Janeiro Hotel

The Janeiro Hotel is a boutique hotel on Avenida Delfim Moreira, the seafront road of Leblon, with 51 rooms facing the Atlantic. It was created by Oskar Metsavaht, a fashion designer turned hotelier, and the Michelin Guide describes its style as modern and cheerful.

The design leans on natural materials, with Brazilian timber and sculptural furniture, and the Michelin Guide notes floor-to-ceiling views of sea and sky. The building rises above Leblon Beach with nothing between it and the ocean, and the guide counts its outlook among the best views in town.

The rooftop pool is the hotel's showpiece. From the water, the view lines up Christ the Redeemer, the twin peaks of Dois Irmãos and the curve of Ipanema in one sweep. The hotel also has a bar and a restaurant, and the pool is outdoors.

The Janeiro suits couples, design lovers and travellers who want a smaller, more personal hotel by the sea rather than a large resort. Leblon is one of the city's main dining neighbourhoods, so it is a good base for food-focused trips.

Within Leblon, Oro, Felipe Bronze's restaurant with two Michelin stars, is on Avenida General San Martin a block from the beach, the Leblon branch of Ocyá is on Rua Aristides Espínola and Talho Capixaba's bakery is on Avenida Ataulfo de Paiva, while Ferro e Farinha has a branch on Rua Dias Ferreira and La Bicyclette and Empório Jardim have outlets in the area.

The beach in front of the hotel continues into Ipanema at the Jardim de Alah canal, which links the sea with the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon and its 7.5-kilometre path for walking and cycling. Walk east along the sand and you pass Ipanema's lifeguard posts, including Posto 10 and Posto 9, before reaching the rocks of Arpoador, about four kilometres from Leblon, where crowds gather for the sunset. The Dois Irmãos peaks rise at the western end of the beach.

The Janeiro does not appear to publish a phone number or email on the pages checked for this listing, so book through its official channels and confirm details such as rates, room types and restaurant hours directly with the hotel.

For a comparison, the Fasano at the Arpoador end of Ipanema offers a similar combination of rooftop pool and design pedigree, with 89 rooms and a Philippe Starck interior.