Buzios And Rio

[DontMindMe]

In a couple days I'm going to Buzios (four full days) and Rio (nine full days) for my honeymoon! I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for these places. In Buzios, which beaches did you like the most? Were there any you would skip if you could go back and do it again? Recommendations for places to eat/drink are also appreciated.

In Rio, did you do anything cool that was of the beaten path? We have a fair amount of time there, so in addition to Rio's greatest hits, I'd like to do some exploring. We're staying in Ipanema. Another question--Has anyone done a favela tour? I'm on the fence about doing this one. A lot of companies seem to be just poverty safaris (riding around in SUVs taking pictures through the window and disturbing residents, gross), but this one actually seems different and has good reviews. I am also looking for a recommendation for a fairly priced rodizio to have the Brazilian steakhouse experience.

Our budget is a step or two above backpacker and since I'm recovering from a back injury, extreme sports or anything similar are out. No hang gliding or surfing for me, sniff. Thanks!

 

[thorsten]

I went to Buzios and Rio in January (1 week each location) with my girlfriend. If the budget allows it, I'd highly recommend staying at Villa Balthazar (http://www.villabalthazar.com.br/) in Buzios. It's a perfect place for a honeymoon. Nice designed rooms, great hosts (including the little Chloe), awesome breakfast, top location, ... I can't list all the things that make this place special.
If you look up the location in Google Maps, the beach at the Villa is also the one I liked most. It's quiet, large with nice sand and not too many waves. From the other beaches, tartaruga was also nice, but pretty crowded, Praia Brava is stony and with wild waves (although the restaurant there was pretty good) and Joao Fernandes I'd avoid at all cost - except you really like dirty budget restaurants and sharing a square meter of sand with 20 Argentines...
Unfortunately I don't remember all the names of the restaurants, but they were also not in the budget category (except the crepe restaurant which you'll see anyway - not bad either).
In Rio we stayed in Ipanema too. We haven't done a favela tour, just drove by with a car, but my Brazilian friend said it's safe to go in during the day "but I still wouldn't do it"... Restaurants there I remember were Marius Mariscos (see food rodizio of very good quality) at Copacabana, Olympe (fine dining), and CT Boucherie (kind of Rodizio, but you order a piece of meet and they come and bring different sides over and over again). There are also places at the lake which is pretty nice to spend the afternoon with a couple of cocktails.

 

[johnw100]

We did a favela tour last year, I only went because the wife wanted to see it but I wasnt keen. I guess it was interesting but it wasnt anything that I didnt know already about the favelas. They said that half the profits of the tour went to the favela schooling,etc so I thought it was worthwile for that if nothing else. Still makes me feel uneasy how some of the tourists are just snapping away on their cameras at anything and everything. But it does give you a first hand insight of the scale of the favelas and the problems the people face. Still felt voyeuristic to me.

We enjoyed Rio, think its one of my favourite cities now, did the usual places but thought the Jardin Botanico, was well worth a visit. Nice and quiet and some beautiful gardens there away from the busy city, albiet it right in the middle of it all. Also when eating out , dont be drawn into the overpriced tourist trap restaurants around Ipanema. We went to a couple of "authentic" Brazilian restaurants with good reviews and they were terrible. Shouldve know better when most of the reviews were by English speakers. We found some really nice cafes and restaurants not on any tripadvisor board whilst walking around, they were much cheaper and really tasty food.

 

[camberiu]

This is what a tourist trap looks like in Buzios. Avoid like the plague.

 

[Matt84]

Have you been to (Arraial do) Cabo Frio?

 

[thorsten]

They chose the correct name The water is significantly colder than in Buzios. I have only been there on a day trip and even though it's a nice place in general, but the cold water and the sheer amount of tourists (it gets *really* crowded) make it such that I wouldn't put it on the must-see list. Maybe it's nicer in the off-season or in the early morning/late afternoon.

 

[Matt84]

Really? I went there in October, a few years back, and the water was a lot warmer than in Buzios, in fact those lagoons between Cabo Frio and the Island are some of the warmest and most colorful waters I've ever snorkelled in, more so than the Caribbean.
The tourist boats are really hellish but at least you can snorkel out of them and, when I was there, it was very very nice. Always wanted to hear about other experiences in Cabo Frio.
Regards

 

[DontMindMe]

Some thoughts, after our trip:

One thing no one mentioned is that the water in Buzios is freaking freezing. It does vary from beach to beach a bit, but overall, it's cold as hell. My husband didn't even get in the water half the time. I did, and at most beaches it gave me goosebumps and I couldn't make myself get in past my waist. But he grew up with the Caribbean and I grew up with the Gulf of Mexico, so those warmer waters are our standard for what's comfortable. I think what contributed to this sensation was that since it was spring, we were never so hot that we were dying to jump in the water. But overall, it was a really nice time of year to be there, because the beaches weren't packed but there were enough people that it didn't feel deserted either, and for walking around it was pleasantly warm, but not too hot. I generally dislike beach destinations during their high seasons, so I would highly recommend Buzios in mid-late October. We stayed at a pousada in the centro, and I liked being there because we could walk around all the restaurants, bars and stores at night and be where the action was. We were also able to walk to quite a few of the beaches we went to. Had we stayed somewhere directly on one of the beaches, I doubt we would have gone to as many beaches as we did. We didn't do any excursions or take any boat trips, and I don't regret that at all. Here are most of the beaches we went to:

Praia dos Ossos: We came here by accident looking for a different beach. It's nice and quiet and small, with a bunch of boats anchored. I liked it.
Praia de João Fernandes: I agree with thorsten. It was fine, but the most crowded beach we saw, and it's got a bunch of Argentines running things so the service was not great. The beach is also sort of steep and there isn't that much actual sand space. I wouldn't go back.
Praia da Tartuga: This beach had the least cold water of any of them. I liked it a lot and would go back.
Praia da Ferradura, Praia Ferradurinha and Praia de Geribá: My favorites

​Rio is now one of my all-time favorite cities. I just adored it. I thought I might be beached out after Buzios, but at Ipanema and Copacabana I just had to pinch myself because I couldn't believe I was really there. Going to the beach in Rio is really something else. We also enjoyed the botanical garden, Corcovado/Cristo Redentor, Pão de Açúcar, the Escadaria Selarón, Santa Teresa, Rio Scenarium (samba club) and Maracanã stadium. We did end up doing the favela tour I linked to and liked it a lot, although it is a bit amusing how the guides try to paint a picture that is so positive, and then someone will ask a question about the vaccine clinics and they'll mention a tuberculosis outbreak. You sort of have to push the guide to get any sort of reality check. Anyway, it was interesting and I would highly recommend it.

​Food is pretty good everywhere, but you really are better off just walking around because for these Brazilian destinations in particular, TripAdvisor will lead you astray. We made the mistake of going to a cheaper churrascaria, Carretão, and it sucked. Nothing about it was good. You can get much better meat from a rodizio at pay-per-kilo places, or just do yourself a favor and go to one of the more expensive churrascarias if you want that experience. I wrote in another post that the best food of the whole trip was a pay-per-kilo place in the center of Buzios near where we stayed that specialized in dishes from Minas Gerais. Blew my mind. Whereas the number one place on TripAdvisor for Buzios is pretty good, but not great. All the fresh juice places are also excellent. We went to Beach Sucos in Ipanema every morning when we were in Rio.

​Writing this makes me want to go back!

 

[Matt84]

Praia de João Fernandes: I agree with thorsten. It was fine, but the most crowded beach we saw, and it's got a bunch of Argentines running things so the service was not great. The beach is also sort of steep and there isn't that much actual sand space. I wouldn't go back.

Fernandes is not that nice, very thin and full of tourists and locals bothering tourists. But the trick is to swim or hike from fernandes to fernandinho, there is more sand, the locals do not harass you at all but instead rent out kayaks, and it actually does look like a virgin beach. If you swim to the east instead the waters become very clean as it's close to the far end of the peninsula. You can obviously also access it from land, just mind your step or rather go throguh the colonna park hotel:

Praia Azeda and Azedinha are also very nice and "pristine".

 

[syngirl]

http://www.casarosa.com.br/ -- In Rio, house with different music each room, may be one guy on a guitar in one area or a dj in another. I was there a long time ago, ie 2006/07 so not sure what the line up is like now, but from site looks similar.