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| Rio For Partiers describes the 18 most exotic fruits and their nutritional benefits |
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| Since the frequently updated guide was first published in 2004, editor Cristiano and his hard working team have done as much as anyone to make Rio a navigable paradise for gringo singles. | ||
| Excepted with permission | ||
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Your First Day Welcome to Rio, where your heart beats faster. We’ve put together a short guide to your first day in Rio, based on the recommendations and tips offered in the Rio For Partiers travel guide, available here, around the city and in your hotel. |
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| After checking in to your room, if it’s sunny, you’ll want to get out and sit in the sun to get that “NOW I’m on vacation” feeling started. There are a dozen beaches in Rio, but the one everyone should experience on their first day is Copacabana beach, since it is always busy, famous and close. Before you go, however, there a few Brazilian rituals to perform. So get out your sandals, lather on sun protector and leave your wallet, just bring R$100 in small bills: |
1) Please: Buy
Brazilian swimwear.  If
you don’t, you’ll look just as out of fashion as Brazilians on
ski slopes. If you do, you’ll look less like a gringo (deterring beach pesky vendors) while tanning better. Your hotel will know a few shops close by (women: mid sized triangles in the back is fine, men: large side-strap speedos... just go with what’s in the shop window). |
2) Breakfast now  You’ll
be at the beach till 4pm, maybe more. If breakfast is still
available, bulk up. Otherwise, go to the nearest juice-bar (lanchonete),
and
 order
a mango juice or Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) smoothie
with a pastel de carne (beef) or queijo
(cheese). Then get a misto-quente (ham&cheese
sandwich) or an esfiha (triangle shaped closed
beef pizza). |
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3) Beach Now you can go to the beach. Walk along for a block or two looking for a crowd and spot that’s more to your 
liking. Ask the guys at beach tents for chairs and umbrella (Kah-day-rah
& ba-ha-kah), which usually go for R$3 and R$4. Tell
them your name so you can open a tab, and wave to them whenever
you want to order more drinks.
If drinking beer, remember to
drink a bottle of water between every two beers, or you’ll
dehydrate and fall asleep by 6pm in your hotel room. Don’t make
eye contact with the walking beach vendors or they’ll
persistently try to sell you something. If something does strike
your fancy, simply asking
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4) Late Lunch Sitting around doing nothing for a few hours can be grueling - it’s time to fortify yourself with a late lunch.  To
ease your stomach in to Brazilian food, we suggest one of three:
A) Comida-a-kilo (food-by-the-pound buffet): opt for any place charging over R$15/ kilo  B)
Sanduiche-de-fillet at any lanchonete (Steak-sandwich):
the cleaner the better C)
Chicken with fries/potatoes/rice at any galeto joint in
Copa (gah-lay-toe). |
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5) Massage After lunch, nothing like a stroll along Copa sidewalk, stopping for a half-hour massage at any of the masseuses sprinkled along the beach (R$30 for 1/2 hour). After sundown, time to go back to the hotel, rest, shower and get ready for the night. A Redbull before going out may help trick your body clock. To plan your day activities for the rest of the week, to know exactly where and when to go, who to contact, how much to spend and what to do to make the most of your Rio trip be sure to get a copy of Rio For Partiers.
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“What’s
this?” (Oh-key air east-o?) and “How much?” (Kwantoh
coostah?). Whatever you do, don’t eat the beach shrimp:
certain death. | Rio For Partiers won`t let bad weather ruin your vacation: | |
Rainy day option: Since it’s the first day of your well-deserved vacation after a long period at work, nothing would be more appropriate than a few hours relaxing at a spa. Maria Bonita launched their urbanspa in Ipanema, offering 23 types of massages, amongst other zen-esque style relaxation options. Av. Prudente de Morais 729, Ipanema Other rainy day ideas covered in the book: brazilian dance lessons, capoeira lessons, beauty clinics, happy-hours et
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Cloudy day ideas: You can still go to the beach and pray, or to a nearby bar and drink, or to a churrascaria and eat. You may be too tired for museums and churches. Our different but highly sensual (as in the 5 senses, not sexy) suggestion may be to go to a fruit market and try as many fruits as you can. Rio For Partiers describes the 18 most exotic fruits and their nutritional benefits. Fruit Fair Schedule:
Other cloudy day option are: secret shops, favela tours, jungle tours, rappel on sugarloaf mountain and lots more. |
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Dinner After resting and showering, and trying to trick your body clock into Brazilian time, you should be hungry enough for dinner. Since it is your first night, you can and should keep it safe while your stomach accustoms to all the changes: contemporary cuisine or seafood. |
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Zuka 
Ludmilla, head chef at Zuka, has a history of making the most photogenic plates in Rio, and what’s more, they are just as tasty. The menu covers an array of food styles, from risotto to grill to sandwiches, so everyone is bound to find something. True works of art. Bring a camera! Ask to sit by the bar... it’s more entertaining to watch the chefs. Rua Dias Ferreira 233 in Leblon (call for rsrvts 3205-7154) |
Don Camillo
Our top seafood option, Dom Camillo, is a mix of seafoods and italian, so you can’t go wrong. For under R$45 you can have lobster with risotto, served on the ouside deck facing Copacabana beach. Av. Atlantica 3056, Copacabana Rio
For Partiers selected another 10
restaurants that are indispensable |
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 NightlifeRio doesn’t sleep till it’s found enough passion so there is always something going on.
Since
you arrived today, you may be running out of energy by now... so
if you arrive here on a Sunday or Monday, slow nights, your best
bet would be to have a beer at If it’s Tuesday to Saturday and
you have the energy, be sure to check out Rio Scenarium,
the most beatiful joint this writer has ever seen, and listen
and dance to brazilian samba/chorinho/MPB. (Rua do Lavradio 22,
Lapa). |
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 Rio
has 340 bars and clubs. With RFP you’ll know the top 4 places
for each night of the week, for whatever mood you are in. The
book also lays out how to date Brazilians, maps out the
after-hour foods and late drinks, goes into the gay scene, and
 explains
the various Brazilian music styles. Detailed in Rio For
Partiers. All recommendations are updated every 6 months, so you
don’t miss out. |
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The 4 Zones to
Know in Rio De Janeiro |
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Get a good idea
of the content you'll get when you buy a copy of Rio
For Partiers. This free edition has about 20% of the content
you'll find in the paid version.
In this free edition you'll see:
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Printable
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