This is a six-star accommodation. Yes, I really mean 6 stars, not 5 stars.
It will sound like an exaggeration, but there is literally no better penthouse in Ipanema / Leblon / Lagoa. Even if you’ve lived in Rio for 20 years, you’ve never seen a penthouse like this. The location and views are unreal: you see the Cristo, the Lagoa, the sunrise over Sugarloaf, and the sunset behind the Two Brothers mountains. The wraparound terrace and upper deck have a pool and plenty of room for stargazing. At dawn during the summer, fog rises from the ocean and wraps the lower floors in fog … you look like you’re floating 30 floors up in a dream of clouds.
Each day, you can request the lovely cleaning lady Margarida to stop by and help tidy the apartment. She has strong grandma energy … and if you tip her a little she will even help with laundry or other personal tasks.
Eric provides a concierge on the ground (Victor) who will help you set up the perfect yacht day, private catered dinner, in-house massages, Mercedes Sprinter vans to take you everywhere … it’s Euro-level elite service. You get to do everything with Victor on your sown schedule and coordinate over WhatsApp. I got a lot of credit from my housemates because of Victor’s work — they assumed I was a better travel guide than I am, because Victor only presents you with the highest quality options to pick from.
The Internet is good enough to let ~7 people share and browse and stream. The kitchen is complete enough to host a private catered chef. The rooms have big king beds so they’re great for couples or trios. They’re also all roughly equal size, so you don’t have to be awkward about who gets which room. The interior design is top-notch: as you see from the photos, it literally is award-winning.
If you made it this far, and you’re still not convinced … friend, you are missing one of the best possible experiences. I have stayed in the most expensive Bora Bora hotels, I have rented villas in every major city of the Americas. This is the crown jewel of Rio, and it breaks my heart to tell you … to be honest. I wish I could keep it all to myself and tell no one. When you find a place like this, you pray it stays secret, and stays the same … forever.