BEAUTIFUL Buzios....

I read somewhere that Buzios is to Rio, what the Hamptons are to New York. A cities nearest paradise.


Renata, Carol and I woke up around 6am on Sarturday to see if the bad weather rumours were true. We thought it was best to be sure we had sun before setting off to Buzios. Surprisingly the Meteorology 'experts' got it wrong (as they often do) which was what we wanted. The sky was blue, the weather was warm and the beach was calling. We set off in Renata's brand new Chinese car and drove across one of the world's longest bridges that took us out of Rio. As we left you could see Christ overlooking the city for miles. The Christ Redeemer is placed in a very strategic point so you can see it from most parts of Rio. I plan to visit him on Friday.

We were out on the road and moving far away from the city. The landscape reminded me a little of Peru in the way the hills rolled with their greenery... the way i knew i was not in Peru was simply the fact i could breath with ease.


On arrival we checked into a lovely Pousada (not quite hostel, not quite hotel) which had a real homely feel to it. The room was pretty, there was a pool, hammocks and a living area that reminded me of one of those little shops that sells everything. Old guitars, DVD's, antique-esque furniture... and the guy who ran the place was legendary in his efforts to help.


We spent the most of Saturday laying on the idyllic beach, which was pretty busy. Strolling up and down the shore, swimming in the sea and drinking coconut water (and some beer) made it a very relaxing day. 

First beach of the day

We left here around 4.30pm and set off to find another beach. Renata let me drive this time round, and not being the best driver at the best of times i was pretty impressed with my driving skills abroad. We didn't really know where we were headed but kept going to see where our route would lead. As we drove down one street we could see sand dunes to out left so decided to take a closer look. As a result we found a much quieter beach which was beautiful and calm in every essence. It felt like we had this one to ourselves - amazing!

The stumbled upon beach

Following the day of beaching we went back to the hotel for a snooze and then went to Buzios town for some food and a wander. The centre was buzzing with energy.. Renata nearly purchased a dog and we ate some fine meat at a lovely cuisine. The streets were home to many a boutique selling chic and quirky outfits, the shore was close by and the trees made the area pretty. The night ended with a street parade, and on the drive home we got lost. We took three different left turns when we should have just gone straight. I guess that's what happens when Zea and Renata are working together to find a destination - what should have taken 10 minutes took near on an hour.

dinner time 

On the Sunday we found perhaps the nicest beach of the three which was just across the street from where we were staying. As i got sunburnt we just strolled and sat on some rocks where we saw turtles swimming and coming up for air. 


I don't know what the Hamptons are like but Buzios was certainly a paradise very close to Rio.