Penthouse rentals in Rio.

Penthouse rentals in Rio.

El cobertura — the penthouse on the top of the building, usually with a wraparound terrace and often a pool — is the home Rio does better than almost anywhere. It's the difference between looking at the view and living on top of it. Nearly everything we rent by the night is a cobertura, from a two-bedroom with a plunge pool in Ipanema to a five-suite duplex over Copacabana beach that sleeps ten.

Nightly rates start around US$220 for the smallest and rise with size, floor, and how much of the coast the terrace holds. For longer stays we also keep a six-suite penthouse a block off Ipanema beach and a duplex on the Vidigal hillside. All of them come serviced, with the concierge on hand for the parts of the trip that happen off the roof.

What you're really renting on the top floor.

A cobertura buys three things a normal flat can't: the terrace, the quiet of the top floor, and the view. On the ones with a pool, the terrace becomes the centre of the stay — breakfast in the sun, the city below, and no lift ride to the beach when you'd rather not move. The larger duplexes split the bedrooms across two levels, which is what makes them work for a family group without anyone feeling on top of anyone else.