Leblon Beach
Leblon Beach – a trendy beach
Sitting just west of Ipanema Beach, Leblon beach is fronted by high-class hotels as well as gourmet restaurants, sophisticated bars, shopping malls and exclusive boutiques. This beach sits in a wealthy district of upper class high rises and is more subdued and sophisticated than its neighbor, Ipanema.
Beach Goers
Because of its location in an upper class neighborhood, many of the beach visitors are from the upper class. The wealthy consider this beach their own little slice of heaven. The crowd is much quieter than Ipanema and more sophisticated. Families really enjoy this beach thanks to an area called Baixo Baby located at Posto 12. It is a very large enclosed playground for toddlers and young children. There are quite a few toys to play with as well as a baby changing station. The enclosure keeps the children safe and makes it easier for adults to keep an eye on their children. This sandy stretch is also popular with people looking to keep fit. Joggers and cyclers move up and down the beach all day working to keep their bodies in tip-top shape.
Fun Off the Beach
Some of the best shopping is located on the Rua Dias Ferreira. To rub elbows with the local artists and writers visit the bookshop Livraria Argumento. There are plenty of books in English too. Some of the best sushi can also be found on this street. On Av Afranio de Melo Franco is the Shopping Leblon mall with 200 shops, 4 cinemas and a lovely food court that looks out over the lagoon. Also there is the Rio Design Leblon, a cozy mall with lot of style with its 71 shops, Rio Design Leblon gathers la creme de la creme of Zona Sul Gastronomy. One of the most popular Thai restaurants is in Leblon. Nam Thai is located on Rua Rainha Guilhermina and reservations are required on weekends. For exceptional sushi try Manekineko on Dias Ferreira or for a more modern hip menu eat at Zuka on the same street. If you are able to spend more, don’t miss Sushi Leblon, one of the best Japanese restaurants in town.
Melt on Rua Rita Ludolf is a fun sports bar and dance club that does charge a cover nightly. Black Bar, a lounge bar located in the General San Martin Street is a new hot spot in Leblon.
Where to Stay
There are really no cheap or modestly priced hotels in Leblon as this is a very wealthy area. If you can afford it try the Hotel Marina Palace on Delfim Moreira where there is an ocean view from every room or the Sheraton on Av. Niemeyer. Located at the west end of Leblon, the Sheraton is the only hotel in the district of Zona Sul that has direct access to the beach. Other hotels not quite as close to the beach but almost as expensive include Monsieur LeBlond, Palladium, Claridge, Ritz Plaza and Leblon Inn.
Casa de Sucos Bibi
The first Bibi Sucos was opened in Leblon in the 90’s. Nowadays the store is spread all over the South Zone in more than 5 neighbourhods. Bibi Sucos only prepares drinks with real fresh fruits. In Bibi’s menu you can choose one of the 50 different kind of juices and the delicious snacks and sandwiches. It goes from basic orange juice with exotic fruits such as plum. Don’t miss going to Bibi (the most famous ones are in Leblon – Ataulfo de Paiva Avenue # 591 and Copacabana - Miguel Lemos Street # 31 ) and try a curious combination of fruits. You won’t regret it.
