Rio’s Best Kept Shopping Secret
Hidden Treasure
Rue 33 Santa Clara, just off Copacabana beach, is the name and address of a multi-level 
collection of boutique-ish outlets, probably one of Rio’s best kept shopping secrets. A tour guide told us of this little treasure, and thank God she did because you would never guess it’s there. It really looks like nothing when you approach, or when you get inside, but take the elevator to the top floor and just work your way down the eight floors of fabulous shops and you will see the draw. Packed with locals, it’s pretty much a tourist free zone and the clothing is designer quality at Wal-Mart prices.
For bikini shopping, this is the best place to go. We bought twenty sequined kids bathing suits, worthy of mini glitterati, for under one hundred dollars total. My favorite things were the custom Havaianas – no two pairs alike and you won’t find them like this anywhere else on the planet.
