Hey guys, I've done a keyword search but didn't turn up much on Lagoa in terms of specifics...it seems that the area is much nicer, safer and upscale than copa and has some great restaurants and clubs.

I'm looking at a possible apartment in Lagoa (prices are good, and the area looks very nice...ready for a change from staying in Copa I think) so I was hoping to get some insight from a monger's perspective.

Is it too far from the beach if that's a big part of my trip (my two travelmates especially are big beach bums)? Will I have a problem getting girls (escorts or otherwise) to come there? Any other info on the area would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance...

Just off the cuff, Lagoa is considered a very upscale area of Rio, may be tuff to get rentable apartments there (think Upper East Side in Manhattan). No problem gettin ggirls to go there, it's very centrally located. Traffic can be a real bear on the avenue that circles the Lagoa itself, but so what else is new? How far to the beach depens where on the Lagoa you are - it's basically a lagoon right behind (north of) Ipanema/Leblon. The south end is only about 6-8 blocks from the beach, you can walk. The north end is about 3 miles from the beach, you'll have to take a car or bus. The Lagoa itself is very polluted, which doesn't keep people from swimming or waterskiing/wakeboarding anyhow. hewever, tehre is a great jogging track around the Lagoa, lots of good "scenery" so to speak. Lagoa is also very close to our favorite neighborhood, Gloria (were teh Termas are), just over (or thru) the hills to the east. The Gavea neighborhood, off to the west of Lagoa and nestled up against the Gavea mountain(the one with a flat, crows-nest top) is also very good, not quite so expensive as Lagoa and is a good place to find an apartment (except that it can get VERY hot in the summer - it's sort of in a bowl). Both Lagoa and Gavea are purely high-class residential neighborhoods, the only night action is a few high-class social clubs and "normal" discos, bars, etc.

Hope this helps,

BS

Very helpful as ever BS, thank you very much...I only posted the question because I was offered a very nice penthouse for a fair price (much more than copa obviously, but it looks to be worth it) in Lagoa...actually in the west end of the Jardim Botanico (sp?)...does that make sense? Let me know what you think of that specific area...I'm seriously leaning towards booking this...the area looks gorgeous online and the photos are pretty impressive...thanks again....

If you liek the price, grab it! Definitely one of the best parts of Lagoa, right between the Jardim Botanico and the lagoon itself, with Corcovado behind you... the girls will ccome back to your penthouse just for the view ;-). About 2 miles to the beach, you'll have to take a cab, but so what? Also about 15 min from Copacabana (you'll have to go clockwise around the Lagoa), but again, so what? It's a great area. The Jardim is in itself amazing, it was planted by the brazilian royals and then re-modeled by Burle Marx, one of the world's best landscape architects... if you care for that sort of thing, you can spend many an afternoon there.... and once again, there's plenty of extra "scenery". Grab that penthouse!

BS

keep us posted ..please

Rexxx, Lagoa is a highly desirable area. It is a nice neighborhood. However, one of the drawbacks is that you will have to take a cab for everything you do. If you want to get away from the hustle-bustle of Copa, I recommend Ipanema over Lagoa. Still close to all the action. You can walk to the beach, gym, ICafe, etc during the day, whereas in Lagoa you will have to get in a cab for EVERYTHING. This is something for you to consider. Just my two cents.

thanks for the insight AC, and yeah, I kinda figured as much...the reality is, I get in cabs to and from Help for safety purposes anyway, and we always cab it to termas to, so we're really only talking about being in a cab for a few minutes extra...outside of the beach, I don't tend to walk much of anywhere anyway, and with so many great clubs and restaurants in Lagoa, I'm actually thinking I could wind up doing MORE walking if I get this apartment than if we stay in either Copa or Ipa...Ipa was my first choice as you suggested, but price and lack of options has made Lagoa sound like a more intriguing option...again guys, I really appreciate the input...all you vets with an opinion on Lagoa, please post...thanks...

Rexxx,
I second most of the points made. Lagoa (and Jardim Botanico) are very nice neighborhoods. Location is the drawback. I like seeing Rio on foot; I stay in Ipanema (actually, Arpoador) and enjoy walking from there to Copa or back to the close-in parts of Lagoa. I do cabs after dark, but I wouldn't enjoy having to track down a cab every time I wanted to get something from my apartment. But if you're not the type that likes exploring the city on foot, then Lagoa is certainly a beautiful neighborhood. I would just miss the ease of stepping out my front door and being right in the action.