Copacabana

Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel

★★★★★

There is no hotel in South America with a story like the Copacabana Palace. It opened in 1923 on what was then an almost empty beach, a neoclassical white palace inspired by the grand hotels of the Riviera, and it turned Copacabana into the most glamorous address in Latin America. Over the following century it hosted royalty, presidents, film stars and rock bands, and its pool terrace and balconies have appeared in countless films and photographs. Now part of Belmond, it remains the most prestigious hotel in Rio, and it still faces the beach directly across Avenida Atlantica at number 1702. The hotel has 119 rooms and 101 suites, many with balconies looking over Copacabana, split between the historic main building and the Pool Wing. The heart of the hotel is the semi-Olympic swimming pool, surrounded by palms and sun loungers and overlooked by the restaurant Pergula, which serves Mediterranean food from breakfast to dinner and hosts a famous Sunday brunch. The hotel describes itself as the only one in Latin America with two Michelin-starred restaurants: MEE, a Pan-Asian restaurant, and Ristorante Hotel Cipriani, serving refined Italian cooking. Guests in certain suites have access to the Black Pool, a second pool on the sixth floor, and the spa offers saunas, treatment rooms and a double massage suite. The hotel also provides a beach service with chairs, umbrellas and towels on the sand across the road, which, given the realities of Copacabana, is a real comfort. The big news for late 2026 is the reopening of the Pool Wing, which Belmond has refurbished with 68 suites, each with a private balcony and interiors inspired by Brazilian artisans, along with new wellbeing facilities and a boutique; it is due to open in November 2026. The hotel is about ten minutes by car from Santos Dumont airport and around thirty-five minutes from the international airport, traffic permitting.

Choosing a room: the essential decision is whether you want a beach view. Ocean-facing rooms and suites in the main building, many with balconies, look over Avenida Atlantica to Copacabana and are the classic choice; city- and pool-facing rooms are quieter and less expensive. The newly refurbished Pool Wing suites, with private balconies, are the freshest product in the hotel from November 2026. The penthouse suites at the top come with their own exclusive facilities. On New Year's Eve, rooms facing the beach are booked far in advance and command enormous premiums, because the fireworks explode directly in front of the hotel.

What the stay is like: polished, formal in the old-fashioned sense, and full of history, with staff who have often been at the hotel for decades. Days revolve around the pool and Pergula, evenings around the restaurants and the bar. The location puts you on Rio's most famous beach, within reach of the official vans to Christ the Redeemer from Praca do Lido and a short ride from Sugarloaf. Copacabana itself is busier and more mixed than Ipanema or Leblon, and the hotel feels like a calm, guarded island within it.

Who it suits: travellers celebrating something special, lovers of classic grand hotels, food lovers and anyone who wants to experience the legend. The trade-offs are price, which is the highest in the city, and a setting on a busy avenue rather than a quiet street. But for a first trip to Rio with a sense of occasion, nothing else has the same aura.