Straight off the back of New York came Rio de Janeiro!
Rio was something of an experience…
So here’s the thing – the city has a reputation for being unsafe but it also has a reputation for being one of the most beautiful cities out there so it’s just hard trying to figure out what to do and what not to do here.
If ever there was a time to pay attention to local recommendations, this was it. People here are not afraid to point you in the right direction, that being said, you also kinda need to know who to ask for said recommendations so it’s all a bit of a confusing catch-22.
We stayed at the Emiliano Rio, a spot we pretty much fell in love with as soon as I saw the first photos online and it was probably the one big part of the trip that made the biggest difference.
Before we arrived, I was convinced that we would have to get a driver to take us around everywhere and have to learn so many new rules about what to do and what not to do, where and when.
That latter part is kinda true but the concierge at the hotel took the time to explain so much to us. Even little things like when to avoid Google maps, what to look out for in taxis and Ubers (surprisingly, some taxis can be dodgy here but Ubers are typically fine).
We picked up so many amazing tips from them alone, which ended up corroborated by Uber drivers, folks at museums, bar and restaurant staff and many other locals. It just made such a big difference!
Anyway, this post is actually nothing whatsoever to do with the hotel. I realise now, reading it back that it kinda sounds like it is but it really has nothing to do with them, it was just something in retrospect we found HUGELY useful in Rio (we actually ended up booking it twice because after booking it, we found it on another website about a third cheaper and had to cancel the original booking and make another one). If ever there was a city where booking the right place mattered, it was definitely Rio!
Long story short, we had an absolutely amazing time in the city (as you might have been able to tell from our Instagram stories) and wanted to share photos from that trip. There were a few moments in between where we definitely didn’t feel the most comfortable but thankfully, it was all fine and we did our very best to err on the side of caution.
As with New York, we figured we might as well do a full vlog to show what it’s like to be in Rio (if you’ve never visited before – as well as a small little snippet for Twitter which should be up soon with an opportunity to win free flights to Rio for two) but till that’s out, here are some photos from our time in Rio!
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