Day 1 – Saturday (12/19/2015)

We took a bus from company 1001 at the Novo Rio bus station at 8:34 pm and arrived in Búzios shortly after midnight. Celo's family was already there and they picked us up at the bus stop (I don't think you can call it a bus station), which is in the city center. On this trip we also visited Arraial do Cabo and I'll tell you all about it in this post.

We arrived hungry, but all the restaurants accessible by car were closed. We ended up going into the Port of Barra, which is a complex with several cool restaurants, and after passing by several of them, we entered the Zuza, which was the only one open. The restaurant is super cool, with stylish decor, and as expected, the prices are quite steep. Since we weren't very hungry, we decided to order several starters, including croquettes, ceviche, carpaccio and canapés. They were all great, so it's quite possible that the main dishes will be good too.

Our Accommodation in Búzios

We went to our hotel, the Beach House, which is on Geribá beach and despite the time, we managed to do our check-in No problem. The guesthouse has two houses that are separated by a street, but the decor is the same, so it is quite easy to recognize them. All rooms have air conditioning, a minibar and an electric shower. It is not luxurious, but it has a homely touch that makes us feel like we are in a beach house, and best of all, it is very close to the beach!!! Great value for money, in our opinion.

A brief explanation of Búzios

For those who don't know, Búzios is the most popular beach destination in the state of Rio de Janeiro. There are countless inns, hotels and even resorts, in addition to super luxurious beach houses, but it is possible to find simple houses in the downtown area. The region of Canto Beach is where most of the commerce is and the famous Stone Street, with shops of all kinds and cool restaurants. A walk through it to the Brigitte Bardot Orla (Praia da Armação) is a must, in my opinion, especially at night. The beaches nearby (Frame, Bones, Sorrel, Sorrel and João Fernandes) are easily accessible on foot, but if you prefer, there are boats that run along them that are not so expensive (I showed the prices in a photo on the 3rd day). 

The beaches of Geribá, João Fernandes and Horseshoe are the most famous, but because they are far from each other, the best way to get around them is by car. If you have your own, be patient when parking and be aware that at each one you will have to pay a fee to a park attendant who is not from the city hall. If you don't have a car, you can book tours at the city's tourism agencies and get around them in a buggy (that car without a roof or windows), which is quite common there. The beaches with the roughest seas are Geribá, Brava, Tucuns and Rasa, while the others tend to be like swimming pools. The best thing to do is to bring your tent and chairs, because on some beaches there are no rentals or if there are, they are expensive. Oh, and for those who are interested, the beach Bull's Eye it's nudism!

Day 2 – Sunday (20/12/2015)

We had a hearty breakfast at the inn and went straight to Geriba. We set up our tent and spent a good part of the day relaxing on the beach, as is customary.

We left there hungry and went straight to the Brava Beach, because my mother-in-law said there was a great restaurant with a really nice view, Rocka Beach Lounge & Restaurant. 

It really has a sensational view of the beach and several umbrellas with mattresses for people to be comfortable. When we arrived, all the umbrellas were occupied and we ended up sitting in the restaurant. We ordered ceviches and carpaccio as starters and the fish of the day which was excellent! All with great music, cold drinks, a nice breeze and a beautiful view. I highly recommend it!!!

We left there and stopped the car near the Bones Beach, as we wanted to walk along the shore as the sun set. What a view! We went to Rua das Pedras and then went straight back to the hotel.

Day 3 – Monday (21/12/2015)

We had breakfast at the hotel and drove to Horseshoe Beach. We rented a tent + 2 chairs for 25 reais, but since we ordered a snack for 40 reais, the tent was free. What a delicious beach!

We left there and passed by Forno Beach, because we knew there was an oyster place there, but when we got there, the city was getting ready to demolish the only restaurant on the beach. No oysters for us, but the beach looked great (and best of all, empty!).

We went back to the restaurant we had eaten the day before (Rocka), because we had seen oysters on the menu, but when we were ordering, the waitress told us that they were out of stock (and we had asked beforehand!). So we had to eat the same delicious starters from the day before (how annoying… lol).

We drove to the João Fernandes Beach, but as always, it was very crowded. The restaurants by the sea offered the same dishes, but at tourist prices, you know?

We found a big hole and drove to the Bones Beach, where we had seen some interesting restaurants the day before. We tried to go to The scale, highly rated restaurant by a French chef, but it was closed. We ended up going to the restaurant Bonfim, which had a great view of the beach. We ordered the fish of the day and thought everything was great. The only mistake they made was bringing the smaller main dishes before the big fish I shared with Celo. Apart from that, it was a great score.

We walked to the Azeda and Azedinha Beaches and we saw a beautiful sunset! To end the day in style, we had some great ice cream from Sorvete Itália and strolled along Rua das Pedras at a leisurely pace.

In the middle of the walk along Rua das Pedras, we decided to stop to eat chocolate crepes at the restaurant At Michou. How delicious! (Oh, they only accept cash!)

Day 4 – Tuesday (12/22/2015)

We had breakfast and took the car to Cabo Camp, a small town located 1 hour from Búzios.

Going to explore Arraial do Cabo

Arraial is much more humble, but it has the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in Rio de Janeiro. The turquoise water is so incredible that it makes you ignore the freezing temperature and dive in. Just to give you an idea of what a paradise it is, it's considered one of the best places to go diving in Brazil. You have to go, right?

We drove to the Pontal Beach, where Celo had a beach house with his family when he was younger. A beautiful beach, with very rough seas and lots and lots of wind. Take a look:

Then we went to the Atalaia Point, a hill on the coast that has a beautiful view of the beaches. It is a must-see stop to appreciate the beauty of the region.

From there, we drove to the parking lot of Little beaches, the most beautiful continental beach in Arraial, in my opinion (I think it's Marinha Beach the most beautiful of all, but you can only get there by boat). We paid R$10 to park there and the city hall collector told us that the ticket It was valid for any beach all day. Better than Búzios, right? Since she warned us that the beach was very crowded, we parked the car in the first spot we saw. We walked for almost half an hour until we reached the stairs that lead to the beach. What a view and how tiring! 🙂

We went down the stairs, already exhausted, and grabbed the first available tent. Unfortunately, they had a lot of plastic tables and chairs for rent, so people who just want to sunbathe will have their view of the beach spoiled, since everyone is higher up, you know? It's annoying, but for those who want to eat, I think it's worth it.

This beach used to be very empty because you could only get there by trail or by boat. There was even a sand dune where people would go for walks. sandboarding, which was always empty and was really cool. Now with the huge (and horrible) staircase that they put in, access is much easier and unfortunately the peace of the place has disappeared. On the day we went, the sea was very rough, but that's normal for a pool there. Bad luck for us and for the hundreds of people who were there. At least the blue is still beautiful...

After a few hours of relaxing, we plucked up the courage to climb the stairs and arrived at the car exhausted. We decided to stop for lunch at the restaurant Marine Madness, very close by, which is highly rated on TripAdvisor and has a spectacular view of the city of Arraial. Just take a look:

We ordered shrimp pastries with catupiry cheese and a fish for 4 people with various sides. Everything was delicious!!! Oh, and they don't accept credit cards, only debit cards.

We returned to Búzios, rested a little at the hotel and went out later for dinner at Syrian pepper, an Arabic restaurant near Rua das Pedras that is one of the best in the city (currently #4). Celo's brother is a friend of the owner and we were treated very well (I think everyone is, from what I've noticed). I ordered fried kibbeh (the only Arabic food I like) and I didn't like it that much, but the other dishes that the staff ordered were very good, according to them. It's worth going to try, especially since the prices aren't expensive!

Day 5 – Wednesday (12/23/2015)

We woke up early and went for a walk to the Ferradurinha Beach, while the sun was still weak. We went to Geribá beach and then took a little street to get there. This beach is very small and was quite empty at that time, but I think it must always be very quiet. A couple of newlyweds were even having a photo shoot…it was so beautiful!

When we started to get hungry and the sun started to get stronger, we went back to the hotel for breakfast. Then we went back to Geriba Beach and we stayed there until noon, our time checkout. We enjoyed every second at the beach!!!

When we were arriving in Niterói, my mother-in-law suggested that we go to lunch at the restaurant Cave of Saint Anthony, which is considered one of the best restaurants in Rio de Janeiro and the best for Portuguese food. We waited in line for a while, because there were 5 of us, but it was worth every second. We ordered 2 octopus dishes, as well as codfish balls, and found everything delicious. The service was great too…

It was perfect to end the trip with a flourish. 🙂