Latin Trade, Jan-Feb, 2003
BEST BUSINESS MEAL WITH LOCAL FLAVOR
Barra Grill. Rio has a large supply of barbecue restaurants, and it's hard
to find a bad or even mediocre one. At the Barra Grill there's a large
circular buffet and waiters make continuous rounds with skewers of grilled
meat. Check out the 1,000 bottles of whisky in the windows; all of them have
names on them. Customers bring their own brands and leave them for the next
visit. Ministro Ivan Lins, 314 Barra; phone: 55-21-2493-6060. For lunch in
downtown Rio, stop at Cais do Oriente. Open from noon until midnight, it
offers plenty of variety on its menu and jazz in the evening. Rua Visconde
de ltaborai 8; phone: 55-21-2233-2531.
BEST CAR RENTAL
Avis. Due to a good dollar-exchange rate, rental prices are reasonable-
although you may be better off hiring a car and driver through a travel
agency or your hotel. Avis, and most other car rental counters, are found in
Terminal 2 in Rio's Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport, which locals
still call by its old name: Galeao. Phone: 55-21-3398-5060. www.avis.com.br
BEST TRAVEL AGENCY
Rentamar Turismo. In business 27
years, this fully computerized office in the Copacabana neighborhood knows
how to pick its guides. One of the best is William Mendes; phone:
55-21-2235-7724. www.rentamar.com.br
BEST BUSINESS HOTEL
Sheraton Rio Hotel & Towers. While the Sheraton is 18 miles from downtown
Rio, it is an easy drive, because a good highway skirts the beaches, missing
tourist traffic. Located just beyond Ipanema on Leblon beach, it is near the
convention center and reigns as the only hotel that is directly on the
beach-no streets to cross to take that morning jog along the Atlantic Ocean.
In a beautiful garden area out the back door there are restaurants, bars,
three swimming pools, three lighted tennis courts, a health club with a gym
and saunas-a perfect place to relax in the fresh air after a hard day of
work. A golf course is also nearby. A shuttle service runs between the hotel
and the Rio Sul Shopping center and the beaches Monday through Sunday The
Sheraton has 559 deluxe rooms, including 61 executive suites. For business
travelers, so-called Smart Rooms are equipped with all-in-one laser
printer/scanner/fax/photocopiers and a technical concierge for tech support.
Room rates begin at US$197 and suites from US$259, plu s 10% service, 5% tax
and a US$3 pernight tourist tax; phone: 55-21-2274-1122.
www.sheraton-rio.com
BEST OLD-WORLD LUXURY HOTEL
Copacabana Palace. It opened in 1923 and has undergone several facelifts to
remain the most elegant hotel on Copacabana Beach. It is now part of the
OrientExpress Group. While it might be difficult to justify on the expense
account, there is good value with a three-night package for US$735 for a
standard (city view) room, US$915 (sea view) and US$1,035 (sea view deluxe
suite)-plus the 15% in taxes and service charges and the US$3 per night
tourist tax. A Brazilian buffet breakfast comes in the deal; phone:
55-21-2548-7070. www.orient-express.com
BEST PLAY TIMES
The hotel concierge can help with arrangements for a round of golf at the
Gavea Golf and Country Club, an 18-hole championship course that snakes
through the Tijuca Forest. The back nine rolls along the Sao Conrado Beach.
Or, arrange to take a day-long schooner cruise from Angra dos Reis, 90
minutes south of Rio, to one of the 365 islands off the coast. If it's
futebol season, join up with 200,000 fans at a soccer match in the world's
largest stadium, Rio's Maracana stadium.
