Belmond Copacabana Palace Review: History, Oceanfront Suites, and Rio de Janeiro
- Hotel Website: Belmond Copacabana Palace
- Location: Google Maps
- Book: Belmond Copacabana Palace
- Room: Deluxe One Bedroom Oceanfront Suite – King Size Bed, Ocean view, One Bedroom, Living Room, double Juliet balconies
- Hotel Score: Results of our review
- Large Photo Gallery: View Photo Gallery
- VIP Luxury Program: Belmond Bellini Club
Hotel Fun Fact: The Belmond Copacabana Palace opened in 1923 and is one of the oldest and most storied hotels in all of South America. Its famous pool — built in 1948 and now undergoing a major renovation for a November 2026 reopening — has hosted some of the most iconic social events in Rio’s history. The renovation currently underway is also adding a full new suite wing, transforming the pool area into an all-suite experience where every room will feature a balcony, most overlooking the famous pool.
- History you can feel in every hallway – Rich woods, restored period details, tall ceilings, and a quiet confidence in the design. This isn’t a glitzy lobby — it’s a building that knows exactly what it is and has been refining it since 1923.
- Oceanfront suite with French doors to Copacabana – Two Juliet balconies, massive French doors that open fully onto the sound of the ocean, and a room so beautiful we genuinely didn’t want to leave it. We popped the champagne and played cards with the doors open.
- Mee — Michelin-starred Pan-Asian – Let the waiter choose for you. We did exactly that and every dish was exceptional. The omakase option means you don’t have to select a single thing and the chef takes care of the rest.
- Pérgula brunch with live Brazilian music – A massive buffet of local Brazilian flavors, traditional Caipirinhas, and a group of five singers playing tambourines and drums tableside. This is the best way to arrive at the Belmond.
- Black Pool — sixth floor infinity views – A small, private infinity pool restricted to signature suites and penthouses — but accessible to us due to the main pool renovation. Greenery, panoramic views, and a bar. Genuinely worth experiencing.
- Use Blacklane for your airport transfer — they’ll meet you with a sign, handle the luggage, and bring you in a proper SUV. The Belmond also offers a bulletproof car service to and from the airports if needed. We thought that was a funny and unexpected touch.
- If flying regionally, use SDU airport — it’s under 15 minutes from Copacabana. GIG (Galeão International) can take an hour or more. We actually switched flights mid-car-ride when traffic to GIG made our original flight impossible. LATAM Airlines was accommodating but it was a stressful moment.
- The main pool is currently under renovation and will reopen in November 2026. Guests are directed to the Black Pool on the 6th floor — which turned out to be a genuinely great alternative. Small, private, infinity views.
- The hotel has a private roped-off beach area with sunbeds, curated amenities, complimentary snacks and fruit, and attentive service. Beach food and drinks are brought out to you — there’s no dedicated beach restaurant like the Fairmont’s Tropìk.
- Pérgula is the all-day restaurant — breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner all happen here. The Sunday brunch at Mee is also worth booking in advance. A third Italian restaurant is currently being renovated and opens in fall 2026.
- The lobby has multiple boutique shops — jewelry, gifts, and yes, a Rolex boutique if you’re feeling ambitious. The Belmond-branded hat and scarf Ingrid gifted us are the kind of things you’d normally buy here yourself on the small trolley.
24‑hour room service
Bar
🏖️ Beach
Golf
🏋️ Gym
House car
Meeting rooms
Outdoor pool
Restaurants
Spa
Other Local Luxury Resorts
The Luxe Atlas Rating
9.5
Design
9.8
Vibe
9.6
Romantic
10
A/C
9.4
Room
9.5
Food
10
Location
9
Fitness
10
Cleanliness
10
Wow Factor
9.68 / 10
The Luxury Travel Atlas Rating
The Pérgula Brunch — Brazilian Music, Caipirinhas, and the Best Way to Arrive at This Hotel
Pérgula is the Belmond’s all-day restaurant — breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner all happen here, split between an indoor space facing the main road and a beautiful outdoor patio facing the famous main pool. The reception lets you choose your seating preference any time you visit, and we went outside without hesitation.
The brunch itself is a massive spread of local Brazilian flavors — steak, an enormous selection of fresh fruits, local Brazilian sweets in many varieties, and a cocktail program that leans heavily into traditional Caipirinhas. We ordered those immediately, settled into our table under the umbrellas by the pool, and took in the energy of the place.
Then a group of five singers appeared — tambourines, drums, and other uniquely Brazilian instruments — and started performing tableside. Live Brazilian music, traditional cocktails, beautiful poolside setting, a plate of steak from the brunch menu. That combination of elements, on our first hours at the Belmond, set a tone that the rest of the stay lived up to completely.
We were almost done eating when Ingrid came back over to our table with our room keys. We cut lunch short to go see what she’d been putting together for us upstairs.
- If you arrive at the Belmond and your room isn’t ready — which is likely if you’re coming in the morning or early afternoon — ask to be seated at Pérgula outside by the pool. The brunch is one of the better first impressions a hotel can make, and the outdoor patio with the live music is the right version of it.
The Deluxe One Bedroom Oceanfront Suite — French Doors, Copacabana Sound, and a Room We Never Wanted to Leave
We had originally booked a Superior partial ocean view room — 27 to 31 square meters, partial beach and pool views. What we walked into was a Deluxe One Bedroom Oceanfront Suite with two Juliet balconies looking directly out at Copacabana Beach. That upgrade, arranged through our booking with Classic Travel, changed the entire experience of the stay.
Walking down the hallway to the room gave us the first real sense of the building’s age and character — tall ceilings, perfectly restored wood and décor throughout, small upgraded details that made the period feel considered rather than preserved. Opening the door to the suite felt like opening up history.
To the right as you enter is the bathroom. Not a massive bathroom — the hotel is over 100 years old, and like the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, the older architecture put the energy into the bedrooms rather than the bathrooms.
What it lacks in size it makes up for in a thoughtful detail: real luggage storage built into the bathroom, with a massive shelf that holds two large suitcases and plenty of hanging space.
That sounds minor until you’ve unpacked in a cramped hotel bathroom with nowhere to put anything. It’s a genuinely smart design solution. The bathroom itself has a large sink, a shower, and a garden tub.
Past the bathroom and into the bedroom, the room opens up completely. Two massive French doors that swing fully open onto the Juliet balconies. The sound of Copacabana Beach comes in immediately. We opened those doors within about thirty seconds of walking in and they stayed open for most of the stay.
What was waiting in the room when we arrived was incredible. On the bed: two special gifts from Ingrid — a beautiful Belmond hat and a Belmond scarf, the kind of things you’d normally have to walk down to the lobby shops to buy yourself.
On the sitting area: champagne, fruit, desserts, and multiple letters — from Ingrid, from Classic Travel, and from the hotel staff — welcoming us to our stay. And throughout the room: printed photos of us, framed and placed on the surfaces.
Some people might find that a little unusual at first, but the effect was the opposite of weird. It made the room feel like ours. Like it had been prepared specifically for us and not just reset for the next guest. It genuinely felt like home.
We popped the champagne, opened all the French doors, and played cards. That ended up being one of our favorite afternoons of the entire Rio trip — not at a restaurant, not at the beach, just in that room with the sound of Copacabana below us and a glass of champagne in hand.
The views from the Belmond were different from the Fairmont. At the Fairmont, we had a broader view of the full beach stretch and Sugarloaf Mountain clearly visible to the left. At the Belmond, Sugarloaf was slightly more obscured — but we were right in the heart of Copacabana. Center attention. The energy of the beach felt closer and more immediate from this position.
The room had everything you’d expect practically — a fridge with personal storage space available, plenty of charging spots around the room, and a speaker for playing your own music. The desk area had a large work surface if you needed it. The sitting area had a proper couch and multiple chairs around a coffee table. Two French doors connecting two balconies. We really did not want to leave.
- Request an oceanfront suite specifically with French doors to the Juliet balconies. The ability to fully open the room to the sound and energy of Copacabana Beach is the defining feature of staying at this hotel over any other on the strip. Don’t settle for partial views if the oceanfront is available.
Pérgula, Mee, and Some of the Best Food We Had in All of Rio
The food at the Belmond was genuinely some of the best we ate during our entire Rio trip. Two restaurants, both excellent, with a third Italian venue currently under renovation that opens in fall 2026. Here’s the full breakdown.
Pérgula
Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch & Dinner daily · Indoor and outdoor seating · Pool facing patio
Pérgula is the heart of the hotel’s dining experience — the place you’ll eat most of your meals here and the one that best captures the overall spirit of the Belmond. It splits between an indoor space facing the main road and an outdoor patio facing the main pool, and you can choose your preference at any visit. We ate outside by the pool every time and never considered the indoor option.
The brunch is the headline event — a massive spread of Brazilian steak, fresh fruits, local sweets, and traditional Caipirinhas, with live music appearing tableside in the form of a group of five singers playing Brazilian percussion. It’s one of the better arrival experiences a hotel can offer. Breakfast from the Bellini club package was also served here, and between the complimentary spread and the à la carte menu, we never left breakfast hungry. Full wine list, outdoor bar, pizza on the menu, and plenty of options across every meal period.
Mee
Dinner nightly · Sunday brunch · Michelin-starred Pan-Asian · Omakase available
Mee is the Belmond’s Michelin-starred Pan-Asian restaurant and one of the finest dining experiences in Rio. The menu is deep and genuinely considered — eastern flavors, fresh sushi, a grill for steaks, and a full Sunday brunch option. Our approach: we told the waiter to pick for us, and he did so enthusiastically and well.
Every dish that arrived was excellent. If making menu decisions after a full day of Copacabana sounds exhausting, the traditional Omakase option is the right call — the chef prepares the full experience and you don’t have to select a single thing. We highly recommend going at least once for dinner. The Sunday brunch is also worth planning around if your schedule allows.
Ristorante Hotel Cipriani
Currently under renovation · Re-opening fall 2026
The hotel’s third restaurant — Italian-themed — is currently being renovated and will open in fall 2026 as part of the broader hotel transformation that also includes the new pool wing and all-suite experience. We couldn’t experience it during our stay but its addition will round out the dining program significantly.
This is currently under renovations until November 2026.
- Note on the beach restaurant: The Belmond does not have a dedicated beachfront restaurant like the Fairmont’s Tropìk Beach Club. Food and drinks on the private beach area are brought out to you from the hotel. Don’t walk down to the beach expecting a separate beach dining operation — it’s table service brought to your sunbed, which is actually perfectly convenient once you know that’s how it works.
Two Pools, a Private Beach, a Two-Story Spa, and the Black Pool on the Sixth Floor
The Belmond has two pools — and during our stay, one of them was undergoing the major renovation that will result in the new all-suite pool wing opening in November 2026. That renovation actually sent us to the second pool, which turned out to be one of the better surprises of the trip.
Main Pool 🌅
- Access: Strictly reserved for registered hotel guests only.
- Current Status: While the legendary main pool area undergoes its grand reimagining, a temporary 6th-floor alternative pool option remains accessible for guests.
- Legacy: A premier celebrity hotspot since 1934, having hosted historic figures and icons from Princess Diana to modern artists
Black Pool 🌇
- Location: Situated on the 6th-floor penthouse level overlooking the Copacabana Beach.
- Access: Exclusively restricted to sixth-floor penthouse and signature suite guests.
- Atmosphere: Designed as a quiet, secluded, and sophisticated retreat surrounded by greenery, offering a stark, private contrast to the main ground-floor pool and bustling beach below.
Main Pool — Under Renovation Until Nov 2026 🌅
The famous Belmond pool, built in 1948, is currently closed for a major transformation. When it reopens in November 2026, it will be an entirely redesigned experience — a new all-suite pool wing with art deco lounge terracing, every suite featuring a balcony and most overlooking the famous pool. The new opening is going to be spectacular. Confirm status before booking if pool access is a priority.
Black Pool — 6th Floor Infinity 🌇
Normally restricted to signature suite and penthouse guests, but accessible to us during our stay due to the main pool closure. A small infinity pool surrounded by greenery and white trellises with panoramic views. Private restroom, seating along the edges, a small bar and lounge. Not a large pool — but intimate, beautifully positioned, and genuinely worth the trip up to the sixth floor for the views alone. The food from the Black Pool menu was delicious.
- The Black Pool views from the 6th floor are genuinely among the best vantage points in the entire hotel. Even if you end up spending most of your pool time at the main pool once it reopens in November 2026, make at least one trip up to the sixth floor to take in the panoramic view of the front and back of the hotel, the beach, and the mountains beyond.
Beach Service
For the beach, the Belmond maintains a private roped-off area on Copacabana Beach exclusive to guests — sunbeds, curated amenities, complimentary snacks and fruit, nautical beverages, and attentive service. The roped perimeter keeps the constant stream of beach vendors from approaching you while you’re in the hotel’s area, which is a real quality-of-life improvement over sitting in the open beach where every few minutes someone appears trying to sell you something.
Beach Service Features
- Exclusive Setup: Private sun loungers and umbrellas reserved for hotel guests.
- Dedicated Attendants: Staff on-hand to provide fresh towels, adjustments, and local refreshments like iced water.
- Location: Directly across Avenida Atlntica from the main historic hotel property.
Guest Experience & Access
- Seamless Entry: Safe and direct access right onto the sand from the hotel.
- Privacy on the Sand: A relaxed, secure buffer from the busier public sections of Copacabana Beach
Belmond Spa & Wellness
The spa and wellness center is a two-story luxury retreat with seven treatment rooms including couples options, saunas, and a relaxation area. The fitness center is connected to the spa and is large enough to run a proper workout — everything you’d expect from a hotel at this level. If you’re planning spa treatments, book them in advance.
Belmond Copacabana Palace vs. Fairmont Rio — An Honest Comparison
We stayed at both, back to back, so the comparison is direct rather than theoretical. The short version: the Fairmont is more modern and more amenity-rich with Fairmont Gold; the Belmond is more historic, more personal, and — if we’re being honest — a step up in the overall feeling of the experience.
The Fairmont has a larger pool footprint normally, the Tropìk Beach Club right on the sand, and the Gold Lounge program that transforms the stay with private breakfast and evening service. It’s an incredible property and the Gold program is genuinely worth booking. But it feels a little more modern and a little more hotel-like — which isn’t a criticism, it’s just a different energy.
The Belmond has a cult following for a reason. Everyone around you feels a little more intentional about being there. The hotel has a quiet confidence that comes from a century of being exactly what it is. The personal experience — from Ingrid to the printed photos to the handwritten notes to the live music at brunch — hit differently from the Fairmont’s polished professionalism. The Fairmont seemed a little more modern but less intimate. The Belmond is the one we’re still talking about.
If you can only do one: the Belmond. If you can do both: do both, and stay at the Fairmont first so the move to the Belmond feels like a progression rather than a step back.
Service, Concierge, and VIP Host
We’ve written about our host Ingrid throughout this review because the truth is she’s present in almost every part of the stay. She was preparing our room when we arrived. She gave us the lobby tour and walked us to brunch. She brought our keys to us at the table when the room was ready. She gifted us the Belmond hat and scarf — things we’d have had to buy ourselves from the lobby shops.
We’ve written about our host Ingrid throughout this review because the truth is she’s present in almost every part of the stay. She was preparing our room when we arrived. She gave us the lobby tour and walked us to brunch. She brought our keys to us at the table when the room was ready. She gifted us the Belmond hat and scarf — things we’d have had to buy ourselves from the lobby shops.
The printed photos of us framed in the room were her idea. The champagne and the welcome amenities arranged in coordination with Classic Travel came together because of her attention. The multiple handwritten notes — from her, from Classic Travel, from the hotel staff — were all personal and warm in a way that made clear they weren’t form letters.
And remember: none of this would have happened if Manuel at the Fairmont hadn’t picked up his phone and called her as we were walking out the door. He called his wife. His wife made our stay. That chain of human connection — from one hotel to the next, from one spouse to the other, all on behalf of guests they’d just met — is something that stays with you long after the trip is over.
At checkout, I wanted to say thank you in a way that felt equal to what she’d given us. I wrote her a handwritten letter in Portuguese — a language I cannot speak — and placed her tip inside it. It took some help to get the words right, but the effort felt necessary. She had made us feel genuinely cared for across the entire stay, and handing her a thank-you note in her own language, however imperfect, was the only response that felt appropriate.
The hotel was so sophisticated and so personal that leaving it was genuinely sad. We were grateful to catch our flight before we decided to stay another week.
Is the Belmond Copacabana Palace Worth It?
Without question.
The Belmond Copacabana Palace is the most personal luxury hotel experience we’ve had, and it earns that description not through excessive decoration or programmatic perks but through genuine human warmth from the people who work there. Ingrid alone would make it worth booking.
The combination of Ingrid, the oceanfront suite with French doors open to Copacabana, Mee at Michelin level, Pérgula brunch with live Brazilian music, the Black Pool at sunset, the printed photos in the frames, the champagne and the card games and the sound of the ocean — that’s a stay that’s very hard to replicate anywhere else in the world.
One honest note for timing: the main pool is under renovation until November 2026. The Black Pool is an excellent alternative and the beach area with the roped-off private section compensates well, but if the famous Belmond pool is a specific priority for your visit, plan accordingly.
We left the hotel sad to catch our flight. That’s the best endorsement any hotel can get!
Book the Book the Belmond Copacabana Palace
Booking through Classic Travel via The Luxury Travel Atlas unlock the Deluxe Oceanfront Suite upgrade, the champagne and welcome amenities waiting in the room, and the connection to Ingrid that made our stay so personal. Reach out before booking to make sure everything is arranged correctly — this is exactly the kind of property where the booking relationship makes a real difference.
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View Photos of the Belmond Copacabana Palace
Our larger photo gallery can be found here for the Photos: Belmond Copacabana Palace.
Frequently Asked Questions — Belmond Copacabana Palace
The main famous pool — built in 1948 — is currently under renovation and is scheduled to reopen in November 2026 as part of a major transformation that includes a new all-suite pool wing with art deco terracing and balconies overlooking the pool. During renovation, guests have access to the Black Pool on the 6th floor — a private infinity pool with panoramic views, normally restricted to signature suite guests.
Two currently open: Pérgula (all-day restaurant for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, indoor and outdoor seating, live music at weekend brunch, daily) and Mee (Michelin-starred Pan-Asian, dinner nightly, Sunday brunch, omakase available). A third Italian restaurant is under renovation and opens in fall 2026. There is no dedicated beach restaurant — food and drinks are brought out to the private beach area.
If flying regionally within Brazil, use SDU (Santos Dumont Airport) — it’s under 15 minutes from Copacabana. If flying internationally, you’ll arrive at GIG (Galeão International Airport), which can take an hour to an hour and a half depending on traffic. We recommend Blacklane for the transfer, arranged through Classic Travel — the driver meets you at baggage claim with your name on a sign and brings you in an SUV. The Belmond also offers a bulletproof car service for airport transfers if needed.
We stayed at both back to back. The Fairmont is more modern and the Fairmont Gold program is genuinely exceptional — private breakfast, shower on arrival, evening cocktail service. The Belmond is more historic, more intimate, and a step up in the personal feeling of the experience. The Belmond has a cult following that the Fairmont doesn’t. If you can only do one, choose the Belmond. If you can do both, stay at the Fairmont first and move to the Belmond second — it feels like a natural progression.
