Itanhangá: the oldest golf course in Rio is among the 10 best in Brazil.

by Antonella Kann

Are you into golf? Thought so. And guess what, even if you are just visiting Rio for a few days you can actually enjoy playing, as Itanhangá Golf Club, although being a private club only reserved for members, actually welcomes outside guests from selected hotels in town. You may check ahead for the reserved schedules, green fees and participating hotels on www.itanhanga.com.br

In July, Itanhangá Golf Club will be celebrating 75 years of existence, as it opened to the public in 1935 , two years after its construction began in Barra da Tijuca.

At that time, it was one of the most remote areas in town, with Ipanema as the last inhabited neighbourhood. There was no tunnel connecting any place to the Barra. And, remember, Rio was still the capital of Brazil.

Nowadays, Itanhangá´s magnificent 18 holes circuit is still preserved in an extraordinary lush green valley with plenty of trees. Players can spot araras, monkeys, toucans, flamingos and all sorts of birds along the almost 100 acres of terrain.

This golf course was considered by Exame magazine as one of the 10 best in Brazil and the high end publication Golf Digest rated it among the 100 best worldwide.

It´s 18th hole is considered to be one of the most difficult in the world, a challenge to the best players, even though the course is appropriated to anyone with a handicap 25 or less. Higher handicaps will find the course somehow harder, but worth the try.

Golf widows can enjoy the attractive clubhouse, with its restaurant, the pool and the quiet environment, only a mere half-hour from the busy Leblon and Ipanema hubs- traffic permitting, of course.

Estrada da Barra da Tijuca, 2005
Tel. 55 21 2494 2507

Livraria da Travessa, in Rio: great bookstore in Barra da Tijuca

For those of you who choose to stay in Barra da Tijuca when you go to Rio, a good spot to visit is the Livraria da Travessa. It's located in the Barra shopping mall, but the good news is that you can take an independent elevator straight to the bookstore. It also has a café.


Livraria da Travessa: BarraShopping
Av. das Américas, 4.666
tel. (21) 2430-8100

Mon - Sat from 10 am to 11 pm
Sundays from noon to 10 pm


And more Rio dining on this blog:

1. Roberta Sudbrack: the best chef in Rio?
2. Terzetto Café: great breakfast spot in Ipanema
3. The best restaurants in Rio according to the experts
4. Bráz, Carlota... São Paulo restaurants open Rio outposts
5. Where to eat bacalhau (cod): the best Portuguese restaurants
6. Le Pré-Catalan at the Sofitel: when hotel dining is done right
7. Bráz, São Paulo's best pizzeria, opens outpost in Barra da Tijuca

São Paulo's best pizzeria, Bráz, opens an outpost in Barra da Tijuca, Rio

Photos: Constance Escobar

It's an old running joke between paulistas (natives of São Paulo) that the cariocas (from Rio) don't know a thing about pizza. Like every joke, this one, too, has a little bit of truth to it. But in recent years Rio restaurants - and pizzerias - have greatly improved.

Last month the owners of São Paulo's top pizza place, the Bráz, opened a second Rio outpost, in the glitzy Barra da Tijuca district (near the famed Barraca do Pepê beach kiosk).

The place is stunning, like all other casas Bráz, in a retro way. Exclusive to the Barra branch, the Barra Speciale is a pizza made with the exquisite burrata cheese, so delicate and soft.

But... truth be told, I'll stick to the original Bráz, in the Jardim Botânico district, much closer to Ipanema and Leblon, if I ever get a craving. Barra, for me, is just a little too far on the other side of the tracks. Or tunnels, rather...

Bráz Barra – Rua Érico Veríssimo 46

Tel.: (21) 2491-9533

Tela cheia

Bráz‎ Jardim Botânico
Endereço:

Remoção solicitada ()Restauração solicitadaEditado - -

O posicionamento no mapa é aproximado

Rua Maria Angélica, 129

Como chegar

Tel.: (21) 2535-0687

And more dining in Rio on this blog:

1. Roberta Sudbrack: the best chef in Rio?
2. Terzetto Café: great breakfast spot in Ipanema
3. The best restaurants in Rio according to the experts
4. Bráz, Carlota... São Paulo restaurants open Rio outposts
5. Where to eat bacalhau (cod): the best Portuguese restaurants
6. Le Pré-Catalan at the Sofitel: when hotel dining is done right

The best hotels in Barra da Tijuca, Rio

Be warned: Barra da Tijuca, or Barra, as it's known, is quite far from the other Rio neighbourhoods like Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana and has a much different feel, glitzier and a tad commercial feeling. Some Brazilians like to call it the Miami Beach of Rio, which Barra fans find very insulting, of course. It must be said that it’s not all that pedestrian-friendly, as the beach stretches for kilometers on end. Here's a video that shows the beach well:




Here are the best hotels in Barra:


Sheraton Barra
Avenida Lúcio Costa, 3150 (Sernambetiba)
Tel. (55-21)3139-8000
It's got one of the best spas in town. To read more, click here.

Windsor Barra
Avenida Lúcio Costa, 2630 (Sernambetiba)
Tel. (55-21)2195-5000


Transamérica Flat Barra
Avenida Gastão Senges, 395
Tel. (55-21)2123-7000


hotel Barra First Class
Avenida das Américas, 7897
Tel. (55-21)2438-8800


hotel Royalty Barra
Avenida do Pepê, 690 (at Pepê beach, the best spot in Barra)
Tel. (55-21)2483-5373

Index of all the best Rio hotels, by neighbourhood

The best spa in Barra da Tijuca, Rio, is at the Sheraton

Spas are booming in Rio. Top-notch newcomers include the spas at the Copacabana Palace and Santa Teresa hotels. And now Barra da Tijuca also has a luxury spa to call its own: the Vila Spa, at the Sheraton.

Treatments include all those you'd expect at such a posh spa, like baths, massages and beauty sessions to rejuvenate skin. All done in a beautiful setting, with lots of water flowing and wood passerelles. Beauty products are by L'Occitaine.

Sheraton Barra
Av. Lúcio Costa, 3150, Barra da Tijuca
Tel. (21) 3139-8000