From grand hotels on Copacabana to intimate retreats in Santa Teresa, these stays capture Rio’s singular mix of beach life, Brazilian design, and warm hospitality.

Courtesy Fasano / Daniel Pinheiro

“I live where you vacation” takes on a whole other meaning when, like me, you're based in Rio de Janeiro . I live smack in the middle of South America ’s two hottest beaches—Copacabana and Ipanema—but it’s not the ocean that keeps me in Brazil's buzziest city. It’s the life that happens around it. It’s the sound of the first coconuts being cut open on the beach in the early morning, the sight of barefoot surfers passing beneath my window, and the honey-like melody of bossa nova flowing from a nearby beach kiosk. Not everyone can live here, of course. But luckily, the best hotels in Rio de Janeiro give you a good taste of what it feels like to be a local in Brazil’s most exciting metropolis.

Over the past six years, I’ve come to appreciate how each neighborhood lets you experience the city differently.…