At the other side of the world sun is shining and the weather is sweet. Brazilians are now living their cheerful and happy summer and Boca do Lobo takes this opportunity to travel to Rio de Janeiro.
The “Cidade Maravilhosa” (Wonderful City) would not be the same if it weren’t for Copacabana Palace. Inaugurated in 1923, the hotel helped create the fame of the most “carioca” beach and it is a lot more than luxury and glamour: it is a compendium of memories, revealing stories and distinguished guests.
No one could image, at the beginning of the 20th century, that Copacabana, a deserted neighborhood, where not even trams would pass nearby, would turn out to be “Rio de Janeiro’s postcard and home of the most exclusive and sophisticated hotel in the country.
Epitácio Pessoa, the then President of Brazil, looked for some alliances who could afford building, on the most beautiful beach area of the Brazilian capital, what he had wished; “a unique hotel in South America”. It was in the hands of Octávio Guinle, owner of the “Palace Hotel” in Rio, and lessee of “Esplanada Hotel”, in São Paulo, that the great Copacabana Palace became reality.
Inaugurated only in 1923, one year after the centennial, because of construction problems, the majestic hotel had its architectonical project signed by French Joseph Gire, who was inspired by the facades of the hotels Negresco and Carlton of the Côte d’Azur.
Built with cement brought from Germany, Copacabana Palace was “breathing foreign air”. Octávio brought from Europe, besides the construction material and the builders, almost all the team from the gastronomic legend, Auguste Escoffier, to guarantee that its guests appreciated the best beverages and meals of the world.
Spending a day at the Copacabana Palace is not only having a night of luxury. It is breathing memories, stories and all the sophistication of tradition. Where else can one have a drink by the pool and imagine that in that water, both Janis Joplin and Lady Di had swum for hours in the wee-hours?
Where else can one enjoy the same veranda in which Brigitte Bardot posed for a photo shoot; where can one look at the balconies that hosted Madonna and heard the Rolling Stones sing?
All these stories make Copacabana Palace one of the most glamorous and special hotels of the world. If you go to Rio and stay at the Copabana Palace, it is like going to Paris and staying at the same hotel that Ernest Hemingway used to stay. A hotel that brings tradition of sophistication without losing its quality is the most sought-after hotel anywhere because it adds something really valuable.
It is a fashionable thing; it is a matter of perpetuity.
via: http://bocadolobo.com/blog/
