I have been to rio 3 times and I just returned from 3 weeks of heaven. I am writing this report because this board has helped me so much on my first trip ever back in february, that i wanted to give something back to any newbie thinking about rio, and also to give my perspective on the city, plus some up to date info. Also i will give you simply the facts,tell you how it really is without the icing on top. i will give you my opinion on some things and let you decide whats best for you. every person looks at this world through different eyes and whatever floats your boat then keep sailing those waters. This idea of perfect 10's and so on is so subjective. yes we can all look at an obvious beautiful woman and say she is a 9 or 10 but when it comes to interaction a perfect 10 for you maybe a 5 for someone else. As long as you are having the best fucking time of your life then thats all that matters.

With that said i want to warn any newbie who is stirring in their head thoughts of visiting rio one day. unless you have intentions of returning and the money to go again,DONT GO. it will haunt you from the minute some garota is packing your clothes for you to leave for the airport.(for some reason they teach them this in garota school)trust me we all feel the same way thats why we have a board to read about everyone else's trip. first for information, second to give us our fix until we can get time off work or money to go experience paradise again for ourseleves.If you are ready for all this newbie then get out your pen and paper.

My first trip in february was 2 weeks before carnival and let me tell you if you want to go to rio for the first time go before carnival in february. Completely packed with as many women as you can handle and less $ than carnival time. trust me dont go during carnival. all the girls just want to make the most money they can in those days, service you and get out to service someone else. harder to find gfe during this time. save it for you 5th or 6th trip.
well let me give you some info on lodging since it seems to always be debated hotels or apartments, which hotel etc. In february i stayed at the sheraton, the only hotel on the beach. it is far from HELP + some termas relatively speaking but still only about a 10-12 minute cab ride. the nice things about the sheraton is that they offer free shuttle service about every 1/2 hour (during summer months)for several stops along the way from leblon,impanema,copacabana, and about 30 minutes later the famous rio sul shopping center.the last shuttle is around 9 or 10 so i never paid for a cab only to return at night with my chica. cost me about 8-10 reals to get home. the reason i liked the sheraton so much is that it has that resort feeling. all the girls you meet get wowed when you say you are staying there so it helps with your chica experience as well. i met many girls who i did for free because they wanted to hang out with my friend and i at the pool allday. they are guest friendly but only 1 girl per room and 1 guy. those are their rules. to be honest i dont think the sheraton deserves 5 stars but for rio its the best resort style-full service hotel in my opinion.i guess because its all by itself no other hotels nearby,etc. so again if you want to hang out with a girl and spend some gf time with beautiful girls then its great, if you want to go to as many termas as you can then its not the most centrally located. Bobby from blame it on rio told me he stayed at the sheraton for months when he first came to rio.

Second trip (1 month later) what did i tell you. i stayed at the princess copacabana before it got so famous. i love this place. very modern, brand new rooms, nice decor. i wasnt that impressed with the pool area not very cozy but hey the beach is 2 blocks away. I would say if you are going to stay at a hotel style place this is the number 1 place. no problem with bringing girls and if you are going to spend some time in the rooms during the day with your chica they are very cozy, you can even have her cook for you.

third trip started august 27 until 2 days ago.
If you are staying longer than 1 week it can get extremely expensive at hotels. so i decided to research apartments. i spent about 1 week on the internet researching etc. i stayed at a beautiful 1 bedroom on the beach, atlantica and bolivar. 2 short blocks from Help. it was above the famous don camillo restaurant. this place was completely redone, modern kitchen + bath walk in closet, tv vcr, cd player. 390 usd the week so pretty cheap comparibly.and so convenient for me since i was at help almost every night.

so the choice on lodging is up to you the one thing i would say is do not stay at a dump while in rio(hotel or apt) sometimes you want to chill at home and it is not nice to feel like you are at a roach motel back home in the states. plus i got to tell you if you stay in a nicer place apartment or hotel the chicks will subconsciously want to stay with you longer and you will have better negotiating right for prices as well. think about if it was you working,would you rather fuck a girl staying at the W hotel in ny or the $40 a night fuck motel. enough said.

Safety is always talked about in rio, first i always take a cab home from help, meterd cabs are always driving by so flag one down, dont listen to any of those vultures offering anything. a metered cab to anywhere is copacabana is between $1-2 dollars. i think my life is worth that even if probably nothing would happen if i walked 5 blocks i also wanted to get to my casa with my chica as fast as possible. so other than that i walked around most places, i often walked to help at around 11:00 no problem plenty of people, just always be aware of people around you. the area around posto 1+2 thats where barbaraella and sensoo, and franks are, i would cab it around if i was alone. again just not worth the 1-2 $ to find out.

I will give you a little taste of the chicas before i go ,i will give more info in part 2 but out of the 3 times i have been to rio the summer months definately have more girls. and the girls come from all over brazil so you will find plenty to your liking, dark skinned, light skinned, very skinny, booty girls, blonds, etc. but even though september was slower there were no guys there either. no matter when you go to help there is always a girl to find and just to let you know about my taste i like them young 18-21, beautiful skinny, good attitudes, mostly girls just doing it on the side. i dont like the seasoned pros. unfortunately Help about 95%are disgusting but that leaves about 10-30 girls on any night to find, its like hunting it would be no fun without the chase, and everytime you catch someting you want something better the next time.
happy hunting gentlemen..........

Lgjg; Wish I had read yur second paragraph BEFORE I went to Rio in March of 03. I used to think that going down to TJ and hitting a good MP was a great thing to do, but now after 6 months, any time I go down to TJ it's nothing but a waste of money after a 4X4 session.

How did you find the 1 bedroom apt?

I usually stay at 8 Rua Miguel Lemos, but I would like to find something a little more upscale

Thanks for the report, very well done!