I will be living in Rio for a couple of months beginning in February.

First let me tell you I have the highest of expectations for where I stay/live. I'm more of a 'Grand Hyatt' kinda guy, versus 'Joes Motel' (I hope that doesnt sound too snobby hehe). From what I've seen online, the Copa apartments are generally kind of tacky looking with cheap furniture. I see many Ipanema apartments that fit the bill.

BUT, first and foremost I'm a whoremonger. What do people who live in Ipanema do for easy transportation to Help and the beach? Is it a pain in the ass to take a taxi? I will probably be surfing alot, I can't take my board in a taxi I'd imagine.

Is it feasible for a monger to stay in Ipanema?

Discuss. (And thanks in advance for any advice.)

Sure it's feasible for a monger to stay in Ipanema. In fact, if you're staying for more than a few days, it's probably preferable to stay in a more upscale area. Ipanema is a bit safer (more rich people equals more presence of security). Ipanema also has better restaurants, grocery stores, shops, clubs...it's just more upscale.

You can find some very nice, high-end apartments in Copacabana, especially some of the oceanfront apartments in the nicer buildings. But you'll have a better set of choices in Ipanema. You'll pay more, of course, but I prefer staying outside of Gringo Gulch and being surrounded by Brasilians rather than Germans, Italians, and Americans.

As far as getting to and from Help and the other whoremonger spots, it's a piece of cake. Depending on where you end up in Ipanema, you can walk to the area around Help, and even to MC and L'uomo, during the daytime. At night I'd recommend cabs, but cabs in Rio are dirt cheap. Transportation will not be a problem.

Since you plan on surfing, you may want to stay at the Arpoador end of Ipanema. Arpoador Beach, near Arpoador Rock, is prime surfing territory. Copa absolutely sucks for surfing (bad beach break and very polluted water). You can find cabs that will take your board (assuming you're a shortboarder); just hail one of the many VW stationwagen cabs. I've taken my board via cab to Barra da Tijuca without a problem.

Great info Safado! Thanks!

Kmanrox420,

I lived in Rio for 3 months last year. I had a nice apartment in Lagoa.. it was kind of expensive though . If I was going to do it again I would stay in Impanema for sure. It is not really that far from copa.. I used to walk all the way back to Lagoa many times.
Concerning surfing.... extreme lack of waves !!! Mainly the surf dumps right on shore in Copa and Impanema. Aproador sometimes gets some surf but really crowded and water is polluted !!!
I will give you advice that you will really appreciate .. There is a surf bus that goes from copa all the way to a beach called Prainha . It has the best waves and is really nice and clean.
it takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour and goes along the coast the whole way.. Passes through Barra and recreo untill final stop at Prainha. The best part is it only costs 2 reis each way and has surfracks built inside with a tv that plays surf videos ... besides the putas definetly my favorite . You can find a pamphlet with the phonenumber and schedule at the local surfshops.
If you can you should check out a small surf town that I lived in for 6 months up north in the state of bahia .. it is called Itacare`. has a good website .. Itacare.com
This info should help you out.
tchau

I've been living in Lagoa for about a year and a half. The one thing that that is a concern is the escalation of violence in Rio. It is getting bad particularly in Copacabana. That said, numerous incidents have also been reported in Ipanema and Leblon, although less than Copacabana. For this reason alone, I would stay in Ipanema.

Every day in the paper you can read about the attacks on tourists the prior day. It is becoming an escalating epidemic, and people are predicting it will progressively get worse until Carnaval.