Looking at resorts around Natal - where can I find details on rainy season etc.

Any reccs for do's and don'ts - particulalry Thomson hotels and reccs for trips etc.,

Hi
I am going to Brazil next month and would be grateful if you could advice me if it is best to take Real, Stirling travellers cheques, American dollars. Thanks for your help in this. I am going to Rio, Iguassu trip then onto Superclub Breezes Costa do Sauipe. Can't wait.
Love Dizzdy

Hi everyone!! I am deaad dead dead excited!!!! I am off to Brazil on Mondsy 15th. First time there. Going to Rio, Statue of Chrits, Sugar loaf mountain, Iguassu falls then on to Costa do Sauipe Super club Breezes! Really cannot wait. We are going to celebrate our silver wedding!
Am sure we will have agreat time. We are going with First Choice and have upgraded our flights!! Will tell you all about it when we get back. Bye for now Dizz xxx

Rio- great place.Have been twice and will return. Have a great time

Fiona, did you go anywhere else in Brazil?

no Martin- we only had a week both times and did look at a flight to Salvador but decided that would eat too much into our time. Hopefully we will get there someday(but we are now looking at Argentina, so it may be a bit longer before we go )

Hi all,we are not long back from Brazil and had a great time,it really is a beautiful country,we stayed in rio for a week at the Atlantis Copacabana hotel which was in a great location,you walked out the front door and to the left it was a 3 minute walk to Copacabana beach and to the right it was a 5 minute walk to Ipanema beach,the hotel it'self was also good value for money,£46 per night for a double room with breakfast and there was a rooftop pool area with jacuzzi,sauna and bar with great views over the beaches.
We then move onto a place called Buzios which is a 3 hour bus ride from Rio,Buzios is a small town on a penninsula with 27 beaches,good nightlife and restaraunts.You can catch a water taxi to take you around the different beaches.Here we stayed in a pousada called Bao de Joao,which sat on a hillside and over looked one of the beaches,again this was good value for money working out at about £50 per night for B&B,though we did find Buzios to be more expensive than Rio,apparently this is where the rich Brazilians and Argentinians go for their holidays and weekend breaks.
From Buzios we headed up the coast a bit to Cabo Frio,again another smallish place but with great beaches,after staying here for a couple of nioghts we finished of our holiday with a week in Belo Horizonte,the third largest city in Brazil,and it is big! the area Savassi is nice at night time with bars and cafes all spilling out on to the street and stalls selling all sorts of Brazilian food,some of which was very tastey.
All in all a terrific hoilday and we will definitley be back to Brazil.

now you have me interested in another trip to Brazil. Unfortunately I have only been to Rio but your trip sounds great Did you do it totally DIY?

Hi Fiona,we booked our flights with OPODO and booked the Rio and Belo Horizonte hotels through Expedia,but for the pousadas in Buzios and Cabo Frio we just waited untill we got there and then had a look at few and booked into the ones we thought were the best,the pousada in Buzios was very nice,complete with hammock on the balcony overlooking the ocean and swimming pool.

So were you away for 3 weeks? We have only had just over a week to spend in Rio the twice we've been and didnt really have time to visit elsewhere. We did think about Salvador but never thought of anywhere nearer

Yes Fiona we went for 3 weeks,I actually phoned opodo on our final week to see if I get could get our return flights changed so as we could stay another week but it was too expensive,so we are going to spend this Christmas in Rio and Natal.

great way to spend Christmas

Has anyone spent anytime in Sao Paulo? Is it worth it, and what are the main resorts other than Rio? Is Sao Paulo the main airport for most resorts? Going for 4 weeks in January 10, so starting the palnning now!

Thanks

does anyone know which tour operators go to brazil? also when is the "season"? i know thomson and first choice did go there but i cant get any thing on their websites now.i was thinking of natal or salvador, not rio de janeiro. more the beach side?
thanks

Martin_d,

I have spent a short time in Sao Paulo. I would say it is very much a city destination and a place that is crowded with people, however if you are looking for quieter parts and some sun and sand then you may want to check out Morro de Sao Paulo on the coast. Although part of the state of Sao Paulo, this is a few hours away from the city itself. You will find in the city of Sao Paulo all the usual sightseeing attractions you may expect elsewhere, such as churches, public buildings, museums, expostion centres etc. I can tell you it has quite a good nightlife scene there as well. However, I would recommend you take the utmost care when travelling around the city, especially at night, as it can be quite dangerous in some areas.

If you are spending 4 weeks in Brazil then it may be worth having a look at the websites of some of the airlines there, since bus travel can take a long time between places:

Tam
Gol
Oceanair
Webjet
Azul

Most of these have English translations available there. Tam is usually the most expensive so be aware, and also make sure that the airline you want to fly with accepts foreign credit cards for payment. If not, then you may want to consider purchasing tickets when you arrive. Otherwise, you may also want to consider a TAM airpass which you can get more information on at the TAM website (simply do a Google search for "TAM airpass Brasil" and click the link that directs you to the TAM website). Although usually more expensive than booking flights independantly, it can be reassuring to know you have your tickets before you arrive. This can only be booked outside Brasil and purchased once you have your ticket number for your flight to Brasil. The price will vary depending in whether you bought your international ticket with TAM or not.

You may notice most of the major cities in Brasil are located along the coastline, such as Rio, Salvador, Natal, Fortaleza, Curitiba etc. However, many tourist destinations are also inland, such as Foz do Iguassu, Manaus (you will need this airport for most trips into the Amazon) and Ouro Preto. A lot of people travelling in Brasil will tend to go along the coastline when travelling, and it is possible to spend a few days in each. If you intend to finish up at a beach destination then may I suggest you go south-north.

Anyway, I won't babble on. I lived there for a year and did a little bit of travelling and I regularly return so if you need any more information then please do not hesitate to ask.

bushbaby,

unfortunately, the major operators such as Thomas Cook, Thomson and First Choice no longer fly to Brasil. The best way to book a trip to Brasil is to do it independently, booking flights and hotel separately. Check the usual websites such as Expedia, Opodo, Lastminute.com, Ebookers etc for flights regularly. Last month, I found a very cheap price with Air France (before their accident) to Sao Paulo for £438 on Expedia for January 2010. I know this special offer is now over but keep your eyes peeled and I am sure something will crop up.

As for hotels, you will find very good rates with Travel Republic, Asia Rooms, Opodo and GTA Hotels websites. If there is a particular hotel you are looking at then it is worth checking out their own website as these can sometimes be the best rates available. For example, Iberostar have very good rates for their hotels on the Costa do Sauipe in Salvador.

As for what is the best time of year to travel, I would say that any time is good as long as you are travelling to north Brasil. Here you will find yearly information on the climate in Salvador and Fortaleza (the nearest I could get to Natal):

Salvador: http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/index.php?destination=salvador
Fortaleza: http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/index.php?destination=fortaleza

You will notice temperatures are steady throughout the year but rainfall tends to be slightly higher around March-April time.

I have been to Salvador before. If you are looking for beach then the Costa do Sauipe and Praia do Forte areas are the ones you are looking for. Have a little search on Google and I am sure you will find out more information. Most hotels are All Inclusive resorts and very nice, but it is possible to get smaller hotels and Bed and Breakfast accommodation if you wish. Be aware that this area is some distance from the airport and you will need to budget in the cost of your transfer. If you don't speak Portuguese then the best option may be to contact your hotel once you have booked and ask them the price of a taxi from the airport to where you are staying. They may vene be able to arrange it for you.

Alternatively, you may want to consider hiring a car which will probably be not much more expensive to have for the week. However, be warned, I was stopped by the police and told I should have a translation of my driving license which had to be stamped by a government approved translator. This is very rare though and most police officers will let you go if you claim ignorance as a tourist.

Hopefully, once this whole mess of a credit crisis is over and the Travel Industry picks itself up again, one or two of the main tour operators will start offering Brasil again. It is definitely worth a visit if you can make it!!
By the way, Rio de Janeiro is very much a beach destination with some decent beaches and hotels. If you want to be close enough to the city to visit and not too near to be in the city itself then I suggest either Buzios or Arraial do Cabo, both in the state of Rio de Janeiro but away from the city.

I was hoping to visit Brazil this year/next year but have noticed that majority of the operators no longer go !!

Im also finding it difficult to do it myself independantly but hope this is just because I am looking to travel next year and flights/hotel rooms are not yet available. Really hope we can visit there soon as it looks to be a nice place.

xxdaniellexx, flights are usually available for sale approximately 10/11 months in advance. Depending on when you want to travel you should already be able to book for early next year. Try some of the major search engines such as Expedia, Travelocity and Opodo. The main airlines to look at are probably BA and Tam (direct) amd Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia and TAP (indirect). It is advisable to check airlines websites direct as well to make sure you get the best price.

Some hotel prices will already be available for the first half of next year but I would wait a bit longer if I were you to make sure you get the best range of prices available. I am going in January and will be waiting until October until I even start looking properly. A lot of hotels will not have signed off contracts with the operators yet.

Generally, it is worth booking your flight early to get the best prices and then think about your hotel and itinerary in the meantime.

Hope this helps

have you considered a repositioning cruise with island cruises/first choice.
jump ship in spain or portugal then cruise 17 nights to rio via canary islands/cape verdy/ and parts of brazil.
then just add on a few nights in rio b+b to make it upto 3 weeks.
fantastic.