Marta Rio Guesthouse

Marta welcomed me enthusiastically when I arrived and was very helpful during my stay. I stayed in the comfortable Aquamarine Suite which has an ensuite bathroom. The guesthouse and balcony are beautiful and the views of Copacabana and Sugarloaf are stunning. Breakfast was very good. There is a small kitchen for guests to use with a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker. Great location. Although I traveled alone, I walked the length of Copacabana and Ipanema, watched the surfers, took a 4 hour bicycle tour with Rio by Bike, visited the Botanical Gardens and went up to Sugarloaf. There is plenty of shopping nearby if you like to shop. Banks and small grocery stores are also nearby. Marta can advise you on where to exchange money; I got a good rate and there was no fee. She ordered a taxi for my trip to the airport which only cost 50 Reals. The area felt very safe during the day and early evening. Cell phones are a popular item to steal. Keep your phone and some money in your pockets. Don't walk around with expensive cameras or jewelry. It seems safe to take your camera if you take a taxi to tourist sights like Sugarloaf or Corcovado. Taxis are convenient and inexpensive. Many taxis accept credit cards. Marta speaks excellent English and German. Her housekeeper and I communicated via a translation app. In my experience, not many people in Rio speak English which is not surprising in such a large country. After all, how many people in the US speak another language?