If you take a seat in Opium, the airy, glass-enclosed restaurant set like a jewel in a corner of the Ipanema Plaza Hotel, your seat will practically be ringside. The non-stop show of people watching commences in the early hours and even from the tiny sushi bar, which spills out into the hotel’s lobby, your eyes can feast on the scene. The spectacle consists largely of beach goers both male and female shuffling in their Havaianas and stripped down to bikinis and Speedos, a uniform for the tanned Brazilians during summer in Rio. They make their entrances and exits from the pearly white sand famous round the world for that certain girl who likes to walk. It isn’t necessary to be tall, tan and lovely to enjoy Ipanema. Let the Cariocas (Rio natives) worry about that. But you do need a home base in the center of all the activity, a hotel that doesn’t just provide shelter from the intense heat but soothes and coddles you when you’re pooped from partying. Oh, and an icy beer and caipirinha by the largest rooftop pool will help, too. You’ve found your nirvana at the Ipanema Plaza Hotel.
The hotel is literally an oasis in Rio for it brings the charm and sophistication of the design hotels to Ipanema, until recently a neighborhood not distinguishable for eye-catching design. World class designers have carefully overseen every detail here and the result is a boutique sensibility that is modern, refined and located in the heart of Ipanema’s impressive shopping district. Did I mention it’s just 40 some yards from its stunning beach? Set in an 18 story building with bold architectural lines, the hotel feels intimate yet has 140 rooms and suites decorated in a calming palette of neutrals and accented with blonde woods and tropical furniture. Think of it as the perfect place to indulge your fantasies.
After you’ve strutted your own stuff on Posto #9 (Rio’s numerical system for identifying each beach along the Avenida Vieira Souto) head back to your rooftop terrace where you can have a relaxing sauna and massage after a workout that comes with magnificent views of all of Rio’s major landmarks: Ipanema Beach, Christ the Redeemer and the Lagoon. Order another caipirinha then into the pool! It’s almost sunset and hours before the next party starts!
At the Ipanema Plaza Hotel the frenzy of Rio is just outside Opium’s doors as soon as the last morsel of sushi disappears from your plate.
Ipanema Plaza Hotel
Rua Farme de Amoedo, 34
Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
CEP 22420-020
*The country code for Brazil is 55
Phone: (21) 3687-2000
www.ipanemaplazahotel.com