Archive for the 'Brasil' Category

From silver-screen stars like Fred Astaire and Brigitte Bardot to rock-stars like Mick Jagger and Madonna, holidays in Rio have always been de rigeur for the international jetset.  The grand art deco hotels of Copacabana have been home to more than their fair share of royalty, financiers, and plain old international playboys over the years.  Today, Rio is recapturing some of that glamor and once again becoming a prime international destination and we look at how you can live it up on your own.

Take a yacht tour of Guanabara Bay

You might not have your own ocean-going luxury yacht, at least not yet, but that need not stop you from enjoying the Rio skyline as if you did!  Holidays in Rio allow you lots of options for taking boat trips out into Guanabara Bay, including aboard some lovely sailing schooners, so you can relax and enjoy drinks from the bar while you feel that warm tropical breeze and the wind in the sails.  You can even stop off at some of the many islands in the bay to enjoy some snorkeling and beach time away from the hoi polloi on Copacabana beach.

Guanabara, Brasil

Make like Bardot in Buzios

To escape from the paparazzi back in France in the 1960′s, a young Brigitte Bardot took a holiday in Rio and up to the Buzios peninsula just north of the city, where she could enjoy some anonymity whilst sunning herself on the dozen or so world-class beaches that surround the small town of Armaçao de Buzios.  Her presence helped turn this small fishing village into one of the most sought after spots on the Brazilian coast, but even today it has retained its charm with small owner-run pousadas providing stylish boutique accommodation to mere mortals like you and me.

The girl from Ipanema

For many years the famous neighbourhood of Copacabana was the trendy spot for holidays in Rio, but these days the more stylish hotels, bars, and restaurants are to be found further west in Ipanema.  More laid back than Copacabana, for many Ipanema sums up what is great about Rio: on the same day you can check out the famous Hippie Market, enjoy lunch at one the city’s best restaurants, go jewellery shopping on Ipanema’s famous Diamond Row, and then finish up watching the sun set at the beach with just a can of beer or a caipirinha from a street vendor.

Take tea at the Palace

No, not that palace, although the Queen has been there!  The Copacabana Palace is the grand dame of Rio hotels, and the white art deco façade is famous throughout Brazil.  Since it first opened its doors in 1923, it has been home to royalty, film stars, and the crème de la crème of international society enjoying their holidays in Brazil.  Even if you cannot afford to stay here yourself, it is worth dropping in for afternoon tea on the terrace so that you can enjoy some of the old-world luxury which has kept the Palace at the top of the Brazil holiday tree throughout the decades.

Supper at Satyricon

If you are looking for something a little more substantial than afternoon tea, then we cannot recommend anywhere more highly than Satyricon in Ipanema.  This classic Italian seafood restaurant is where Madonna eats when she is in town, and it is also one of Ronaldo’s favorites (and that is a guy who likes to eat!).  It is certainly not the cheapest place in town, but for quality it cannot be beat, thus perhaps it is a good place to do a little star-watching on your last night in Rio so you can finish on a high note.

Dan Clarke works for Real Brazil Holidays and cannot wait to get back to Brazil and sink a few caipirinhas at the Azul Marinho while he watches the sun sinking into the ocean.

Straddling the border between Argentina and Brazil is one of the world’s greatest natural wonders: the Iguazu Falls.  The first European to discover the falls was a Conquistador named Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541.  If your Spanish is a little rusty, that’s “Mr Cow’s Head” to you, but it was not until the 19^th Century that the falls first became a tourist destination.  Even today, Iguazu is less well known than some of the other great waterfalls of the world, such as Niagara and Victoria, however the Iguazu Falls are no less impressive and attract many people every year on their Brazil holidays to marvel at their beauty, size, and ferocity.

The Iguazu Falls are made up of around 275 individual waterfalls, which combine to create 1.7 miles of waterfalls, much wider than both Niagara and Victoria. In fact, it is reported that Eleanor Roosevelt’s first words upon seeing the Iguazu Falls were “Poor Niagara.”  Oscar Wilde, of course, famously described Niagara as “the second great disappointment for American brides.”  Not that Oscar was ever really at a loss for words, but even he might have been left speechless by the sheer power of Iguazu?

Broadly speaking, the falls can be seen as being made up of two sides; the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side, both with their own individual qualities and meaning.  If you have the time to spare on your Brazil holidays, it is well worth factoring in a visit to both.  The Brazilian side is where you will get your panoramic photos of the falls and gain a real sense of the scale of them.  To get an even better sense of the scale of this natural wonder, you can embark on helicopter tours from the Brazilian side and gain a perspective of the falls that few get to experience.

Once you have taken all of the important photos, it is time to get your passport stamped and head to the Argentinian side of the falls, where you will get up close and personal with this natural beast.  On the Argentinian side, a series of walkways allow you to stroll mere metres above the cusp of the falls and watch the raging torrents disappear into the mists below. Walkways also offer you close-up access to the showpiece of the Iguazu Falls: the Devil’s Throat, where thousands of tons of water falls in on itself in one almighty roar.  The air vibrates, the noise is incredible, and you are left truly humbled by this massive display of Nature’s power.

Most people on holiday in Brazil restrict themselves to these two ways of seeing Iguazu and you certainly should not feel like you have short-changed yourself if this is all you have time for.  However, there is one more way to experience the falls, and one where you will literally get a feel for them: the Mancuco Safari.  This trip begins with a short tour through the rainforest here.  This is interesting enough, but by no means what you signed up for.  As you clear the rainforest, however, you will spot rigid-inflatable boats waiting for you and it is time to don your life jacket and grab a seat.  You will then dart upriver in these fast boats and delve into the mists of the Iguazu Falls as your skilled drivers take you right up to the point where the water crashes down from above.

A trip to experience the power and beauty of the Iguazu Falls is certainly one that will make an impression on you and is something that you will remember for the rest of your life.  So when you get back from your travels, dust off the cocktail shaker, grab that caipirinha recipe, mix, shake, pour. . .relax. . .and hear the roar!

Matt Wheeler works for Real Brazil Holidays and when he is not samba-ing away at his desk, he is planning his own Brazil get away – Rio Carnival here we come!

All good things must come to an end. Well, at least that is what “they” say.  I am not sure I necessarily believe that to be the truth, but in this case, our unforgettable honeymoon was indeed over.

Not many of my readers knew that at the end of our romantic journey throughout Brasil, my husband and I would have to say goodbye to each other for an indefinite amount of time.  Unfortunately, his visa did not get processed as quickly as we had hoped for, thus he would have to return to Argentina and I to the States.  Our last day together was heartbreakingly painful, but we both realized that we are only months away from spending the rest of our lives together, finally side by side.  For those of you that did know our situation and sent me loving words of support and encouragement, I cannot express how deep my gratitude is.

It was like the Universe knew that we needed something to help us with our sadness, because out of nowhere the sweetest dog appeared.  She was 1 of 3 that lived at La Suite and she would not leave us alone.  At one point she even followed us to our room, jumped into the bed, and snuggled underneath the covers.  I am so grateful that she came into our life when she did, as she distracted us from the inevitable and provided us with a lot of laughs and joy.

End note: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for following my most beautiful adventure to date!  I will now begin the journey all over again with even more words and pictures.

Check in: La Suite Rio

When it comes to Brasil, my husband and I agree on absolutely everything, minus 1 thing: Rio de Janeiro.  I love, love, love the city and he wants to avoid it at all costs.  Since he was born and raised in Buenos Aires, one of the largest cities in the world, when he travels the last thing he wants is to visit another large city.  In his words, “Rio de Janeiro is Buenos Aires with beaches.”  Since I wanted to spend at least a day in 1 of my favorite cities, I had to come up with a compromise.  And the perfect compromise was found with our hotel.  It is the ultimate in luxury tucked away in the outskirts of the city; the best of both worlds!  Plus, it was like they already knew me, since we were given the room with the pink Marilyn Monroe picture and matching pink orchids.

In case you are wondering, my husband did not complain that we were in Rio de Janeiro once!

As previously mentioned, Pousada Maravilha was so over-the-top fabulous, that we barely ventured out from the property.  We even had our breakfasts delivered to our room, instead of walking 100 feet to the restaurant.

Our lack of inquisitiveness made some of the other “guests” at the hotel very happy.

Soon we had about 20 new friends come to visit us every morning, not because they were interested in getting to know us better, rather they wanted our delicious leftovers.  I do not blame them!

My husband and I now more than ever want to move to Brasil and open up our own pousada.  We talked about it every day and even took notes of things we liked and disliked.  One of the things we liked, sorry loved, and will absolutely have at ours is an infinity pool.  The one at Pousada Maravilha was by far the most gorgeous I had ever seen in all of my travels.

Check in: Pousada Maravilha

Our entire honeymoon was planned around staying at this hotel.  I stumbled across it on Kiwi Collection’s website when I first started planning the trip almost a year ago and I could not get it out of mind.  I decided that we would be staying there no ifs, ands, or buts.  I must have wanted it so bad that I willed it into being, because I ended up winning 2 free nights courtesy of Kiwi Collection.  It was so perfect we barely left the grounds during our entire stay.  And I am sure, if you are reading this right now, you know that I have an insatiable curiosity to explore.

It took us over 24 miserable hours of traveling in monsoon-like weather with no sleep and colds to get to our next destination.  It was definitely a test of our marriage, which I am happy to announce we passed with flying colors!  I have to gush for a moment and share something my husband said to me.  As we were landing in Fernando de Noronha, arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world, we were in absolute awe of the view out of the airplane window.  We could barely keep our eyes open from being sleep deprived, but we did not want to miss a thing.  He whispered to me in his sexy Argentinean accent, “My breath is completely taken away.”  I responded, “Si, mine too mi amor.”  And then he grabbed my hand and looked into my eyes and said, “No, I meant you take my breath away.”

And that is how our trip to the island paradise began.

My husband and I wanted an all-beach honeymoon.  But, the colonial city of Parati called out our names ever so sweetly, thus we had to spend one day exploring her cobblestone streets.  And we are so delighted that we listened to her calls.  These are my 3 favorite photos from our jaunt to dry land:

I have a secret.  I found the most perfect deserted beach in the world!  But, I am not telling you where it is.   I am only going to show you what it looked like above water:

And under water:

I will give you one more hint.  In order to get there, you must find a kind fisherman in Picinguaba to take you to this tropical paradise on his boat.  Good luck finding this treasure of a place, it is definitely worth the hunt!