P is for Playa: Exploring the Best Beach in the World…Global LEAD style

Yeah, we get it…you’ve soaked up the rays in Key West, explored the culture of Club Lavela in Panama City and maybe you even snorkeled in the Bahamas.  Fantastic, now you are ready for the best beach in the world – Ipanema.

Skeptical?  Heard this song and dance before?  Good, because as a beach expert who has scientifically tested beaches on 6 continents (the beaches of Antarctica have alluded me so far), I am here to prove it. 

Everyone knows the elements of a great beach:  soft sand, perfect weather, crystal clear water, a cool scene and of course gorgeous people.  Check, check, check, double check, CHECK! 

To start off, Ipanema is ridiculously beautiful.  The 2+ miles of gently curving beach is sandwiched between a mountain, skyscrapers and a giant rock outcropping which creates a little slice of Latin heaven.  Next we have the weather which generally moves between mild and beautiful (70 degrees) to steamy and sublime (90+ degrees). 

Hungry?  Well, if you are lazy and don’t feel like getting up, just raise your hand like a 3^rd grader and a beach vendor will come your way wielding ice cream, corn-on-the-cob, shrimp, frozen fruit juice, chilled coconut milk (inside the coconut), fresh pineapple or a million other delicacies.  Or, if feel like some proper food or some shopping, pick up your beach towel and walk 2 minutes to the numerous open-air seaside restaurants and boutiques that line the boulevard. 

As for the beautiful people, is there even a question?  This is the same legendary beach that gave birth to the string bikini and where the world descends for the biggest party in the world, Carnival, with supped-up Mardi Gras-type costumes. Finally, what other beach in the world lies in the shadow of one of the new 7 Wonders of the World? 

Case closed!

To gain an insider’s guide to all things Ipanema, check out the following website for a fun read. (http://www.ipanema.com/rio/basics/e)