In 2016, this Olympic year, my dream destination would have to be Rio de Janeiro in Brazil! This city has everything a perfect holiday destination has to offer; sun, sea, beautiful beaches along with some truly magnificent cultural sites to visit. Not only that but there are some truly amazing photo opportunities to be taken, with vibrant, colourful scenery, beautiful views and fabulous people! It would be the perfect place to visit in Summer 2016.
Check out my top 5 things to do whilst visiting Rio de Janeiro below and let me know if you have any more hidden gems!
Visit Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain. Christ the Redeemer, an icon of Rio, stands tall above the city and is best seen either from a helicopter or by making the climb up to it. It was completed in 1931 and is 30 metres in height (not including the base) and was beautifully designed in an art deco style by French sculptor, Paul Landowski. Another fantastic site to behold is Sugarloaf Mountain. Sugarloaf Mountain, stands tall opposite the Christ the Redeemer statue and is rated to be one of the top sites to see on a trip to Rio and with it’s fantastic views it’s easy to see why! Located on a peninsula out in the Atlantic Ocean it is widely known for its cable cars as a way to reach the top for the most spectacular 360 degree views over the city of Rio de Janeiro.
A visit to Rio isn’t complete without a trip to Copacabana Beach. This beautiful beach, up to 4km long, is one of the many beaches located around the coastline of Rio de Janeiro. The beaches play host to a mix of activity, from beach soccer matches to games of volleyball, through to sun worshippers and swimmers.
Carnival in Rio is like no other. One of the most famous festivals in the world, the carnival is full of the most vibrant, colourful costumes from the revellers and floats from Samba schools located in Rio. The carnival took place between February 6th and 10th in 2016 and will be taking place between 24th February and 1st March in 2017 if you want to experience it for yourself!
Brazilian food is a mixture of Portuguese, African and Amazon influenced delicacies, however something you will definitely come across is barbecued meat – and a lot of it! Want to try some Brazilian barbecue before heading there? Why not visit the fabulous Rodizio Preto (so yummy I’m off there for my birthday meal next month!) One of the few foods that you will find wherever you visit in Brazil is Feijoada, a delicious stew of black beans, sausages and pork which is truly a labour of love taking up to 24 hours to cook. It’s definitely worth it though!
Rio is home to the 2016 Olympics. Last held in London back in 2012 (has it really been 4 years?!), Rio will play host to this fantastic sporting event with everything from swimming and diving through to athletics and cycling. A trip to Barra Olympic Park is essential on a visit to Rio, located to the south of the city. The Olympics will be taking place August 5th to August 21st 2016.
Make sure you take a trip to icelolly.com to get some inspiration for your next holiday in 2016!
I nominate the following three fabulous bloggers to share their dream destinations as part of the icelolly.com competition #sendmeaway!
Let me know in the comments where your dream destination would be for 2016!
Becky at Pretty & Petit
My family and friends were absolutely amazing to me. My mum made sure I had regular outings to the sea (my family lives in Whitstable, Kent which is a wonderful place to recuperate!) and frequent visits from friends to keep me company. My cat was a loyal companion too, and spent most of the time curled up with me on the sofa as I watched endless episodes of Gossip Girl and Friends! 
Obviously I can’t have a whole summer repeated (although those additional warm sunny days would be welcome, Mr Weatherman!) but I would absolutely love to experience some of those memorable summertime moments that I missed last year. My Instagram feed was filled with Summery snaps of beaches, palm trees, beautiful sea and lots of sunshine, and to be able to get a taste of that would be absolutely amazing! 
A view from Tankerton slopes, Whitstable, Kent. July 2014
To this day I am still having regular hospital appointments for physiotherapy and my foot is on the mend slowly but surely and I am still keeping a smile on my face! I am due to have another operation on my left foot in the next year and as the condition of my foot worsens over the next six months I know I will have to go back onto crutches. I was on crutches until December 2014, but still tried to make the most of every opportunity I received including a trip to a fashion show and to a couple of concerts once I was back on my (two) feet! I have started learning to drive and I am even signed up to complete Race for Life in June 2015. It will be the first time since 2010 that I will be taking part and am so excited about raising money for Cancer Research UK. I know I will be back on two (pain free) feet eventually and I am definitely trying to make the most of every experience I can! 
If you had the opportunity to do experience something a second time round what would you like to experience? Why not enter the competition, Second Time Lucky being run by Ocean Finance? It’s open for nominations now for yourself or friends and family and it’s all about giving people something they’ve missed out on. You can visit the website by clicking here: 