Letters from Brazil: Copacabana Palace, the Jewel of the Most Famous Beach in the World…

My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. April, as well as the following months, will be dedicated to one unusual continent – South America, I will show you the countries that I had the opportunity to visit and I am sure that you will enjoy it and want to spend your vacation in one of the destinations. At the very beginning of this travelogue about Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel, I would like to thank the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), local ministries of tourism, national and city tourism boards, as well as other partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America. With their help, travelogues from Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo) and other countries were created, as well as numerous fashion stories that you will have the opportunity to read during this series of posts, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.

Posts from Brazil were created with the selfless help of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), EMBRATUR (National Tourism Organization of Brazil) – Visit Brasil, Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel.

Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel is one of the most luxurious historical hotels in Rio de Janeiro, which represents the real gem of the most famous beach in the world – Copacabana. It was designed by the French architect Joseph Guiret, and was opened on August 13, 1923. This hotel is owned by Belmond Limited. It has 243 rooms, of which 116 are luxury rooms and 127 suites in the main and annexes. The hotel has been declared the best hotel in South America several times, including in 2009 when it won the World Travel Award.

What is the history of this amazing hotel? The Copacabana Palace was built by Octavio Ginle and Francisco Castro Silva in the period from 1919 to 1923. year, on the initiative of President Epitasio Pessoa, who wanted Rio de Janeiro to have a large hotel to host eminent visitors attending the International Exhibition of the Centennial of Independence. The federal government granted the developers tax breaks and they received a license for the casino.

The hotel was the first large building on Copacabana beach, facing Avenida Atlantica, which had just been completed in 1919 by the engineer Paulo de Frontin. French architect Joseph Guiret drew inspiration from two famous hotels on the French Riviera: Hotel Negresco in Nice and Hotel Carlton in Cannes. The structure was built by the engineer Cesar Melo e Cunha.

The Copacabana Palace Hotel was opened on August 13, 1923, months after the exhibition closed, due to numerous delays in construction, caused by difficulties in importing Carrara marble and Bohemian crystal, as well as complex foundation works that required a special depth of fourteen meters, as well as the lack of modern technology and experience in the country for such construction. During the construction of this hotel, there were major problems with violent underwater water that destroyed Avenida Atlantica in 1922, causing damage to the lower floors of this hotel.

The opening ceremony was attended by the French singer, actress and star Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois, who was known by her stage name Mistinget. Despite having “the most beautiful legs in the world”, she is forbidden to show them at the party. Because of the delayed opening, President Arthur Bernardes tried to revoke the casino hotel license in 1924. After a 10-year legal battle, the Guinle family won the case. The hotel’s casino proved essential to the hotel’s success for decades to come.

This exceptional hotel witnessed many events, and one that is still remembered today is May 23, 1928, when President Washington Luís Pereira de Sousa was shot in this hotel by his lover, the 28-year-old Italian marquise Elvira Vichy Maurich. President Lewis was hospitalized, with what was officially shared in the media at the time due to “appendicitis”. Four days later, the young marquise was found dead. From the police report, the public could conclude that it was a suicide. A few years later, in 1934, the hotel added a swimming pool. While 4 years later, more precisely in 1938, the hotel’s “Golden Room” was officially opened, in which the French actor, cabaret singer and entertainer Maurice Chevalier performed.

In April 1946, President Eurico Gaspar Dutra banned gambling in Brazil. The casino was converted into a concert hall, and the hotel underwent a major renovation, designed by the architect Vladimir Alves de Sous, and the renovation was completed in 1949. Supervised by engineer Cesare Mello e Cunha, the renovation increased the hotel’s capacity by adding a side pergola and a rear annex.

The capital of Brazil was moved to Brasilia in 1960, and the hotel experienced an unexpected period of decline in guest visits, as more modern resort hotels overtook it in the 1970s. This hotel faced demolition in 1985, however the Copacabana Palace was declared a cultural asset, registered at the federal (IPHAN), state (INEPAC) and municipal (SEDREPAHC) levels.

Sometime later, in 1989, the Guinle family, represented by José Eduardo Guinle, sold the hotel to James Sherwood, chairman of Sea Containers, a London-based shipping company with a 42% stake in Orient Express Hotels, which took over management of the hotel. Sherwood renovated Copacabana Palace at great expense. What happened more recently is that in 2014, Orient Express Hotels changed its name to Belmond Limited and the hotel was renamed Copacabana Palace, A Belmond Hotel. Belmond was sold to luxury goods conglomerate LVMH in 2018.

I managed to find out some interesting facts, which is that the guests of the Copacabana Palace Hotel were famous people like Walt Disney, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Mansfield, Paul McCartney, Janis Joplin, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Princess Diana, Carla Bruni, Halle Berry, Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

During my stay in Rio de Janeiro I had the distinct honor and pleasure of staying in one of the Penthouse suites that have full ocean views. Everyone who is familiar with the service of the Belmond Hotel knows that their penthouse suites represent a real crown jewel in the realm of hotel luxury. During my stay of a few days, I was able to discover what the ultimate enjoyment looks like at the top of one of the most glamorous resorts in Rio de Janeiro. Each of the suites has a private terrace, and the interior of each apartment is decorated with works of art and fine French fabrics that you will enjoy at first touch. What delighted me was the large marble bathroom that has a separate bathtub and a separate shower.

What can you expect in the Penthouse Suite? What will surely meet your expectations are a king size bed, perfectly decorated marble bathrooms, a private pool and a sun terrace, the size of these apartments starts from 105 square meters and you have the service of a personal butler. Enjoy a range of luxury services when staying in these suites, including access to the exclusive sixth floor pool, VIP welcome amenities with Moët Chandon champagne, as well as daily sunset canapés and a fully stocked bar with complimentary soft drinks replenished daily.

In Copacabana Palace Belmond hotel, you can feel the real nightlife and the beauty of Copacabana cuisine. Celebrating cosmopolitan Rio, Copacabana Palace flavours immerse you in the vibrant culture of Brazil and beyond. Try authentic South American food at Pergula, or indulge in Pan-Asian delights at Michelin-starred Mee Restaurant. I decided to enjoy an Italian feast at Ristorante Cipriani, which also has Michelin stars, but I didn’t forget to add a non-alcoholic cocktail to my Brazilian adventure at the Piano Bar, and I must admit that it was an exceptional pleasure.

I have to admit that I was blown away by the depth and richness of the Northern Italian flavours of Ristorante Cipriani, which proudly holds a Michelin star since 2019, while the menu of celebrated chef Nello Cassese is an extraordinary mix of cultures.

In the next post, I will write about São Paulo, an exciting Brazilian city that many say is the city of skyscrapers. What can definitely be said about São Paulo is that it is a megapolis, the largest city in Brazil and America, the largest in the southern hemisphere. This city is the cultural, social and economic center of modern Brazil.

My dear travellers, we have come to the end of this third special travelogue from Brazil where we enjoyed the review of the Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel in the series of travelogues about Brazil where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of the UN Tourism, EMBRATUR (National Tourism Organization of Brazil) – Visit Brasil, Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel in cooperation with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of local culture and the beauty of everyday life in Rio de Janeiro. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Brazil.

A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.

It is an honour to have the opportunity to cooperate with many companies and businessmen in the tourism sector and I would like to thank once again the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and EMBRATUR (National Tourism Organization of Brazil) – Visit Brasil, Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel for this incredible adventure and for allowing me to feel the beauty of this unusual Brazilian culture in a completely different way and to feel the beauty of everyday life in Rio de Janeiro.

How did you like my story about Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel and the presentation of the Brazilian iconic jewel of the most famous beach in the world that adorns the heart of this unusual city in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Rio de Janeiro or maybe some other city in Brazil so far?

If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!

With Love from Rio de Janeiro,

Mr.M

This post is sponsored by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), EMBRATUR(National Tourism Organization of Brazil) – Visit Brasil, Copacabana Palace Belmond Hotel and other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.