The villa from the pool deck — glass pavilion, mosaic pool, mountain behind.

São Conrado · Rio de Janeiro

A villa above the beach.

Five suites. Pedra da Gávea behind. The Atlantic in front.
From USD $4,000 / night, reserved direct.

— ADV004

Five suites. The mountain behind. The Atlantic below.

A 900-square-meter villa on the slopes above São Conrado Beach, in a private gated estate cut into the hillside under Pedra da Gávea. Four suites face the ocean; a fifth bedroom sleeps the rest of the party. One pool, one long view, one of the few houses in Rio with the mountain and the Atlantic in the same frame.

Infinity pool with Pedra da Gávea rising behind the glass pavilion.

01 — The setting

Set against Pedra da Gávea.

The villa sits inside a private, gated estate on the slopes above São Conrado Beach, hidden in the Atlantic forest. From the pool deck the cliff face of Pedra da Gávea rises directly behind the house; the Atlantic opens out in front. Nine hundred square meters of glass, steel, and stone on a single elevated platform.

The mosaic infinity pool seen lengthways across the pool deck.

02 — The pool

A patterned mosaic, edge-to-edge.

A long blue-and-black mosaic pool runs the full width of the deck, tiled in a custom pattern that catches the afternoon sun. Pergola at one end, sun deck at the other, ocean at the edge. Built for ten guests with room to spread out.

Open-plan living pavilion with custom Brazilian chairs and large-scale art.

03 — The pavilion

Glass walls that retract on three sides.

Living, dining, kitchen and a media room sit under a single steel-and-glass roof. The walls slide back so on most afternoons the house is open on three sides — pool deck to the front, garden to the back, ocean breeze straight through.

Long polished blackwood dining table for twelve, large-scale art on the walls.

04 — The table

Twelve seats under a shade canopy.

A long blackwood table sits at the heart of the pavilion under a woven shade ceiling, framed by large-scale Brazilian art. Set for twelve, used most often by ten — long lunches, slow dinners, the breeze moving through.

Pergola framing the Atlantic horizon over the infinity pool edge.

05 — The terrace

Pergola, ocean, far horizon.

A covered terrace sits poolside under woven shade — sofas, low tables, an umbrella over the deck and the Atlantic running out uninterrupted in front. This is the corner everyone ends up in by mid-afternoon, glass in hand.

Master suite with carved-wood headboard and paired pendant lamps.

06 — The master

Five suites. Four face the ocean.

Five bedrooms with six full baths. The master suite opens onto the ocean and the pool; three of the remaining four also face the water. Beds are king or super-king, custom-built. Linens are crisp; the air conditioning is always on the right setting.

Outdoor shower walled in slab-cut green marble, jungle beyond the glass.

07 — The bath

Stone tubs and an outdoor shower.

Bathrooms are full-sized and full-feature: stone-clad tubs, twin vanities, walk-in rains. The master gets a green-marble outdoor shower with the rainforest pressing right up against the glass.

Entrance foyer with wood pivot door, slatted screen, and woven shade canopy.

08 — The arrival

A wood-and-stone entrance.

You arrive through a pivot door into a covered foyer — wood screen, polished concrete floor, woven ceiling overhead. The design vocabulary of the whole house is set in this one room: Brazilian hardwood, raw stone, light through fabric.

Aerial view of the villa platform set into the green hillside under Pedra da Gávea.

09 — From above

The house, tucked into the cliff.

Seen from the air, the villa reads as a long single platform set into the hillside under Pedra da Gávea, surrounded on three sides by Atlantic forest. The neighbours are far enough away to be invisible. The mountain is closer than they are.

Reserve direct

Charlie holds the calendar.

Speak to Charlie at Art de Vivre for rates, availability, and the in-stay extras — chef, driver, boat days, guided hikes. No third-party fees.