Rio is known for having some very nice beaches. There are two that are especially famous: Ipanema and Copacabana. These two beaches sit near each other practically touching. My hotel sat right between them both. Copa is more touristy but Ipanema seemed to be preferred by locals. Both had warm water, nice waves and beautiful sand. On my last two days the beaches were not as populated because of an approaching storm. Though I am not big on beaches, I enjoyed walking them each day.