Lodging Review: O Veleiro Bed & Breakfast, Rio de Janeiro
I was really frightened by all of the reports of Rio being a dangerous city, so I decided to choose a bed & breakfast in the quiet, non-touristy, largely middle class neighborhood of Botafogo.
The hosts of O Veleiro, Rob (originally from Canada) and Richard (native Carioca) care a lot about safety and security: they don't even give out their address until you confirm your stay with a credit card.
The room was comfortable and had a nice view of the mountainous cityscape, and a big reason why I chose this particular room was that it was right next to the wifi hub.
The best part about O Veleiro is the advice that the hosts give out. The advice I got about personal safety I've continued to use (especially in South Africa). Every morning, Richard would sit down with me to help plan out my day with suggestions on where to go, in what order, and how. He even gave advice on what to wear, and both would stop me at the door if they saw that I still had my watch on (too tempting for thieves).
Overall, I can definitely recommend O Veleiro place for the advice and attention you can get from the hosts which was truly invaluable. But the one downside for me became the location - a main reason why I chose it! It's a good 20 minute walk up a steep hill to get to the house from the metro and bus stops, and restaurants. And you have to take the metro, bus, or taxi to get to most tourist destinations (the funicular to get to Christ the Redeemer is a 20-30 minute walk though). If you're headed to Rio, I'd recommend considering O Veleiro, and also a place in the Ipanema neighborhood, since you'd have a lot of restaurants, shopping, and nightlife at your doorstep there. And you can spontaneously go to the beach vs. planning ahead, since Rio's weather is constantly changing and unpredictable.
