As we arrived at the outskirts of Rio by car from Buzios, a little jewel of a seaside town further East along the coast, the Sunday/Mother’s Day traffic slowed down our 2-hour car journey by another full hour.

Several wrong turns later, we arrived in front of the Hotel Fasano on the Avenida Vieira Souto  We knew that we were in for something special. The Fasano is the first hotel in the world that witty French visionary, Philippe Starck has designed from scratch, right down to the uniforms, and the design twists hit you immediately - from the cool graphics of the alternating black and white tiles in the courtyard to the moulded, organically shaped striped chairs and round ottomans in the public spaces.

We were met at reception by two gorgeous, warm Brazilian front desk women. The front desk- is in fact a twelve-foot long pekia tree trunk. Nothing in Starck’s world is ordinary. I am beginning to see a pattern at hip, boutique Hotels around the world, particularly in South America. Forget haughty managers and bellboys in pillbox hats. The front desk is always staffed by attractive, contemporary 20-somethings, which includes the concierge!

I had booked an ocean view room (US$700), somewhere between an entry room and a suite. I (graciously) take the default position and ask the personable young Beatrice at reception if there is any chance of upgrading to a suite, as we have been constantly travelling. She said ‘give me a minute’ and we played it down by asking about restaurants and other points of interest… In the end the manager did agree to upgrade us to a top suite as a complimentary gesture.

Sheira said...when Jonathan said we were going to Rio, I knew the beach culture, street life and energy was right up his alley. I was not sure what to expect myself ? FAST FORWARD...I AM SO HAPPY WE WENT, THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF MY (OUR) FAVOURITE CITIES IN THE WORLD.

I will cut to the chase, and say...I loved the FASANO hotel so much that the thought of moving to the COPACABANA PALACE a few days later was just not what I wanted. Jonathan agreed, and with that, we canceled our move there.

POOL POSITION...

 If it’s high voltage socializing you’re after, The Fasano rooftop pool not only has staggering, rock star views over Ipanema Beach; it also acts like a birdfeeder for Rio’s models, media hot shots and assorted beautiful people - and hipster international guests swinging through.

Warning attached: at night, non-guests will only get in if they look like they could frolic with local supermodels, so bring your A game. 


Sheira said... I felt magnetically drawn back to the rooftop. At the end of the afternoons we drifted back to the pool to enjoy the bar scene and watch the sunset light up the beach, which is truly majestic and changes every day, as cloud formations drift in from the ocean or behind the mountains. I advise beating the late afternoon traffic and heading back by 5pm. 


If it’s warm, which is most of the year, you can get into a bathing costume and enjoy a sunset drink with other guests enjoying this amazing scene. I must confess, on a few afternoons, when it clouded over and got cool, I confess to taking things too personally, and actually thinking ‘Why is God doing this to me?’  But in Rio, my irrational rantings soon pass because at the end of the day, you can hop in the shower and head downtown for a jolt of Brazilian atmosphere just outside on the streets. I love the novelty of shopping also at night, passing bars and restaurants that are hopping with locals with an infectiously upbeat attitude.