We stayed at Marta's in March 2009 for five nights before starting on a South America cruise. I reviewed several hotels and B&B's trying to decide where we wanted to stay until I saw the photos of Marta's Guest House and the fabulous view of Copacabana Beach. We spent many wonderful hours on the terrace just enjoying the view and chatting with the other guests. The beds were very comfortable and the A/C worked perfectly....not always true in some hotels, etc. We will never forget our visit to Rio and most especially where we stayed. There are some stairs which would be the only drawback should you have difficulty in that regard. Bruce & Sandy, Allen, Texas,

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When in Rio one should look no further than the Rio Guest House as the best place in town to stay. Our family can not say enough about our wonderful experience with Marta and her husband John. Marta welcomes you with open arms, a glass of fresh squeezed fruit juice and an unforgettable view of Copacabana beach. You want to pinch yourself to make sure it's not a dream. You can rest assured that the photos you see on the web site are what you will experience. Not only are you surrounded by the beauty of the view, but the accommodations are first class, every thing is impeccable clean, a most comfortable bed, and a wonderful breakfast served every morning. In addition, Marta is there to help you plan your stay in Rio with great ideas on what to see and do. You leave feeling like Marta and John have been life long friends and of course wanting to plan a return visit to their gorgeous home which they share with you like you are part of their family. I can not imagine staying anywhere else! Lori, Mark, Ben and Jack Taylor Tucson, Arizona, USA

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I would thoroughly recommend this B&B. Located on floors 11 & 12 in a penthouse on Copacabana beach, Rio. Wonderful views over the beach, bay and onto Sugarloaf Mountain. The welcome from hosts Marta and John leave in no doubt as this is truly a 'Home from Home’ experience of a lifetime. The expert help and local knowledge they offer made our stay a very memorable experience, way beyond our expectations. This advice ranged from all types of restaurants, sightseeing trips, must see places and offering a Personal Tour guide named Rafael Torres Lopes who was also of superior standard. The vacation started by being met at the Airport straight off the plane by an expert guide with my name on his plaque who wafted us to Marta’s home in style. The Tropical breakfast the every morning was to die for, both in quality and variation of fruit and cooked items. The hosts and other guests sharing a large convivial dining table on the terrace over looking the beach, while tucking in and sharing previous day’s and evening’s experiences and discussing the forthcoming day’s agendas. Their friendly and inclusive nature is contagious and even the restrained guests find themselves offering advice, guidance and generally joining in with the conversations. The trips we were offered were the best I have ever experienced. The visit to the Samba school was with all that days guests along with hosts starting after midnight with a mini bus trip to the school and seeing a preview of that school’s costumes for next year’s Carnaval, most exciting, exhilarating and not to be missed. The location of the residence made easy access by either walking or taxi to all of Rio especially walking to Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, restaurants and shopping areas. All of which come with Marta and John’s expert help and guidance. I would recommend a stay here to anyone in Rio either a short stop over or more as we stayed 12 nights.

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The Rio Guesthouse is truly a paradise in Rio. From the moment you enter and see the spectacular view of Copacabana Beach, Sugarloaf and beautiful Rio from 11 floors up, it is enchanting. The decor is lovely with high quality antiques, wonderful artwork and flowers all around. The bedrooms/bathrooms are very spacious and comfortable with the most luxurious beds and gorgeous furnishings. Then you meet Marta and get the warmest welcome ever. Marta is someone you know you want to keep in your life after you meet her. She joins you for the delicious and exotic tropical breakfast each morning. After 3 days in Rio we went to Buzios for 4 days. Since our room had not been reserved for others, Marta generously let us leave most of our belongings and she did not charge for those days. When we returned we asked if we could have a dinner party at the Rio Guesthouse for our daughter’s birthday with her friends in Rio. Marta and her husband, John–a very charming Australian–were delighted with the idea. So, we cooked and Marta helped and we hosted a dinner party for 16 people at the Guesthouse, with Marta’s and John’s help. Where else could you do this? The very nice and capable housekeepers helped with the cleanup and it was the most successful and fun dinner party. When we weren’t enjoying time at The Rio Guesthouse, we were seeing all the best sights in Rio with excellent recommendations and arrangements that were made by Marta. She changed money for us, set up drivers to take us places, coordinated clean laundry, gave us a very good understanding of the best places to go and made the arrangements. The only bad part was leaving after 2 fabulous weeks. We hugged and took photos and vowed to return for a reunion with our special new friends, Marta and John, at heaven on earth – The Rio Guesthouse. Clara and Tito,Colorado,USA

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We stayed at Marta's Guest House from February 13 to 20, 2007. In a nutshell, we had a magnificent memorable and 'dream like' vacation. We had the most wonderful time and enjoyed every moment of staying in Marta's wonderful penthouse. After spending so much time traveling to a spectrum of different places around the globe, it is very rare to find a home away from home with such a warm hospitality as Marta and John furnished. The breathtaking view of the ocean and whole Copacabana beach, the incredible rich and delicious breakfasts, the in depth knowledgeable and practical advices and information created for us a unique and most vivid memory of a place and people that we are looking very much forward to meet in our next visit. Until then, we will cherish our wonderful memories for a long time. By far, we strongly recommend Martha's Guest House over any other hotel. Irit and Sam Saguy Tel Aviv, Israel

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I just wanted to tell everyone about our wonderful stay at the Rio Guest House over Carnival 2007. . Not only is it great value for your money, but it has everything a traveller looks for: 1. Superb Accommodation Facilities (spacious rooms, amazing penthouse terrace, breath taking views of Copacabana beach, delicious breakfast … and the list goes on!) 2. Great Location 3. And the best reason to stay here would be the hosts, owners Marta and John make you feel right at home. . I would highly recommend this guesthouse, as I myself can not wait to go back! . Marlene (Toronto, Canada)

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