YOU know that feeling when you see a place on TV, and wish it was real?
Well I’ve found a city that feels just like the movies, and lives up to it – and you can fly there directly from the UK.
When you say Rio, you think carnivals, you think parties, hot weather (it hits 40C from December to March) and amazing food.
When it comes to the movies, there’s the James Bond Moonraker film which sees Bond go up the famous Sugarloaf Mountain, while the honeymoon scenes in Twilight were also filmed in the city.
Even some of the Godzilla and Fast & Furious movies were filmed there.
And the city is having a moment with Brits, according to the Brazilian Tourism Authority.
Nearly 50,000 UK visitors were recorded in January and February this year – its best first two-month period on record.
Getting there is easy too – Rio de Janeiro has direct daily flights from London with British Airways, taking just over 11 hours.
They arrive in the morning making it the perfect time to watch that bright pink sunrise over the mountains.
But when it comes to beaches, Rio is unmatched.
The two most famous are Copacabana (famous from THAT Barry Manilow song) and Ipanema.
These aren’t just any beaches though, and how to spend a day on them is a lesson to be learned.
First, head to one of the many beach shacks and buy some seats and an umbrella for the day, often under £5 for them both.
Then you settle in, as you won’t need to get up for the rest of the day thanks to the roaming beach sellers.
There’s men selling Caipirinha cocktails and ‘mate’ (iced tea) from large silver vats on their shoulders for as little as 15 reais (£2.22).
Snacks come in the form of crisp-like Biscoito Globo, made from cassava starch and in either savory or sweet but weirdly moreish.
Corn on the cob, frozen acai, grilled cheese – you won’t go hungry from your beach chair.
Need a new bikini or beach towel? You can even get them too, with sellers having huge sticks with their wares and even mirrors attached for you to try on in front of.
Away from the beaches is the Santa Theresa neighborhood, nicknamed Little Lisbon for its yellow tram and fun art shops.
I recommend heading to Cultivar for breakfast, ordering acai and d ‘pão de queijo’ (a cheesy bread) before getting coffee at at Cafe do Armazem, filled with local art.
Souvenirs are a must too, best found at Lola Patua for handcrafted ceramics and prints, or Favela Hype for brightly patterned clothing.
Otherwise for where to spend the evening, Botafogo is where you will join the locals.
There’s pizza and sushi restaurants galore, along with so many wine bars that you could spend days hopping between them and still not do them all.
Boteco Treme Treme is a more classy wine bar, where you’lll see couples and friends sharing a bottle, or you can grab a local wine while sitting in a woven chair on the streets at Tao Longe, Tao Perto.
End with a big juicy pizza at Officina to soak it all up too…
And that’s before doing all of the tourist traps which even I admit are worth doing.
There’s the cable cars to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, a trip to see the Wonder of the World, Christ the Redeemer, or filling your suitcase with cheap Havaiana flip flops.
You’ll come back well fed, full of alcohol, and shopped out – what makes for a better trip abroad?