March 1, 2016 - We took the puppies to the vet for boarding around 2pm and Mom is feeling guilty about my fuzzy ones ... even with my booking the "Mastiff Suite" and VIP package. Then a final bit of packing, closing suitcases, moving suitcases, and waiting, waiting, waiting. There are three couples traveling together... The Hudson's, the Murphy's and the Macchi's, our friend Jeannette was going to be with us, but after arriving in Florida, the weekend before the cruise, she wound up in the hospital and had to cancel at the last minute. A disappointment for us all.
Three couples, three different airlines and three different departures. Our flights were close enough to the Murphy's so we shared a limo to MIA for the flights to GIG. The Hudson's were flying to ATL for an ATL/GIG on Delta. We arrived in plenty of time for the Murphy's to make their 9:30 p.m. on TAM, while ours was at 9:50 p.m. on AA. We stayed in touch via cell phone to discover that we were all delayed, Hudson's, Murphy's and Macchi's, but the Murphy's flight was ultimately canceled. They spent the night in a Miami hotel while the Macchi's and the Hudson's arrived in GIG the morning of March 2 within nine minutes of each other. We met up in baggage claim, Ms. Hudson and I secured a van to take us to the hotel with our eight pieces of luggage plus carry ons while the gentlemen found an ATM for Brazilian Reais.
We were on our way in no time, with heightened anticipation of discovering Rio.
We were all booked at the Sheraton Rio Resort, checked in to find they expected rooms to be available by 2:30, so we immediately settled in the lobby bar and ordered 4 Caiparinas... They were the most delicious I've EVER tasted. This bartender had the magic touch! After two each, a couple of dishes filled with peanuts, it was past time for lunch!
The resort located on Leblon Beach with beautiful views of Loblon and Ipanema, the pool, beach restaurants and bars scattered throughout. After an uninspiring lunch, we headed for the front desk to obtain our room keys. The hotel offered an early check-in if available; unfortunately the hotel was fully booked so check-outs took longer than anticipated so it was 2:30 p.m. before we settled in for a nice, much needed nap. We had agreed to meet at 7:00 p.m. to explore our dinner options. We settled on the newly renovated, newly opened steakhouse. It was a stunning setting, outside under the pergola, soft, gentle ocean breeze, and for us old people, just the right lighting. FYI: Caiparinas at the restaurant were not as tasty as they were in the Lobby bar. The salads were spectacular, the steak mediocre, and desert tasty. Early to bed in anticipation of a busy day seeing the sights in Rio - as if exhaustion had nothing to do with it!
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