Buzios - Brazil

BUZIOS – BRAZIL

And so after an amazing time in Rio it was time to head off for a quieter few days in the sun. On Monday morning we caught a private taxi to Buzios, a stunning town about 2 to 3 hours outside of Rio and rated by some websites as one of the top 10 most beautiful places in the world. Buzios was originally a small fishing village before being discovered by Brigitte Bardot in the 60’s (there are many tribute bars and restaurants to her in the town) and the rest is history. There is no doubt it is stunning, with over 20 beaches scattered around what almost feels like an island, although it is part of the mainland. Each stretch of sand is completely separate with its own characteristics and beauty.

When entering Buzios it seemed very rustic and we weren’t really sure what to expect, but as we travelled further into the town the incredible contrast of rundown buildings, cars and roads with the beautiful seaside and guesthouses took our breath away. The beaches are the main attraction and no wonder! We checked into our villa at Vale de Sol, a bit of a step down from our Rio apartment but functional at least (it’s called character building) with an all important braai provided. Once checked in we went for a walk down our closest main street to stock up on groceries and aqua (water). On our way (after struggling to find a spot on one of the local taxi’s – exactly like the black taxi’s in SA), we came across a beach buggy shop and out of curiosity had a chat with the owner over the rental costs.

Now this sounds easier than it was as we don’t speak Portuguese and they don’t speak English. A series of enthusiastic hand gestures, and scribbled post-it notes ensued and 15 minutes later we stepped into our new pride and joy – a yellow beach buggy christened the banana split. Now apparently this buggy is a VW and the key looked authentic, but it certainly didn’t come with any engineering the Germans would be proud of! A handbrake you had to batter before you could pull up, dodgy brakes, no indicators, a chain and padlock for a gear lock, and the propensity to jump out of gear at the most inopportune time made it an adventurous drive but she sounded great and we all loved her. Plus she got us around much more of Buzio than our lazy asses could walk it so everyone was happy.

So with the freedom of our own wheels we headed into Buzio’s main strip, a beautiful road full of bars, restaurants and expensive boutique shops and the most stunning ocean view. We sorted out our banking, and then Georgie, Leise and Lara tucked into an ice cream. The Brazilians love their ice cream, especially Italian ice creams, and you can get it anywhere. We then hit the supermarket, which was very basic, and stocked up on food, beers, vodka, and the ingredients for Caiparinha’s. On returning home Leise and I cracked the braai, and this was no easy task as there were no firelighters in the shops. So after a bit of head scratching we stuffed the braai full of rolled up newspaper, cut up some candles (yes candles), and with some strategic positioning of the coals managed to get the fire going – and what a fire it was. So our first Brazilian braai was underway........ we cut up the fillet we had bought and threw in some baked potatoes and cooked an absolute feast – the steak here is good!! In the meantime the girls were making salad and perfecting their Caiparinha making skills whilst getting hammered in the process. It was a perfect evening of music, good food and strong drinks to end a great first day in Buzios.

After a good night’s sleep and a cold shower to start the day we got in the banana split and headed to our local beach Geriba – the most stunning beach and top of our rankings so far. Beware of the offer of “free” chairs and umbrellas though......they come with a 100% service charge on any drinks you order (they could see us coming a mile off)!!! A great afternoon was had relaxing and catching some rays, with a couple of swims in the chilly water. The only place selling food was extortionate so we packed up and headed back into the main strip for lunch. We had a great meal in the Chez Brigitte a beautiful restaurant right on the water with stunning views of all the fishing boats and walls adorned with many picture tributes to the lady herself. After a great lunch we strolled the main road and Georgie and Leise proceeded to try and break the world record for the most expensive ice cream – help yourself to topping and they charge you by the weight. Their faces were a picture when the lady hit them with a bill, but the smiles after showed they must have been the best £10 ice creams going.

Afterwards we headed back to the supermarket to pick up some food for our second dinner, and the all important firelighters – I mean candles! We cooked up another feast of burgers on our braai, which we had now mastered and had fired up in no time. The girls sorted the buns and salad, and provided popcorn and a good night was had. The plan was for a big night in Buzios but the sun and drink had tired us, so we happily relaxed outside and enjoyed the beautiful warm evening.

Next day it was time to check out some more of these famous beaches, and so we cruised a bit more of Buzios in the banana split and relaxed on the Joao Fernandez and Tarturaga beaches. Both are stunning and it was great to enjoy the peace and quiet after the hustle and bustle of Rio. We tucked into our tuna rolls on the beach (the girls had kindly made earlier) and after a stress free afternoon headed back to our beloved buggy hire company to extend our rental for a half a day up to the following morning. Cue more gesturing and post-it notes to clinch a pretty good deal. We headed back to our villa for a few drinks before hitting the Buzios nightlife. And so after a couple of drinks to warm up we jumped into “old trusty” and hit the town. After perusing many of the restaurants we were tempted into a lovely spot called Zamaris by a most persuasive waiter – okay not that persuasive, he simply tempted us with free Caiparinha’s and in we barged. The girls tucked into amazing seafood pasta and risotto and Leise and I polished off a steak each. We then headed for a nightcap and crepe at Chez Michou before leaving. The crepes are huge and delicious, but not one of us managed to finish them (believe it or not). Then it was home to pack and get ready for leaving the next day.

We should have known when we woke up on our last day on Thursday and it was pouring with rain that it wasn’t going to be a good day...... firstly when we came down stairs Lara broke the news to us that her, Leise and Georgie weren’t able to change their flight to a day earlier as we had done so we were to go ahead to Santiago without them .....thanks Travel Butler! Then having packed our bags onto the taxi which arrived much earlier than expected Leise and I jumped into the banana split for the last time to drop it off at our rental shop and left Lara to explain in her best Portuguese that our driver should follow. We managed to get half way there when she finally conked out and gave up – in the middle of a roundabout! It wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but then like an angel sent directly from heaven a fellow buggy user who just happened to work at our rental shop drove past, stopped, and helped us wheel our broken buggy off the road. He was all smiles and despite his lack of English it was obvious that this was not a rare occurrence for these cars. He then kindly ushered us into his buggy and off we set at great pace to the rental shop. Again not a word of English but they were all smiles and laughs about the situation. So after shaking hands and thanking our saviour, we hastily jumped into our taxi and headed to Rio airport.

We checked into our flight, shared a farewell burger with Georgie, Lara and Leise and then boarded our plane. And sadly that was the end of our Brazilian adventure. We have loved every minute here and would have easily stayed longer had time permitted. But now it is onto Santiago Chile for the next stage of our trip, looking forward to it
Ciao for now

Buzios highlights and lowlights
- The beaches, beaches and beaches – stunning, and if you ever come to Brazil try your best to make it to Buzios as it is well worth it
- The girls homemade Caiparinha’s – the results speak for themselves ;-)
- The buggy breakdown – giggles for the girls at least
- Lunch at Chez Briggitte – awesome food and great view
- Milk – Is there no such thing as fresh milk in Brazil?!