I am going to Rio in september it will be my second time. I am going by myself and was wondering if it is safe to rent an apartment. I am still new at this, so any advice on where to stay, what termas to visit etc... would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

i think the wisest thing to do is use riotrips,although i never used it.i talked to don a few times and he sure knows everything worth knowing in that line of business.have alook at rio cheatsheet.iggy sca

I rent apartments for every trip and have never had any trouble. I have met a lot of guys that rented apartments there and the worst thing you have to lookout for is a girl steeling something from your room. If you're careful about who you bring back to your apartment you should have no trouble.

Thanks for the advice guys. One more question. Does any one know what is this VIP thing that I keep hearing about?

Vips is a sex hotel. 8 hr rental. Small suites to huge ones. Great place!
Almost all apt. buildings have 24 hr doormen and are generally very safe. Use caution when girls are with you and you should have no prob. You can e-mail us at: riotrips@hotmail for any advice you may need.
Don

The girl can open the door to her gangster friends while you sleep. She can run off with your pack of dollar bills. you need to be a little street smart.

You can get drugged at Help and then accompanied to your apartment.

In my apt I have a huge safety deposit that opens with a secret pin code, not with a key. So you put your camera, money, laptop and door key in there. This way it is safe.

My door has a special expensive lock whose key cannot be copied. So I can be sure that my visitor's girlfriend did not secretly copy the key.

I don't think many other apartments work like this. No clue how you can be safe with a safe deposit box with a key. How will you lock away the key?

How can you know, that nobody has a copy of the key?

maybe Bobby and Kenn and the other apartment rental guys can comment on this.

Without overnight visitors, apartments are fairly safe.

I would suggest hiding the key to the front door, and lock her in. That way she cant leave--nor can she let her thug boyfriend in. I continue to believe bringing girls you do not know to your apartment is a bad idea. Stick with Terma girls you know who frequent the terrace atlantica after work--or go with a recommendation of a friend.

Clowns550: Advice from another guy new to this....

If you want girls in your apt, stick with terma girls and referrals from Don or other hombres. They are accountable and traceable.

Also, you don't have to worry about girls stealing anything from you in an apt if you lock the door from the inside and hide the key (just be creative). Other than that, don't take just anything up to your place with two legs and teots and you should be fine.

When I started to write my last post, GCL's wasn't there. Too funny because we basicaly said the same thing.....

GCL.... great minds think alike.

>>Also, you don't have to worry about girls stealing anything from you in an apt if you lock the door from the inside and hide the key (just be creative).

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I just have no clue how you can be creative enough to hide a key in front of the girl, in an almost empty small apartment.

You think she cannot find it even if she spends 3 hours searching for it while you sleep??

The only solution I found is a safety deposit box with a secret number.

The best way i`ve found is to lock the door then head straight for the bathroom close the door behind you and hide the key. Do this first thing, that way if by chance the girl some how drug you with out you knowing your key will be hidden before yo pass out. There are many good places in a bathroom to hide a key, there are some places that are almost impossible to get at. IMHO, if you bring girls to your room stick to Help or Lido club girls, if your really nervous about it wait for the girl you like to leave with some one and if she shows up the next night, would be safe to assume she didn`t rip the person off, majority of girls are just making a honest living.

BS, if you cant think of a hiding place, then you are definately a person that needs a safety deposit box or a safe. They make them for people like you and they are readily available all over Rio.

i have seen many spie movies,i think the best trick is to swallow the key together with a caiprihinha.then wait to nature have its course.iggy sca

I prefer a safe but many won't hold a laptop. That is why I am taking a laptop cable lock next time.

As for hiding the key, my girls don't watch me like a hawk when they enter. I go to the kitchen, they go to the bathroom, I go to the bedroom.... whatever I want to do. There are plenty of opportunities to hide it, like when one of you goes to trash the rubber. It's not that hard BS. If she is going to get up and look for it in the middle of the night for 3 hours, she's going to end up waking my ass up anyway. Besides, that would never happen to me because I make excellent choices thanks to referrals from my amigos Sandman, GCL, Don, Sweetmesquite, Skull Jockey, Catacony, etc. It's the whole accountable/traceable thing that provides your safety.

The risk with apt keys is not from the girls, but from someone that rented the apt before and had the key copied themselves. That thought did occur to me once I returned and I don't know how often they change those locks.

However, you are right BS..... a large keyless safe is the best way to go if available. The last one I rented from Don had one, but I didn't even use it.

Does anyone know if Bobby's apts have safes because I am renting one from him at 8 Miguel Lemos in a couple of weeks?

none of the one's i stayed in had safes at #8.

I stayed in one of those apartments on 8 Miguel Lemos. I rented it from Bobby. I think I payed around 50 dollars a night and it was 22 reals for room cleaning. I think I did room cleaning every third day. The room I stayed at had an ocean view. You could look out of the window and see all the action at Mea Pataca. As I recall the place did not have a safe but the apartment had many posibilities to hide things. A good place would be in the oven. The bathroom is too small and plain to hide anything in.

Its too bad that you just couldn't go in a bank and just rent a safety deposit box for a week or two. Also if you are staying there bring or buy some binoculars. The view of the ocean and girls are great.

Another thought...I have items that won't fit in most safes, so I put them inside my luggage and use a luggage lock. If one is a bit more paranoid, you can use a bicycle-type lock to lock you locked suitcase to something inside your closet so it can't roll away. I've never felt the need to go quite this far. I do put the room key out of sight, but it's probably not a good idea to lock it up, in case you need to get out of the room in a hurry.

Having said this, I've had exactly one attempted (failed) theft in countless stays in Rio. As someone else noted, the key is selecting the right garota to begin with.

Has anybody ever rented two apartments, a regular one for sleeping solo and living while in town and another, hopefully on the same floor in the same building but maybe not, just for sex and overnight guests? The extra bucks per day may seem wasted but it is an insurance policy in case you get rolled. It's cheaper than going to VIPS or other love hotels as well.

I think the second apartment is a good idea, most guys done want to spend the money. It wouldnt be cheaper than love motels though. Vips apartments are R$61. Lovetime and Diamond (in Gloria and Catete) have rooms for around R$45, add R420 for roundtrip taxi and you are still better off then $50 US for an extra apartment.

Cat... Stick with the freak from 4X4 and you will be fine. I know she is your favorita anyway.

Bwana... the suitcase thing is an excellent idea that I had not thought of. Anything to make it more difficult for a thief.....

What most of you are forgetting is that most if not all of the apartment buildings in Rio have 24 hour doormen. Tell the doorman not to let anyone in unless YOU say it's OK.... Also if you want further protection have the portero call your apt. before he lets the girl leave the building.. If necessary just give him a few Reais for this extra service.. If your apartment does not have a safe, then keep your valuables in your locked suitcase..

Kenn-- Was wondering what you mean by -tell the door man not to let anyone in unless you say it`s ok . Not sure what you mean by that but it sounds impossible. Would a thief tell the doorman he is going to the apartment of the person he is about to rob. You wold know this better than i would, but from my experiences those doorman let anyone in who comes to the door. I`m not flaming you, just curious has to how that works. IMHO the worst place to hide your valuables is in your personal belongings, were do you think is the first place someone would look , that will protect you from regular working girls stealing something when your sleeping or in the bathroom but won`t do a thing if you are druged, ala the Taxman or if someone breaks into your room, your much better off hiding it else where in the room, the least likly place someone would look.

I'm a real estate agent and I have key boxs with button combs (4 digits) small and easy to hide & easy to purchase just call an real estate agent. If you can lock the door from both the front and the back and and hide the key box (cost $35 us) somewhere in the apt. u are safe from her leaving or someone coming in. unless the garota has some sort of agreement with the doorman then the goons outside your door may just muscle there way in especially if you are drugged Probably, a very good idea to tip the doorman and buy his loyalty for a meger sum.

Khunsean

Get an apartment hotel like South Beach for example at domingo ferreira and constanto ramos. They have 24 hr security, safes, and u get the usual hotel amenities like cleaning etc. Also they never complain if u take a couple of girls back home unlike the hotels with a 1 girl limit. The price is usually around $60 and u can contact john or bobby for this

Kenn, you give some good suggestions, if the apartment has no safe. These suggestions add some security.

Of course, there are a few problems. For example, will the door man understand you? will he turn away your favorite girl too? Will he have the power, guts and time to hold a garota against her will when leaving? Finally, most buildings have half a dozen doormen. Do you bribe them all??


If you guys think that getting a girl from terraco or Help is a guarantee, then you are extremely naive. That is where the thieves all come from!! The worst option! Lots of known thieves work there. If they score a maior theft, they will leave for a 3 week holliday, by that time you are gone. They risk almost nothing. Even if police catches them, even if you got proof, they will be set free the first time you don't appear at one of the numerous court dates spread out over years.

Termas and agency girls are a bit safer, as at least the termas has a documental record of them.

Referrals: I cannot guarantee for most girls I refer. Some stole already (minor things). Of course, once I know they steal I don't refer them any more. Another guy you cited for referrals was drugged himself and had his apartment cleaned out.


A second apartment is kind of an expensive option. Also, where will you keep the key to the first apartment while you are in the second apartment??? In that case, a love motel is a better bet

Unless you have an unusual situation. I had people who were at a 5 star hotel for business or family motives. They rented my suite as a backup, as it was cheaper then the girl visiting fee, and allowed them to keep a perfect reputation at their hotel.




As I get blasted for making people panicky, here is my conclusion:

You can get an apartment, but be very very aware of the dangers and do your utmost to avoid them. Naive guys get in trouble most easily.

If you are really worried, get a hotel. Or an especially safe apartment with safe and better then average security, etc.

If the apartment you rent gets robbed are you liable for everything that's missing or do the owners/agencies carry insurance?