Looking to book holiday in Brazil - Any tips?

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MrMan

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I'm still trying to book our honeymoon for late august and we have agreed on Brazil. We are interested in sightseeing, but the package trips seem very expensive and short to boot, so I have gone through ebookers.ie and found some nice deals (I hope). I'm leaning towards Buzios for 2-3 weeks, but as it is pretty much an r&r holiday spot, I'm also looking a the possibility of heading to Rio for 3 or 4 nights. It's a 100mile trip so we can take a bus or cab.
I feel like I've trawled the net to the point of exhaustion, so if anyone has any hints, tips or nuggets of wisdom please do tell as this is my bit of responsibility for the wedding and I'd like to get off to a good start!
 
We went to Brazil for 3 weeks about 10 years ago.
It was amazing.
I'm not sure how up to date my assvice is...but I always find the forums on www.lonelyplanet.com a good place to check the latest info.

Sooo we spent most of our time in Salvador de Bahia.
It is a fantastic city. Can be a little edgy...but we didn't experience ANY trouble or take any risks.

We spent 4 days I think on the island of Morro De Sao Paolo (?sp) at that time it was a fairly long 1 hr plus on a small boat...but soooo worth it.

We went hill walking with a guide in the Champada Diamantina (?Sp)
Stunning stunning stunning. We stayed in Lencois which is a real tumbleweed type town from an old american western...but how you access the mountains...a rough bus trip there...but if you are into hiking...and roughing it a bit...really really worth it.

Good Luck
 
thanks, I had been looking at tripadvisor and I couldn't think of Lonely Planet so thanks again for that, i have a couple of travel agents coming back to me with some beach/adventure type trips so hopefully something nice will come back to me.
 
Hey there
I have some knowledge of Brazil from having worked there for several months. Buzios is a very nice place, but 3 weeks there is way too long. I think 4 days would be more than plenty.

Eastwards of Rio area you should look at:
Buzios
Arraial de Cabo - this place is a small quaint town with the most stunning beaches. You should spend a few days there. It has virtually no nightlife though.... Nightlife is either back in Cano Frio or in Buzios. The beaches in Arraial de Cabo are much much better than Buzios.

North of Rio
Ouro Preto - you can get an overnight bus from Rio to Ouro Preto, about 8 hours from what I remember. This town is beautiful, up in the mountains with several old churches built by the Portuguese when they were mining gold there. Also has a really memorable stone market, where you can buy stone ornaments, statues etc

West of Rio
Ilha Grande - This is a beautiful island within a bus ride of Rio. You get the bus to Mangarativa and then a ferry across. It really is beautiful, and the beach Lopes Mendes is stunning. THere are no cars on the island and the town is quite small, but it really is beautiful.

I have been to all these places and if you manage to see them all you will have had a wonderful holiday. Although it would involve quite a bit of travelling in 3 weeks.

Rio is also amazing.... Corcovador, Sugarloaf, Ipanema beach.... try to go to Lapa too on a Friday night... a nice nightclub there is Rio Scenarium, a big tourist attraction.

THe Novo Rio bus station in RIo is very big and has buses to all the places I mentioned.
 
you should consider going to the Iguzzo (may not be the right spelling) which are on the Brazil/Argenina border. You should try and see both sides - one is as amazing as the other!!
 
Yes, do go to Iguacu. It is amazing!

Mind your belongings. An awful lot of poverty there so flashing jewellery, ipods, cameras etc is not wise. I had a gold chain ripped from my neck while walking down Copacabana.

If you take some of those overnight buses don't let your luggage out of your sight. They're fine for backpackers who don't carry much cash or valuables!

It's well worth seeing though and you'll have a fabulous time. I cant' speak for the holiday/beach areas except to say that in Rio, Ipanema is a much nice area than Copacabana.

I'm not trying to put you off but it's good to be aware of the dangers.
 
Thanks for all the replies, We are now planning on Rio for 5 or 6 nights (porto bay hotel) and then onto Buzios to chill out for 8/9 nights and back to Rio for the last couple of nights before flying back from Rio. Sounds like there is alot to see in Rio and we are looking at Buzios as a place to relax after the wedding so trying to ge the best of both worlds.
@whatsmoney, thanks for those tips I will look into them a little further before booking (which i'm hoping to do in the next week).
I have looked at going to iguazu falls, but it adds a nice bit of extra travel and expense. We plan on going to Argentina next time round if possible and might try and fit it into that trip.
 
Hey MrMan
Sounds good.
Here are the places I stayed in Buzios and Arraial de Cabo.
[broken link removed]

You can decide yourself if they are up to your standards, but i could recommend both, and both are centrally located. Marinadosanjos is a hostel but it is very very nice, with private rooms if needed. Not a dirty type hostel at all. More of an upscale place.
If you want to relax, I guess Ouro preto is a bit far to go, and Ilha Grande is the other side of Rio. I also went to Iguassu... From the Brazil side, you can do Argentina side in one day and then do Brazil side in half a day, and fly on that evening. There is an amazing bird park/sanctuary just across the road from Iguassu on the Brazil side whcih should not be missed. Its really cool, with toucans, parrots, hummingbirds etc... Anyway, good luck!
You can contact me if you have questions...
 
When eating out in touristy areas (e.g. copacabana where your hotel is), make sure to check the bill carefully. They will add extra items!
 
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