Insight Guides Brazil

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• ISBN:
  9781780057187
• Edition: 8
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Be inspired by the new edition of Insight Guide Brazil, a comprehensive full-colour guide to one of the most exciting countries in the world. Amazing beaches, warm and welcoming people, fascinating wildlife and historical towns are only a sample of what this vast and vibrant country has to offer. Insight Guides' unrivalled coverage of history and culture provides an essential introduction to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games host nation. Our Best Of Brazil highlights the country's top attractions, including Sugar Loaf mountain, Salvador's colonial architecture, the riches of the Amazon and of course, Carnival! Descriptive region-by-region accounts of where to go, from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia, are enhanced by beautiful photographs, while all major sights are cross-referenced with full-colour maps. The travel tips section provides a wealth of information on how to plan the trip of a lifetime.

Accommodations

Price Categories

Price categories are for a double room. Breakfast is usually, but not always, included:

$ = under US$120

$$ = US$120–250

$$$ = US$250–400

$$$$ = over US$400

Hotels

There is no shortage of excellent hotels in Brazil. The larger cities and resort areas, especially, have hotels run to international standards, with multilingual staff. At all grades, rooms are usually clean and the staff are polite. A Continental-style breakfast is normally included in the price. Rates fluctuate according to demand and location, so our price guide is only approximate. Expect higher prices in Rio during the 2016 Olympics.

In Rio there is a bed-and-breakfast association called Cama e Café, which focuses mainly on the Santa Teresa district, but this has not yet caught on elsewhere. However there are a growing number of good hostels throughout Brazil.

It is always best to book well in advance, especially during Carnival or a major holiday. In peak months (Jan–Feb and July), hotels may be booked up by Brazilian vacationers. There may also be a minimum required length of stay during the high season.

As Brazil is hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016, there are a number of new hotels opening, but also a number of existing properties, especially in Rio, which are closed or restricting room numbers for refurbishment or expansion programs.

In places where no hotels are listed here, or for a wider selection, you will find the Quatro Rodas Guia Brasil guide, available at newsstands, useful. Be aware that motels are often rented out by the hour for trysts.

Budget accommodations

Hostels

Hostels are getting better in Brazil, especially in Rio, as they become a more acceptable choice. Oztel, listed below, is an example.

The Casa do Estudante do Brasil, at 9 Praça Ana Amelia, Castelo, Rio de Janeiro; tel: [phone], has a list of hostels in 10 Brazilian states that are registered with the International Youth Hostel Federation (www.hihostels.com) and charge just a few dollars. There is no age restriction. Also check Hostel Brasil, with more than 100 hostels throughout Brazil on its books (www.hostel.org.br).

Saving money

Big savings can be made on room rates by visiting places when the main target audience is not. For example visit Brasília, São Paulo, and other business centers at the weekend as most hotels are aimed at business travelers. The opposite is true for the beach or tourist destinations, so if you don’t need to go to Búzios at the weekend, then don’t. Go in the week, and you may get a much better deal.

Probably the only city this does not work for is Rio, which has both leisure and business demand, but a rate at a hotel in downtown Rio may still be better at the weekend.

Charming hotels

The Roteiros de Charme is a small group of hotels and pousadas. They are generally of a high standard and usually in historical buildings. Attractive, intimate, and with good food, these establishments are likely to offer the most memorable accommodations of your trip. For more information, tel: [phone]; www.roteirosdecharme.com.br.

Booking hotels

Because Brazil is so hooked up to the internet, even the most basic hotels normally have a web site with a booking engine. A good selection of mainstream hotels in Brazil can be found on all the major international hotel booking sites, making the booking of hotels and pousadas in Brazil fairly straight forward and reliable.

Hotel groups

Most of the major international hotel groups o...