant with a giant smile on my face.

In between meals we split our time at some of the major attractions of Rio including Copacabana Beach where I consumed about a dozen coconut waters served fresh in a coconut, obvi. It might be the only way I ever consume coconut water ever again! (AKA annual trips to Rio are 100% in the cards from now on!) There was also a visit to the Copacabana Palace! I’m convinced that I’ll be back to Rio sooner rather than later to experience the Palace in even more of its glory.

One of the evenings I visited Ipanema Beach and was blown away with the view. It’s a magical experience as every night before sunset, the entire town empties out onto the beach to watch the sun dip below the horizon. On its way down, everyone breaks out into an applause to bid adieu to that day.

Big love and thanks to everyone at the Hotel Windor, Volta, Aprazivel, Mauá, Mira!, Brazil Nuts and of course TAM Airlines for making Rio de Janeiro one of the best cities I’ve ever visited! Take a peek at some images below and stay tuned for some Rio inspired recipes in the next few days!

For more of my #onlyinsouthamerica posts, be sure to check out my travel section!