The world has invaded Rio. For corner of privacy, you are going to have to pay a high price. For a spot on the seafront or in the mountains, an even higher one.

Inside the property designed by architect Claudio Bernardes nestles a luscious garden. The 8,000m2 green space was created by renowned Brazilian landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx.

Regardless of where in the garden you put your sun lounger, the neighbours cannot see you, nor you them. Luxurious and comfortable, the only background noise is the twittering of singing birds. The property was rented for US$ 40,000.... a day!

But privacy is a highly valued commodity: the space will be inhabited by a group of Arab magnates. The house is situated high-up in the small and affluent Joá neighbourhood, which divides the beaches of the Western and Southern zones of Rio, riding on the back of the magnificent Joatinga hillock.

Nearly 10km from there, a tranquil and leafy road leads to the Botanic Garden. Along it, there are only six houses. But if you're anybody who is anybody, these are the houses for you.

The area is imbued with a heady scent of roses. The privilege of breathing in this fragrance, and of inhaling the sweet smell of privacy, goes to the Olympic version of the ambassador for Qatar, the country that will host the World Cup in 2022.

Also renting here is the maximum authority for strategy for the Persian Gulf state: emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, son of Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, one of the richest men in the world. In 2013 Sheik Hamad abdicated from the throne in a move never before seen in the Arab world, letting his son and heir take over.

In the main mansion: sofas that seat 24 people in the lobby, seven suites and an office suspended by steel cables. It is 7,000 m2.

The view is picture perfect. At the top, Christ the Redeemer, his arms out wide to embrace the onlooker. Below, the wooden decking leads to a swimming pool whose crystalline waters look as if they are about drain away straight into the Botanic Garden.

Leonardo Schneider, the 44-year old Vice-Presidente of Secovi-Rio, the city's housing union, states that rent prices are absolutely through the roof. Prices during the Games are even outdoing those charged on for New Year's Eve, usually the most important date in Rio's calendar.

Schneider explains that since the World Cup two years ago, the number of people renting out luxury properties for Rio 2016 increased. This increase had an impact on prices, which suffered a drop of 20% in comparison with prices during the World Cup.

After talking to ten top-end letting agents, Folha discovered that the three top destinations for foreigners are São Conrado/Joá, the Leblon/Ipanema seafront and Lagoa.

In these neighbourhoods, lofty properties decorated with works of art and bespoke designer pieces, wooden façades and structures that prioritise the harmony between concrete and nature, could cost you US$ 600,000 to rent for the Olympic period.

Executives of brands like Adidas, Nike and Apple have also made it into this elite clientele. The grandiose luxury of these properties has been used to front marketing stunts for Rio 2016, with athletes posing in front of staggering views of the so-called "marvellous city".

Translated by GILLIAN SOPHIE HARRIS

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	Diego Padgurschi/Folhapress
	Since the World Cup, the number of people renting out luxury properties for Rio 2016 increased