Rio de Janeiro - Hotels & Apartments

[Rio Bob]

Has anyone booked a apartment through www.thewonderfulcity.com? Is she reliable? She wants the deposit through Western Union which I, rightly or wrongly, associate with scams.

I know this woman Margareth very well, she is NO scam artist, she is the real deal, very professional. She lives in Copacabana behind the Marriott so if you need her or her brother they are very close by to help you.

[Jaimito Cartero]

Has anyone booked a apartment through www.thewonderfulcity.com? Is she reliable? She wants the deposit through Western Union which I, rightly or wrongly, associate with scams.

She was very pleasant to me in the emails I had with her. I know a few other people here have recommended her.

I'm still in Rio, so if you need help, PM me and I might be able to do something to help.

[Perkele]

I have to agree wit Jaimito Carteiro, its really easy to find something between $400 - $600. I lived in Rio for 2 yrs and my last apartment was in Botfogo, furnished 3 Br apt right off Rio Sul, I paid R$ 2000 /month which was just above $700. That was just a choise, but there were lots of smaller and cheaper ones available.

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[JustGotBack]

Has anyone booked a apartment through www.thewonderfulcity.com? Is she reliable? She wants the deposit through Western Union which I, rightly or wrongly, associate with scams.

[Jaimito Cartero]

Jaimito Cartero, sorry if you don't like my comments but its the truth.. Finding a nice apartment for a month in Rio for only $400US-600US is not easy.

You did not make it clear that the apartment you rented was only one that John owns and not the one he lives in... (Just as I was getting ready to chose another apartment, John called me back, and offered me his own apartment.)
MAKE IT MORE CLEAR NEXT TIME and avoid problems....

How many apartments have you looked for in Rio in the $400-$600 price range? I have, and it's not that difficult. Others have posted it's not that difficult either. Perhaps you should think through your responses a little more, before you let your fingers fly.

I stated that John's company, "mainly handle other people's properties", but that I was renting his own unit. Sorry if you didn't understand this.

One thing that people who come for one or two weeks (I don't know if this describes you or not, I can't say that I know anything about your Rio habits.) don't understand it that many rental properties are vacant as much as they are full. Sure, at Carnival they're full, but other times they're not. Most places will rent to you for a month for the same as they would charge for 2 weeks. It's less hassle for them to rent once, than 3 or 4 times, as well.

[Trippleecks]

Jaimito Cartero, sorry if you don't like my comments but its the truth.. Finding a nice apartment for a month in Rio for only $400US-600US is not easy.

You did not make it clear that the apartment you rented was only one that John owns and not the one he lives in... (Just as I was getting ready to chose another apartment, John called me back, and offered me his own apartment.)
MAKE IT MORE CLEAR NEXT TIME and avoid problems....

[Bravo]

This is not the apartment he lives in, but the one he actually owns. I don't think he's desperate.

I find your comments to be rather rude and arrogant.

I have rented apartments around the world, and especially for Latin America that is a reasonable amount for a basic apartment.

It's 4 blocks from the beach, 1 bedroom, and nothing special, overall. It does have a full kitchen, a small living room. No view. But it's not too noisy, and doesn't face the street or such.

By the way, I found about 20 or more places that were the price range I listed.

Your right about the price, you should be able to get a decent apartment in Rio for 4- 600 bucks. The agency might try to stick it to you by asking for a thousand dollars, but unless its beach front, the average monger should have no problem finding something cheaper. I paid 500 for my really nice studio for the month of October.

[JustGotBack]

I hear you about the prison mattresses in some of these apartments. They look like regular mattresses but are really about 2 inches of foam on plywood. It would be OK if they were new. But they've been slept on for decades and the 2 inches of foam have been compressed to about 1/4 inch in the middle. About as comfortable as sleeping on the floor.

[Jaimito Cartero]

John must be desperate for business to have given up his own apartment.. and for only the mid $500's US for the month. At what you were looking to spend $400-$600 US, no wonder no one was able to come up with a nice apt. for you.

This is not the apartment he lives in, but the one he actually owns. I don't think he's desperate.

I find your comments to be rather rude and arrogant.

I have rented apartments around the world, and especially for Latin America that is a reasonable amount for a basic apartment.

It's 4 blocks from the beach, 1 bedroom, and nothing special, overall. It does have a full kitchen, a small living room. No view. But it's not too noisy, and doesn't face the street or such.

By the way, I found about 20 or more places that were the price range I listed.

[Trippleecks]

John must be desperate for business to have given up his own apartment.. and for only the mid $500's US for the month. At what you were looking to spend $400-$600 US, no wonder no one was able to come up with a nice apt. for you.

[Jaimito Cartero]

I know I had a number of problems when booking my apartment for a month. First of all, I wanted something with a decent, firm bed. It also needed to be in the $400-$600 range. I saw some decent looking apartments in the $400 range (for the month), but even in the pictures, I could see they had funky little mattresses.

Many of the agents would spend time with you if you wanted to spend $50 or $80 per day on a place. This just wouldn't work for me for a month's stay. I first contacted Kenn, and I think he was in the $1000 a month range. When I asked for less expensive places, he just never responded back. I always try and book at least a couple of months out, so I don't have any problems. He emailed me two weeks before I was coming, and said, "Oh, have you found a place yet"? This was over a month after I had asked him for other places.

John Thompson (Rio Rentals 4 Less), was also recommended. I got a bit of a run around here. I had to restate what I wanted everytime I talked to them. The mainly handle other people's properties. I had called a few times, and it was always, "Oh, we'll call you tomorrow with something". Just as I was getting ready to chose another apartment, John called me back, and offered me his own apartment.

He also threw in a cell phone to use while I'm here, and promised that I would have a good bed.

I sent him a deposit (NY address) for about 1/3 of the rental price. Mid $500's for the month.

The bed wasn't right when I got there (prison mattress is how I'd describe it), but he did get me a good mattress the next day on loan, and then bought a new one a couple of days later. Other small problems fixed within a day or two of asking.

John is very personable, but you may have to be vigilant and call a few times to get what you want. Everyone in his office is pleasant, and the free internet in their office, plus the use of their Vonage for free US calls is a great perk.

Others had posted about Margareth at http://www.thewonderfulcity.com/default.asp - She was by the far the most responsive, and sent fotos quickly.

[Trippleecks]

Sorry but anyone making a decision on a Hotel or an Apartment solely based on a price is leaving themselves wide open to trouble. Anyone who has been in Copacabana can tell you just like in NYC, or any other large city, the area (location, location, location) is more important than the price. Trying to save a few dollars and winding up in a shitty area of the city can be very bad for your health… You should also consider with Hotels what they have in the way of guest policies. What if anything do they charge, are there certain times during the day that guests ARE NOT ALLOWED?

[JustGotBack]

I've been looking around for apts in Rio. They aren't as cheap as they used to be. In fact, I can stay at many hotels for less now. The thing I don't like about apts is getting stuck. Once you're booked, you're booked. If it turns out to be horrible, you can't switch. I've stayed in some pretty crappy apts in Rio that if they were hotels, I would have left in a heart beat.

I've searched on it looks like the Mar Ipenema would be a good place to stay. From the reports it seems mostly girl friendly. Anyone recently stay there?

[South Texdude]

You can stay in Copa every single time you go, and of course you could stay in Times Square in NY too, but why? Sure you're away from "the action" outside Copa, but are you really?

Barra does have thermas and easy access to Centro (and you know what;s there), and of course the escort services, but then if you'd rather stay in a 1 square mile area with the rest of the tourist, go ahead.

By the way it might do some of you some good to do something other that see the inside of the motel, Help and a therma in a shopping mall, there are other places and things to do.

Of course you can stay in the same place and complain about how all the gringos are ruining the scene and the prices. That's a little easier to do.

Boa sorte!

[Latino]

Question : Has anyone had any experience or is familiar with the following apartment rental websites (Basically looking for 2-3 BR apartment in Copa or Ipanema oceanfront/oceanview):

www.riovacationrentals.com
www.blameitonrio4travel.com
www.rentinrio.com
www.spectralight.net
www.rioapartments.com
www.EZ-RioRentals.com
www.homesinrio.com/welcome~pageId~71.htm
www.telefonema.net/
www.riorenting.com/
www.gringomanagement.com/
www.apartmentsinrio.com/
www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/south-america
www.riorentals4less.com/apartments_hotels.shtml
www.ipanema.com/hotel/a.htm#augustos_copacabana

If so, please let me know your experience (whether good or bad) and whether you got what you paid for, security was good, location was worth it (also if location was convenient to pickup girls) and if you would stay there again. And if you have others that are not mentioned feel free to respond. Thanks !

Latino (in Rio 11/9-11/21)