I stayed here for one night...then some people offered their couch for a few nights.

COPA HOSTEL
Av. Nossa Sra. de Copacabana, 1077 - Copacabana
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
22060-002
Brazil

Copa Hostel | O melhor hostel do Rio de Janeiro!

It was more expensive than hostels in other cities and countries, but it very close to Copacabana beach and pretty hip as hostels go. Check out the rooftop pool and ground floor club. The owner of the corner fruit smoothie shop helped negotiate with the doorman of a nearby apartment building where I paid a bit much of overnight parking. My experience is that most hostels in downtown settings don't have parking, because they cater to backpackers. But where there is a will, there is always a way.

I took my BMW to the dealer to investigate a clicking sound.

Autokraft (Barra da Tijuca)
Av. das Américas, 1690
Rio de Janeiro – RJ 22640-101
Tel: (021) 3139-9000
Fax: (021) 3139-9009
vendas@autokraft-bmw.com.br

After three days the diagnosis came in, the clicking sound is normal, no charge. I hung out in Rio waiting for them to look at the bike and they stored the bike at no cost, which was the upside of the story. The downside, long bus ride to and from the suburban dealership location. There is a BMW shop in the center, but they don't service bikes. I didn't believe the explanation for the clicking sound. After a spin down the block in Sao Paulo, a dealer mechanic determined it was a chipped tooth on the front chain gear...

As usual, a long rambling story. The take away:
(1) pay a little extra to stay near the beach (its Rio de Janeiro!)
(2) be creative and ask around for parking and expect to pay a little extra or get your bike serviced (its Rio de Janeiro!)

__________________
Peter B
2008/09 - NJ to Costa Rica and back to NJ
2012/13 - NJ to Northern Argentina, Jamaica, Cuba and back to NJ
2023 - Peru, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia...back to Peru.

Blogs: Peter's Ride