Chillin' on Copacabana - Sun 24th Feb
Trip Start
Feb 11, 2008
1
13
87
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
We booked our fist two nights in Rio in advance to save us from the hassle of finding somewhere when we arrived. We are staying a four star, which is a real treat, but at 200 Real per night, we knew we had to find somewere cheaper for the other five nights if we wanted to stay within budget.
After chilling on the beach and watching the world go by, we set off for an afternoon of accommodation searching. Everything was either too expensive or fully booked. I was hoping to find a pousada (cheap B&B type places), which are commonplace thoughout Brazil, except Rio it seems. We also had our heart set on Ipanema as it has a better reputation than Copacabana - cleaner, less dangerous and more fashionable!
We stumbled across a pretty courtyard filled with hostels, which were no more than terraced houses. All very characteristic and each painted in different colours, with shutters and some with spiral staircases. As soon as you walk through the gates it feels chilled, relaxed and welcoming and I immediately liked the ambience of the place.
A woman popped her head out of one the hostels and asked if we were looking for a place to stay. She showed us several double bedrooms, all had the own imperfections but I wasn't going to get luxury for 120 Real per night! I was really hankering after our own bathroom but they were all shared. After looking at a few more places, including a 3 star hotel, the hostel grew on me and I decided that I wanted to reserve a room. Unlike the hotels, it has soul and personality and would provide us with a more unique travelling experience with opportunities to meet other travellers and get more involved with what's going on in Rio.
On the way back to Copacabana, short of cash after putting a deposit down at the hostel, we hunted for a cheap place to eat. We found a self service comida por kilo, which charge 3.49 Real per kilo. These types of restaurants are common throughout Brazil. The huge buffet spread looked so inviting and if money was no object, I would have had no problem piling my plate up! But careful not to put more on the plate than we could pay for, we just selected a few things and managed to keep the bill to less than 30 Real - excellent as we had 12 Real to get dessert on the way back!
