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Rio Dolphin Inn

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  • Inn Details

    The Rio Dolphin Inn is a small but quality guest house in the nicest part of Rio, between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. We are situated in a quaint and charming vila of a dozen houses and are just blocks from the city's best beaches, restaurants, stores and bars/cafes, markets, bookstores, juice bars, banks, cinemas. Bus lines and a new subway pass right in front of the vila, so you can get anywhere and back with ease. We pride ourselves on offering personalized attention and being hospitable, clean and safe. Rio is an incredibly vibrant and spectacularly beautiful city and we enjoy sharing our knowledge with visitors. We'll steer you right and lead you to the best beaches, restaurants, stores and sites. We are small but we offer individual attention as well as modern facilities and comforts such as private bathrooms, AC and ceiling fans in each room, Wifi high speed internet access, cable TV with international channels, high quality beds and pillows and a modern kitchen. We offer free bottled water, herbal teas and coffee, chocolates and nuts, and the refrigerator is often stocked with coconut water, Brazilian ice tea (mate) and juices. Entering Rio Dolphin Inn is like stepping into the bottom of the ocean. That is if the ocean is filled with fascinating decorations and zany things from around the world. Visitors use all kinds of words to describe Rio Dolphin Inn: beach house, zen temple, funky art gallery, play pen, nature/cultural museum. We just call it home.

    Innkeeper Information

    Innkeepers Description:

    Surfing, dogs, travelling, tennis, ocean and nature; photography, writing and video

    The innkeepers speak:

    • Portuguese

    • English

    • German

    • Japanese

    • Spanish


    Number of Dogs: 2

    Features

    Type:

    Property Noted For:

    • Ocean theme

    • Surfing

    • Nature

    • Peaceful getaway

    • Romantic escape

    Amenities

    Guest Room:

    • Air conditioning

    • Ceiling fans

    • Desk

    • Fridge

    • Hairdryer

    • Internet Service

    On Site:

    • Board games

    • CD player

    • DVD Player

    • In-room internet<br />

    • Library

    • Radio

    • Satellite/Cable TV

    • TV

    • Telephone

    • VCR

    • Videos

    • Wi-Fi

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  • Little Prince Room

    Suite maximum capacity: 3

    • Beds

      1 Queen

    • Bathroom

      Private Bath

      Bathtub

      Shower

    • Nightly Rate

      (high/low season) $100/$140

    Dolphin Room

    Suite maximum capacity: 3

    • Beds

      1 Queen

    • Bathroom

      Private Bath

      Shower

    • Nightly Rate

      (high/low season) $140/$100

    Surfer's Paradise

    Suite maximum capacity: 3

    • Beds

      1 Queen

    • Bathroom

      Private Bath

      Shower

    • Nightly Rate

      (high/low season) $140/$120

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    Policy

    Reservation Policy

    • Check in: 1 pm    Check out: noon

    • Minimum stay: 3 day minimum stay, 4 day minimum for New Years, 5 day minimum for Carnival.

    • Deposit amount required: We ask for a 50% deposit to hold the reservation (payable through PayPal). The balance is to be paid in Rio.

    • Cancellations: We will refund your deposit, minus a 10% cancellation fee, until 14 days prior to the beginning of your reservation date.

    • Open all year round: Y

    General Policies

    • Smoking allowed: Limited

    • Guest pets allowed: Limited

    • Drinking allowed: Yes

    • Drinking description: Bottled water, coffee, tea, coconut water, juices

    • Drinks available: L

    • Children allowed: No children under 12; all minors are charged as adults.

    • Suitable for children: No

    • Childcare provided: No

    Discount type

    • No escorts are allowed in the rooms.
      Percent off: 0% Days required: 0

    • Higher rates apply for New Years and Carnival.
      Percent off: 0% Days required: 0

  • Breakfast

    • Serving location:

    Signature Dish

    Healthy eating and lots of chocolate
    We don't do breakfast but we stock the refrigerator and kitchen with lots of healthy goodies such as coconut water, herbal teas, cashew nuts and of course lots of chocolate. It's not that we are lazy about doing breakfast, but we are surrounded by about a dozen Brazilian juice and acai bars, cafes and breakfast-serving bistros. And while we probably spend more on our goodies than most BnBs spend on their breakfasts, we honestly think getting out in Ipanema or Copacabana is a great way to sample local delicacies, meet native Cariocas (as well as other travelers), and get into the local culture. What can beat sitting out on a street-side cafe in Ipanema and watching the locals walk by on their way to the beach while you feast on an Acai-Mango juice, pao de queijo, a latte and nutela croisant? And you can pick a different place and type of breakfast each day.

    Special meal options

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  • Location Type

    • Beachside

    • City

    • Oceanside

    • Tropical

    City

    • Rio de Janeiro

    • Directions to property:
      We are nestled in a wonderful vila, a small community of homes, on the border between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, at the corner of Rua Francisco Sa. When you come to Rio, whether it’s for a few days or a lifetime, you want to be near Copacabana or Ipanema. With Rio Dolphin Inn you get both. While most of Rio’s neighborhoods such as Santa Teresa, Lapa, Botafogo, Urca and downtown are fascinating and worthy of a visit, only Ipanema and Copacabana have it all. Rio is a huge city--12 million people—and though it is fun to visit these other neighborhoods and attractions, you really want to stay in a place that is centrally located, where there are cool neighborhoods to explore, where you can walk out at night and visit local restaurants, cafes and bars, where it’s fun to get around on foot or bike, and where—perhaps most important-- you are by the beach. In this case, you actually have your choice of four beaches within a few minutes walk from Rio Dolphin Inn: Copacabana, Ipanema, Diabo and Arpoador. What more could you want? Yet at the Rio Dolphin Inn there is more, since you have all this at your fingertips and yet your home in Rio is hidden away in a picturesque vila.

    Airport

    • RIO - Rio De Janeiro, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil 25 miles

    • Directions to property:
      It's about a 30-minute taxi ride, or a one hour+ bus ride from the airport to Ipanema/Copacabana where the Rio Dolphin Inn is located. We know reliable drivers who will do a transit from the airport to the Rio Dolphin Inn for R$80, a little more than a regular taxi, but if the taxis don't take you for a spin. We strongly recommend this, as the driver will meet you in the terminal with a sign with your name. If you need to go to an ATM, he'll take you to one in the airport before heading to the Rio Dolphin Inn. It couldn't be easier.

    Area Attractions

    • Antique Shopping

    • Beach

    • Concert venue

    • Gourmet/Fine Dining

    • Lake

    • Live Music

    • Movie Theater

    • Museum

    • National/State parks

    • Nature area

    • Ocean

    • Christ Figure

    • Carnival

    • Maracana soccer stadium

    • Surfing

    • Sugar Loaf

    • Bicycle rental

    • Bicycle riding trails

    • Bicycles

    • Billiards

    • Bird watching

    • Boating

    • Canoeing

    • Fishing

    • Golfing

    • Kayaking

    • Mountain Bike trails

    • Spectacular Sunsets

    • Surfing

    • Hang gliding, paragliding

    • Bird Watching

    • Monkey Watching

    • Sailing

    • Shopping

    • Sight-seeing

    • Swimming

    • Tennis courts

    • Tennis racket rental

    • Water sports

    • Whitewater Rafting

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    • Overall 
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    • Services 
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    Write a review

    Renovations WOW- its getting even better

    About the reviewer

    • Between 45-55 years old

    • Stays at B&Bs twice a year

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling on vacation

    • Overall 
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    This was our 2nd trip to the Blue Dolphin. Technically, it was closed for significant improvements. (Having met John, the owner, during our previous stay, we convinced him to let us stay in spite of the construction, AND the fact that he was going to be out of the country! Although John's personality and knowledge of the area played a part in our first trip's success, his absence was easily filled in by his local team. The inn is chock full of travel guides (many loaded with photos taken by the owner himself, a former Time magazine photographer and writer), restaurant recommendations, and suggestions for "off the beaten path" activities. With the assistance of the Inn manager, we went deeper into Rio than we did our first time around. We had a fascinating tour of the Favella hosted by a young man that grew up there, left, and now has returned. We took an outstanding Brazilian cooking class, and went into downtown Rio where we found the most amazing 1/4 mile of "street art" by a local artist named Selaron. The Rio Dolphin Inn is small, quaint, and packed full of character. Its not the place you want to go if you prefer a 5 star hotel, but then, you wouldn't be reading this if that's what you want. With the construction, each bedroom has its own private bath, where previously there was one community bathroom for 3 bedrooms. When the Rio Dolphin is full, they have the ability to rent out a handful of other rooms very close by in this very safe and quiet gated community. When we were there, a previous guest purchased a beach bicycle and donated it to the Inn. We borrowed the owners bike and this community bike, and had a GREAT time seeing all that Copacaban and Ipanema had to offer. A bike is absolutely the best transportation in this beautiful beach town My only regret is that we had to leave long before the construction was finished. We can't wait to see the Rio Dolphin during our NEXT visit!

    Great place, awesome host, and close to the best of what Rio has to offer.

    About the reviewer

    • Between 18-25 years old

    • Stays at B&Bs once a year

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling for a weekend getaway

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    I recently stayed at the Rio Dolphin Inn for a couple of days and had an awesome, and relaxing time. John was so helpful- giving me directions, providing recommendations, walking me around the neighbor, showing and drawing me maps. I enjoyed the coziness and eclectic feel of the guesthouse. The location is very central, within 3 blocks of the beach and in between Ipanema and Copacabana. As a single female traveler, I never felt unsafe in the neighbor around the guesthouse. When I come back to Rio in the future, I'll definitely be staying here!

    Paradise between Ipanema and Copacabana

    About the reviewer

    • Between 36-45 years old

    • Stays at B&Bs twice a year

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling on vacation

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    This cozy paradise is located right smack between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches, within easy walking distance of both, and was by far the highlight of our 6 week vacation in South America. The very personable owners, John and Nina, took us on a morning-long walking tour of the area on our first day, and were instrumental and very helpful in setting up the rest of our activities while we were there. John, who is also a very accomplished journalist, gave us fantastic advice on all things touristy and culinary, and Nina gave us great tips on what to do/see at night. The house itself is in a "villa," a small gated community about 4 blocks from the Forte de Copacabana, and is very secure. The decor is a delightful pastiche of surfer and marine-life art, with a lot of emphasis on dolphins, of course. Both rooms are comfortable and the bathroom is clean and spacious. Overall it was almost like a home-stay with very attentive friends; both John and Nina are very interesting people, delightful to talk to, and they were constantly concerned with keeping us well-informed and happy. They even went out for breakfast and to the beach with us a couple of times, and are fun to be around. The only reason I rated "dining" with 4 dots is that when we were there, which was last year, they did not have in-house cooking, but John pointed us to some great eating establishments in the neighborhood. I recommend Rio Dolphin Inn for anyone traveling to Rio de Janiero, it's our best vacation discovery in recent years!

    A great place to stay in Rio

    About the reviewer

    • Between 26-35 years old

    • Stays at B&Bs once a year

    • Typically stays in moderate lodging

    • Was travelling on vacation

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    I stayed for couple of days in this unforgettable place in Rio - cozy, beautiful (and of great location). John and Nina know everything about the city, helpful, smiley, friendly people :) great memories from the place!

    Excellent Rio location

    About the reviewer

    • 55+ years old

    • First time staying at a B&B

    • Typically stays in premium lodging

    • Was travelling on vacation

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    We had seven wonderful days at the Rio Dolphin Inn,staying in the Cosy Corner,a self contained apartment in a security controlled block right opposite also owned by hosts John and Nina. It's smallish and has limited self catering but is clean and comfortable and is only a 5 minute stroll to both Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. On our arrival,John gave us a quick walking tour of the local recommended restaurants in Ipanema which we really appreciated. The "kilo restaurants" where you pay by weight on the food you choose were great in choice and value. It can be a great help to get John or Nina to assist with arranging airport transfers and sight-seeing with their local contacts if you have limited understanding of the language! A great place to stay in Rio. Thanks! Mike and Helen,England,UK

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