a weekend Buzios
This relaxing weekend away started out with a little more...adventure than anticipated.
The traffic in Rio is seriously. Not. A. Joke. We jumped in an Uber just as soon as I got out of one coming home from work. Fifteen minutes later, we were only out front of my Metro stop, a one minute walk around the corner from my building. There was no way we were going to make our ride on time at this pace, so we knew we had to make a run for it. "Aqui! A escierda! Desculpeme! Obrigada senhor! Boa noite!" asking in our broken Portuguese for our driver to pull over right "here! To the left! Sorry! Thank you! Good night!". I do this too often, cutting my Uber ride short in the middle of the street because going the last block would (literally) cost me an extra 10 minutes. My rider rating is probably trashed because of it. So we fall out of the Uber and run against the rush hour crowd through the Metro station, giggling despite ourselves and the fact that we had NO idea where we were supposed to go. We squeezed onto a too-full train and were finally, FINALLY, moving, free of Rio's oppressive traffic, though surrounded now by many more bodies. After a brief layover in a north zone neighborhood waiting for yet another Uber, we got to the bus station the very minute our bus was supposed to leave. Of course, the ONE TIME Brazilians are punctual! I'm always happy to take little travel hiccups on a trip right up front. Get them out of the way early, and hope for smooth sailing the rest of the way. We swapped in our tickets for the bus that left an hour later, and before we could even think too much about it were en route to the beautiful Brazilian beach town of Buzios. We stayed at an amazing Air Bnb in Altos dos Buzios, a "mountain" (a glorified hill) rising above the quaint, but not quiet, town. The house was spacious and well-decorated with interesting art from all over the world. It had a beautiful pool and outdoor space, complete with a wood burning oven. It also had the less-ideal feature of bugs. Like, a lot of bugs. This wasn't so much a function of the house as the tropical climate it's in, but the various fauna we encountered kept things interesting for sure.
Buzios is where Cariocas go to escape Rio for the weekend, and I completely get why so many people recommended it. Even though it's only a few hours drive away, it felt like a different world. Its vibe is akin to Santorini: hilly, tiny, touristy (in the best way), home to some very friendly, beautiful people and really fun nightlife. If Rio itself is beachy, then Buzios IS the beach. As the city sits on a peninsula, there are over 20 stretches of sand to choose from. Each beach is known for its unique superlative: whether it's the most fun for water sports, the best spot for snorkeling, the most prime location for sunset viewing, has the most crystal-clear water, or has the softest, whitest sand, Buzios has one for everyone.
When we set out to explore, we were not disappointed. We came upon a surprisingly chic (Brazilians pronounce it "sheeky") shopping district, including stores stocked with the most popular Brazilian brands and way more bathing suits than we could try on. Sipping fresh coconut water out of an actual coconut and browsing bikinis, I thought my day couldn't get any better. I was delighted to be wrong.
If you know me, you know I love boats. Maybe I less love boats and more love just being on them, but that's one and the same to me. Nothing makes my day like being out on the water for a while, so imagine how happy I was when we decided that the best way to see several of Buzios' beaches was by boat. We spent a few hours cruising around, stopping at Buzios' most beautiful and famous spots, jumping into the Atlantic to swim to shore (@mom @dad the water was clean, I swear!). We drank caipirinhas and danced on board in between, and just as the sun set, we pulled in to dock. That's actually my definition of a perfect afternoon.
With that, I thought for sure my day (weekend, year) had peaked, but I was wrong again. We ventured back out that night to find something to eat in the popular dining and nightlife district (okay, street) known as Rua das Pedras. We had a vague idea of some Italian restaurant we were going to try to find, but when we happened upon Belli Belli, it became the only option. The beachfront restaurant was mostly outdoor, a tree-covered patio with lampshades hanging from the branches. Near the water, lounge furniture sprinkled with colorful pillows invited guests to relax together and have a drink while taking in the ocean breeze. It was downright enchanting and if that wasn't enough, the food on other peoples' tables looked and smelled absolutely amazing.
Belli Belli lived up to its good looks. On the night of his restaurant's grand re-opening, the owner took the time to read the entire menu to us in English, make his recommendation and take our order, and introduce us to the chef. The meals I have in Brazil just keep getting better.
The next day in Buzios was sadly our last. We had a perfect lazy Sunday, making breakfast and laying by the pool. I even managed to get a little bit of a tan- memories and some great food pictures weren't the only things I took home from Buzios!
Thanks for reading! GS
140 Characters or Less: Buzios is a beautiful, beachy, buggy escape that I highly recommend for a weekend out of Rio and some seriously good food.