The location of the hotel is great, with Copacabana Beach across busy Avenida Atlantica, and Sugar Loaf mountain less than a 10-minute drive away. A cross-walk exists near the corner of the hotel, and the traffic lights have those buttons that pedestrians can push to make the light change more frequently. Avenida Atlantica sometimes has two-way traffic, and at other times, the traffic runs only one way, but the direction changes depending on the time of day. (It made us glad that we did not rent a car and drive ourselves!) It does not appear that there’s any parking at the hotel; some on-street parking exists, but you could not leave a car there for any significant amount of time, and certainly not overnight. A doorman is stationed at the hotel entrance to hail taxi cabs for the guests, although we did not use that service.
To reach the fitness center and spa, which are part of the tower annex, you must walk through the Cipriani Bar and Restaurant. If you try to access the fitness center or the spa in the late afternoon or early evening, you feel a bit conspicuous in your workout gear or hotel robe as you pass elegantly attired diners. Even returning to your room after a late afternoon at the beach or pool makes one feel a bit out of place as you walk through Cipriani. Although we do not normally partake of spa services while on vacation (our feeling is that we’re already relaxed, so why not save the pampering for a boring day at home?), I booked a 30-minute jet lag massage to spend our US$100 spa credit from American Express. The cost for the service ended up being about US$85, but I remitted the entire check in addition to leaving a separate tip for the therapist. The spa area is attractive, with a lovely relaxation room on both the main level and the upper level. You can use the area on the main level at any time, whereas it seems that the room on the upper level is reserved for patrons after their services. Outside of the relaxation room on the main floor is the entrance to the men’s and women’s saunas, as well as a small table outfitted with cold water (with real glasses and ice) and mixed nuts. The fitness center is large and well equipped, including towels and bottled water. Changing rooms include lockers, showers, and so on. A beauty salon is also on site at the hotel.
The pool is grand, but not as large as we had expected from other reviews. (Perhaps it IS huge in comparison to the pools of other hotels, most of which are on rooftops). The pool is on the ground level, the same level as the restaurants, the beach, and the lobby. Many lounge chairs surround the pool, and the pool staff does a good job of managing the chairs when they turn over. You can order food and drinks to your loungers, and they set up a little pool bar during the day that serves buckets of Veuve Clicquot champagne and other high-end drinks. I believe the formal pool hours are 8:00 to 20:00, but it seemed that you could swim at any time if you were discrete.
For anyone with mobility issues, this hotel features a number of steps The smallish lobby area is located on the ground level, but it is necessary to climb at least 10 stairs to reach another small lobby area and the elevator bank for the main building of the hotel. To reach the pool, gift shop, and restaurants, you must then walk down two sets of stairs, with each set being 3 or so steps. If your room is in the tower annex, it requires a step up from the pool area and opening a very heavy door to enter the lobby area of Cipriani, then up another 3 or 4 stairs up to access the tower annex elevator bank. It’s not a big deal for most travelers, but if anyone has physical limitations, it would present a problem. We do not think that someone in a wheelchair could even stay in this hotel - one would need to be able to transfer oneself up and down those stairs. If you think you might tote your own bag to your room (even one of those small roll-aboard suitcases), think again! It’s hard to manage more than a handbag or small carry-on bag with all those steps.
The hotel offers beach service, where they provide you with complimentary chairs, umbrellas, towels, cold sealed containers of water, and fresh fruit. The chairs were arranged closer to the sidewalk promenade than to the water, separating hotel guests from the masses of local people. If you wanted to take your Copacabana Palace lounge chair down by the water, the attendants would probably move it for you. Another option is to rent a chair and sit by the water. Many vendors set up on the sand who rent chairs and umbrellas and that also sell drinks and food. It seems that each stand also sets up a portable shower for use by its guests. (The hotel does not have its own shower, which would have been a nice perk.) More formal food and drink vendors are positioned along the paved promenade that runs along Avenida Atlantica from one end to the other. Many stands seem to focus on fresh fruit drinks, particularly drinks including fresh coconut. All stands have some type of seating, whether tables and chairs or something more hip and modern like beanbags. Take your pick and enjoy the view! In the late afternoon and early evening, food carts set up on the corner near the Copacabana Palace, selling churros, empanadas, and other types of local food.
The hotel has two restaurants, the formal Cipriani serving lunch and dinner, and the more casual Pergula Restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cipriani has a lovely bar area (and both bar and restaurant patrons are treated to live music played on the grand piano), and a nightclub called the Copa Bar is set up on weekend evenings with its entrance near the beautiful pool. We at in the Pergula Restaurant every day for breakfast (with both indoor and outdoor spaces), and the offerings were well-tended and fairly complete. (We did not notice any pancakes or French toast, though.) The variety of fruit displayed is astounding, many with names that were completely unfamiliar to us. The variety of pastries and breads was also impressive. A chef was available to prepare eggs and omelets on request. We were provided with a breakfast bill each day, even though it was included in our room rate, and we think we were charged about US$50 per person per day - a bit pricey in our opinion, because it was not the nicest or most extensive breakfast buffet that we’ve ever seen (that honor goes to the Peninsula Bangkok). We did not dine at Cipriani, partially because we felt that we did not pack fancy enough clothing. Another reason is that we live near New York City, where there are several branches of Cipriani, so we feel that we can always try one of those properties at a later time. We ate dinner in the Pergula Restaurant on our first night of arrival, hoping for something light, quick, and inexpensive, but we found that our meal was none of those (although it was atmospheric dining pool-side in the moonlight)! I was not at all hungry, so I ordered nothing but a non-alcoholic drink, and my spouse’s dish of penne Bolognese cost over US$50 (for a single-serving size, not a large bowl like you would get in the US from which you would have some leftovers to take home)! No less-expensive options were available; appetizers/starters seemed to be priced just as highly as the pasta, and certain tourist staples like the ubiquitous club sandwich were not offered. Nearby less-costly restaurant options included La Fiducia, Manuel and Joaquim, Maxim’s, and Churrascaria Palace.
The main entrance to the hotel (which opens onto the registration lobby) is the ONLY entrance and exit from the hotel during most of the day. A sealed entrance/exit exists in the annex; however, it is not used any more, probably for security reasons (the door opens onto the street running parallel to Avenida Atlantica, which is called Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana). We also saw the door that leads into the Pergula Restaurant opened in the evening and manned by a doorman ushering in patrons between velvet ropes, but instead of the door admitting people to the restaurant, it provided easy access to the Copa Bar that opens off the pool area on Thursday through Sunday nights. Hotel guests have no cover charge on Thursday or Friday, but do have to pay on Saturday and Sunday nights. (We cannot comment on the amount of the cover charge because we are past the age of drinking and dancing the night away!)
This hotel does not have an ATM machine; however, they can convert foreign money to local currency at the front desk or concierge desk. Front-of-house staff are very professional, attired in regulation business suits, and are knowledgeable about local restaurants and attractions.
In an effort to save some cash, we visited a nearby store every afternoon that sold beer (singles and by the case) as well as cases of water. We bought a case of water and a half-case of beer each day for about R$30 (US$16), which was the price of one fancy drink at the hotel! There’s sort of a “dollar store” called Lojas Americanas on Avenida Nossa Senhora de Copacabana where you can buy snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, suntan lotion, and other sundry items.
We made the right choice for ourselves in staying at the Copacabana Palace - it was the favorite hotel of our vacation, and we would jump at the chance to stay there again - especially in one of the suites!
