Topic Wiki

***Health Information as of January 25, 2018***

There is a Yellow fever outbreak in Rio and Sao Paulo and the whole population is getting vaccinated. See the CDC alert here:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/yellow-fever-brazil


Curitiba

Trip Reports
Ya'alili - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg946415#msg946415
CGR in Rio, Iguazu (Brazil & Argentina), and Sao Paulo: https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=128303.msg2555280#msg2555280
ad120- https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=130711.0

Kosher Food Options
Contact Chabad Parana for updated information regarding any Kosher food there. Otherwise plenty of snacks and fruits.

Hotels with Points
Four Points by Sheraton, ten minute walk to Chabad.
Radisson, fifteen minute walk to Chabad.

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - Cab to/from Chabad area and hotels should be around R$60.
Executive Bus - Excellent and comfortable executive bus, every half hour to main places in Curitiba for R$12.
Public Bus - There are buses to downtown for R$3, from there you can connect almost anywhere in the city.

Major Activities

Florianopolis

Trip Reports
ChikkyMonkey - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg860807#msg860807
MendyP - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg680690#msg680690
Ya'alili - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg936627#msg936627

Kosher Food Options
Contact Chabad Parana for updated information regarding any Kosher food there. Otherwise plenty of snacks and fruits.

Hotels with Points
None.

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - They are metered from FLN to where you are going. We stayed in Barra Lagoa and it was R$55.
Executive Bus - Yellow buses go between major destinations to the airport and bus terminal - R$6.
Public Bus - Not from the airport. But from the bus station it's tricky but doable - R$3.

Major Activities
Water-sports and relaxing. During peak-season (Dec-Jan) there is plenty to do, such as scuba diving, gliding, boat tours and more. We were there during winter break (Jul) and the waves were great for surfing, and the dunes at Joaquina were great for sandboarding.

There are beautiful beaches all over the island of Florianopolis. During the winter the north beaches tend to be the warmest as the wind doesn't attack it directly. Center/east beaches are really nice, the best for surfing, but can get cold. Mole and Joaquina are the most popular from those. Didn't trek down south on my trip there, but the beaches are supposedly great as well, though very calm and sleepy kind of towns next to them and people going fishing there.

A small town on the west side of the island, has a boardwalk and bicycle path along the water, nice place to go for sunset. Old historic architecture there, many buildings there hundreds of years old. It's about 10-15 minutes north of downtown FLN.

Iguacu Falls

Trip Reports
ChikkyMonkey - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg860807#msg860807
Dan - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=3052.msg27332#msg27332
Jaywhy - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=44601.msg937926#msg937926
Ya'alili - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=38231.msg735169#msg735169
Yehoshua - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=34693.msg641453#msg641453
ad120- https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=130711.0

Kosher Food Options
There are no kosher food options other than some snacks and fruits. Over the border some stores sell Beigel's and there are a few Freddo Helado locations.

Hotels with Points
Sheraton Iguazu in the Argentina side of the park.
Park Hyatt Iguacu Falls coming soon!

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - The airport is between downtown and the park. Taxi to either of those place shouldn't be more than R$15.
Executive Bus - There are no executive buses on the Brazilian side. Other side there are buses to any place for 40 pesos.
Public Bus - The park and hostels/hotels are connected by public bus with the airport. Not very frequent schedule, cab is better - R$3.

Major Activities

Manaus

Trip Reports
Fan of Dan - Part 1 forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg404773#msg404773
Fan of Dan - Part 2 forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg406102#msg406102
Fan of Dan - Part 3 forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg488834#msg488834
Ya'alili - Coming soon!

Kosher Food Options
Chabad Manaus offers excellent take-out at great prices. More info here - www.chabadmanaus.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/1244281/jewish/Kosher.htm.

Hotels with Points
Holiday Inn by IHG - 1hr15m walk to Chabad.
Park Suites by Radisson. - About a 3h walk to Chabad..

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - Flat rate on leaving the airport to anywhere in Manaus - R$65.
Executive Bus - There are EB in Manaus itself (means it comes with AC here) though non to the airport.
Public Bus - One bus makes the trip once an hour between the airport and downtown, during regular operating hours - R$3.

Major Activities

Porto Alegre

Trip Reports
Ya'alili - Coming soon!

Kosher Food Options
Lechaim Delicatessen - Maybe call before to see if they are open, we went during hours and they were closed.
Rua Fernandes Vieira, 518, Porto Alegre ~ (51) 3311-2323.

Hotels with Points
Sheraton Porto Alegre Hotel - 25 minute walk to Chabad.
Radisson Porto Alegre - 25 minute walk to Chabad.
Holiday Inn Porto Alegre - 40 minute walk to Chabad.

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - Depending on where you are headed, average about R$25-45.
Metro - People mover connects the airport to the nearby metro station, cost R$3 to get to town.
Public Bus - One bus (T5) makes the trip every 20 minutes, cost R$3 to get to town.

Major Activities

Rio de Janeiro

Trip Reports
ChikkyMonkey - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg860807#msg860807
Jaywhy - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=44601.msg916299#msg916299
MendyP - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg680690#msg680690
Ya'alili - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=38231.msg773283#msg773283
Yehoshua - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=34693.msg641453#msg641453

Restaurants
Barilan (Copacabana) - Sunday only meat lunch place inside a school. There is a large buffet and you pay by the weight of your plate.
Rua Pompeu Loureiro, 48, Rio de Janeiro ~ (21) 2235-3110.

Deleite (Copacabana) - Dairy pizza shop and cafe.
Rua Anita Garibaldi, 83, Rio de Janeiro ~ (21) 3507-1973.

Shelanu (Copacabana) - Meat restaurant located inside the Israeli club.
Rua Barata Ribiero, 489, Rio de Janeiro ~ (21) 3042-1483.

Pizzaria Braz (Jardim Botanico) - Excellent pizza chain in BR. This one location becomes kosher once a month by Beit Lubavitch Rio. Usually a Tuesday.
Rua Maria Angélica, 129, Rio de Janeiro ~ (21) 2535-0687.

Hotels with Points near a Shul (Walking Minutes)
Barra da Tijuca - Grand Hyatt (Opening 2015), Radisson - (30 minutes).
Copacabana - JW Marriott (15 minutes).
Leblon - Sheraton Leblon about a 20 minute walk from the excellent Chabad Leblon.

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - Depending from where you are coming SDU should be about R$40 and GIG about R$60.
Executive Bus - service from both GIG and SDU to any place in Rio for R$13.
Public Bus - To get to downtown from both airports is very easy with PB, though if you need to get further EB is a lot better and more reliable.

Major Activities

São Paulo

Trip Reports
ChikkyMonkey - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg860807#msg860807
Jaywhy Part 1 - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=44601.msg902728#msg902728
Jaywhy Part 2 - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=44601.msg916299#msg916299
MendyP - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg680690#msg680690
Ya'alili - forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2164.msg937054#msg937054

Restaurants

Buffet Hebraico (Pinheiros) is located inside the JCC of São Paulo. Best bet would be to go there on a Sunday when they usually have a rodizio there.
Rua Hungria, 1000, São Paulo ~ (11) 3818-8800.

Cantina de Bero (Higienopolis)
Bero Pizza
 the first restaurant and the only one to stay open - Upscale full service dairy restaurant pizza pasta and sushi, they have rodizio of sushi every tuesday and thursday.
delivery to any hotel, great service
Rua sergipe , 220, São Paulo ~ (11) 3064-9022.

Cantina Parma (Higienopolis) - another mediocre pizza shop in SP.
Rua Rosa e Silva, 222, São Paulo ~ (11) 3825-2579.
closed

Celadon (Higienopolis) - a new dairy place that opened this year, Dan was there.
Praça Vilaboim, 73, São Paulo ~ (11) 2738-1500.

 closed

Matok (Higienopolis) - Pizza is decent and their ice cream is good. They cater for most airlines from GRU.
Alameda Barros, 921, São Paulo ~ (11) 3661-2111.

Metsuyan (Perdizes) - Chinese style take-out place with great food, inside the large kosher supermarket SuperK.
Rua Traipu, 66, São Paulo ~ (11) 3663-3030.

Nur (Higienopolis) - They are not cheap, but very good food and great service. They make a rodizio once in a while too. Top eatery in SP.
Rua Tupi, 792, São Paulo ~ (11) 3666-4992.

Pinati (Higienopolis) - Is an Israeli eatery, their food is not that good, and neither are prices. Still probably the only place to get shawarma and falafel in SP.
Alameda Barros, 782, Sao Paulo ~ (11) 3668-5424.

Sushi Papaya (Higienopolis - kosher location) - is a phonomenal sushi restaurant. Again prices are high, but the sushi is amazing, in the ranks of Yakimono.
Praça Vilaboim, 31, São Paulo ~ (11) 3824-0400.

Via Babush (Higienopolis) - Is probably the best pizza place in town. They have excellent sushi rodizios every week also, and all you can eat buffets.
Rua Barão de Tatuí, 115, São Paulo ~ (11) 3494-0000.

Pizza Braz (Higienopolis) - is a popular pizza chain in BR. About once in a month it goes completely kosher and CY. Expensive but probably the best pizza in SP.
Rua Sergipe, 406, São Paulo ~ (11) 3214-3337.

Bakeries, Groceries & Ice Cream
All Kosher (Higienopolis) - Grocery and supermarket, they are on FB.
Alameda Barros, 391, São Paulo ~ (11) 3825-1131.


Goody (Bom Retiro) - A large bakery selection. Don't miss the brigadeiros if they have them.
Rua Correia de Melo, 119, São Paulo ~ (11) 3331-1288.

Menorah (Bom Retiro) - Small supermarket in BR, not everything is Mehadrin Kosher there, be careful.
Rua Guarani, 114, São Paulo ~ (11) 3228-6105.

Pardes (Higienopolis) - They are on FB, supermarket with small bakery section too.
Rua Padre João Manuel, 732, São Paulo ~ (11) 3068-9093.

Sorveteria Sottozero (Perdizes) - Very popular ice cream store that got certified kosher recently.
Av. Sumaré, 840, São Paulo.

Super K (Perdizes) - The largest kosher supermarket in SP, has everything there, prices are high.
Rua Traipu, 66, São Paulo ~ (11) 3663-3030.

Shuls
Bayit (Higienopolis) - Really nice Chabad House, R' Michaan was the Rabbi. main jewish area
Beit Chabad Brooklin - far away from jewish comunity but nice for shabbos, but they are close to many of the main SP points hotels.
Beit Chabad Central (Jardins) - The main Chabad house serving SP, Building is a replica of 770 in NY. Lively Kiddush every Shabbos after Shachris.
Beit Chabad Itaim (Itaim - Jardins Europa) - Beautiful Chabad house in a very upscale part of SP. Best Kiddush Friday night after Maariv.
Beit Chabad Morumbi - Very residential and upscale area of SP.
Beit Chabad Perdizes - Nice Shul, right next to main jewish area, and hotels options nearby.
Beit Chabad Pinheiros - Extremely warm Shul community members, and great Kiddush every Shabbos afternoon.
Beit Yaakov Sephardi (Higienopolis) - Fancy Shul for the ones who can afford it. Will be very hard to enter if you not a member.
Makor Chaim Sephardi (Higienopolis) - On the same note as Beit Yaakov, both of them beautiful and rich Shul's.
Mishcan Menachem Chabad (Jardins Paulista) - Shul with some programs throughout the week.
Talmud Torah Chabad (Bom Retiro) - Basic Shul in a very undesirable section of SP.
Tiferes Chabad (Higienopolis) - Simple Shul, nothing major stands out, better place elsewhere.
Tzeirei Agudas Chabad (Jardins) - A Shtiebel as opposed to a Chabad House, Heimishe Minyan. zayants shul

Hotels with Points near a Shul (Walking Minutes)
Brookin - Grand Hyatt (25 minutes), Hilton (20 minutes), Park Inn by Radisson (35 minutes), Radisson Villa Olympia (20 minutes), Sheraton (15 minutes).
Itaim - Marriott EA (20 minutes), Radisson Faria Lima (5 minutes), Staybridge Suites (10 minutes).
Jardins - Intercontinental (25 minutes), Renaissance (15 minutes).
Perdizes - Holiday Inn Express (15 minutes).

Airport Transfer Options
Cab - Fixed prices from the airport to different parts of SP. To Jardins will set you back about R$120.
Executive Bus - From the airport to various areas of SP, a little more than R$40.
Public Bus - Number 257 goes from GRU to the metro station Tataupe for R$5. From there you can continue on the metro throughout SP.

Major Activities
« Last edited by mendi n on May 01, 2023, 03:39:17 PM »

Author Topic: Brazil Master Thread  (Read 268822 times)

Offline LAXtraveler

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #220 on: November 20, 2013, 08:34:28 PM »
Thinking of planning a trip down to Sao Paulo and Rio. Any updates on kosher restaurants in either city?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #221 on: November 20, 2013, 08:36:30 PM »
Thinking of planning a trip down to Sao Paulo and Rio. Any updates on kosher restaurants in either city?
Nothing new in Rio since I started planning. Deleite is open the most. We didn't try the meat place that's only open Thursday or the place that's only open Sundays.

Offline chochom

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #222 on: November 24, 2013, 11:46:03 AM »
hi Dan. where were you a shaliach in brazil (que lugar exato)? also, am trying to book for july, NYC-RIO with united, using my free 1 stopover in foz de iguacu. its impossible with united. any ideas?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #223 on: November 24, 2013, 12:30:01 PM »
also, am trying to book for july, NYC-RIO with united, using my free 1 stopover in foz de iguacu. its impossible with united. any ideas?
It's impossible now because TAM doesn't open domestic award seats till 3 months before departure. Also, with LAN and TAM combining, TAM will be joining OW, so it might be impossible all together.

I should mention that I just got back from Brazil and we purchased tickets on GOL from IGU-GIG for $67 one way.

Offline chochom

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #224 on: November 24, 2013, 02:17:42 PM »
yehoshua:
may be you can elaborate your trip plan (the ticket part of it). i played with current dates, like ewr-gig-igu-ewr (gig as stopover) and didnt work. i called united to try to book it for january and the rep couldnt do it either. what i really want to do is: ewr-gig then leave from sao-igu-ewr, meaning that rio is a stopover but the leg to igu is done from S.P. instead of leaving from R.J. to Iguacu, i would like to spend shabbos in SP, but i may be asking for too much

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #225 on: November 24, 2013, 02:42:32 PM »
yehoshua:
may be you can elaborate your trip plan (the ticket part of it). i played with current dates, like ewr-gig-igu-ewr (gig as stopover) and didnt work. i called united to try to book it for january and the rep couldnt do it either. what i really want to do is: ewr-gig then leave from sao-igu-ewr, meaning that rio is a stopover but the leg to igu is done from S.P. instead of leaving from R.J. to Iguacu, i would like to spend shabbos in SP, but i may be asking for too much
Like I said, the important thing to find out here is if TAM is still part of the *A.  If they are, I'm not sure why you can't find availability in January.  If TAM is now part of OW, you can use Avios to book the GRU-IGU flights if you needed to.

We flew LAX-YYZ-SCL-EZE, GIG-PHL-LAX on a UA award ticket.  We used Avios for AEP-IGR and bought IGU-GIG on GOL as I mentioned.  I don't think your itinerary is too much, just not sure if it's doable anymore due to TAM's leaving *A.

Also, having been to both sides of the falls, I'd highly recommend the Argentine side over the Brazilian side.  The Brazilian side had nice views, but we walked (slowly) on all the trials near the falls in 2 hours.  The Argentine side is a lot bigger, and you can get up close and personal with the falls and still get great pictures.

Offline Ergel

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #226 on: November 24, 2013, 02:44:50 PM »
TR coming?
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #227 on: November 24, 2013, 02:50:01 PM »

Offline Ergel

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #228 on: November 24, 2013, 02:50:21 PM »
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline chochom

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #229 on: November 24, 2013, 03:44:18 PM »
TAM still shows as partner with united. i can BUY a ticket ewr-igu but cant find with miles (even for close dates). actually i cant book with miles the simple trip sao-igu or rio-igu (neither sdu). in the miles end, nothing related to igu works.

Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #230 on: November 24, 2013, 08:21:57 PM »
TAM still shows as partner with united. i can BUY a ticket ewr-igu but cant find with miles (even for close dates). actually i cant book with miles the simple trip sao-igu or rio-igu (neither sdu). in the miles end, nothing related to igu works.
I don't recall SDU to IGU being expensive. What does it cost?

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #231 on: November 24, 2013, 08:26:25 PM »

I should mention that I just got back from Brazil and we purchased tickets on GOL from IGU-GIG for $67 one way.

Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #232 on: November 24, 2013, 09:47:29 PM »
@ Yehoshua

Guess my memory isn't failing me  :)

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #233 on: November 24, 2013, 11:50:41 PM »

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #234 on: November 25, 2013, 12:38:52 AM »

Offline MendyP

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #235 on: December 31, 2013, 06:16:51 PM »
Visited Brazil over Pesach 2013, as my brother got married in Sao Paulo. Trip Report as follows:

Tuesday-Wednesday, March 19-20th
•   9:45pm-8:25am (AA JFK-GRU)
•   Wedding

Flying into SP was impressive - tall green mountains next to a huge sprawling city. There were many frum people on the plane, which we found interesting, knowing nothing about S. America and it's Jewish population. After going through passport control, power went out in the entire airport and it was pitch black. Everyone turned on their cell phone screens to see and keep going. I would have thought there would be immediate lock down - but everything seemed to keep going - in the dark.

We were being hosted by some of the nicest people in the Perdizes area of SP. The neighborhood was interesting - large, stunning homes, all with big gates, electric wire up top, security cameras, and security booths on every block. This we were told, was one of the safest areas of SP - way to make a newcomer feel good about where he landed. Over time it felt quite safe, and seemed like a good area.

Every home it seemed, had 3-4 full time maids helping prepare for Pesach. The cost for a full time, live in maid, we were told, was approximately $500 USD/month. When it was time for lunch, at our hosts, we all sat down, and within 5 minutes, the maids had set our places and put out a full lunch. Incredible!

Wedding was great of course. We learned that being late seems to be quite the norm in Brazil.

Thursday, March 21st
•   GOL Airlines #1266 GRU-FLN 2:05pm-3:15pm
•   Pousada Penareia
•   Praia Armacao

We had a few days before Pesach, and were deciding between Florianopolis, Igassu Falls, Manaus, etc. Since these few days also spanned over a Shabbos, Florianopolis seemed to make the most sense, especially with the distance to Manaus, and the need to travel to/from the falls at Igassu. Florianopolis looked beautiful and was ranked #3 Brazilian destination on TripAdvisor after SP and RJ. Even within Florianopolis, there appeared to be many areas to choose from. We settled on the southeast corner, which appeared to be a beautiful, quieter, area - by Armacao Beach and Lagoinha de Leste (#1 Florianopolis attraction on TA).

It didn't seem like anyone actually turns off their electronics on the planes when they announce the need to do so. GOL was a nice airline, although it could have been a bit quieter on the flight. Flying from SP to Florianopolis, felt like flying from NYC to Miami - but better. Florianopolis looked incredible flying in, like a tropical paradise... The B&B turned out to be great, and right on Armacao Beach - which is a large, quiet, and beautiful beach, with nice waves, surfers, etc. The owner spoke decent English, which was a relief, as there was not much English spoken overall in Brazil, and the B&B staff was very helpful and accommodating.

Friday, March 22nd
•   Praia Joaquina and Sand Dunes
•   Lagoa da Conceição
•   City: Public market, XV de Novembro Square, Rua Felipe Schmidt, Morro da Cru (Was on the itinerary, didn't end up going)

It seemed that all car rentals were manual (stick shift) in Florianopolis. Having never driven stick, and looking at the map, it seemed that we'd break even by taking cabs rather than renting a car during our stay. We attempted to take the bus up to the Praia Joaquina sand dunes. The first bus took forever, and after waiting impatiently at the connecting bus stop, we jumped in a cab. The sand dunes were pretty cool. You can rent a surfboard, or bring a sled, and go sandboarding or sledding down the slope - quite a sight. You also have a great view of the ocean. We then walked down the road to the actual Praia Joaquina (Praia means beach).

We then took a cab over to Lagoa da Conceição, a central part of Florianopolis with banks, shops, etc, and explored a bit. In the Lagoa (lagoon) itself, there were some interesting water sports going on.

Saturday, March 23rd
•   Lagoinha do Leste
•   Matadeiro Beach
•   Lagoa da Conceição

Lagoinha do Leste was listed as the #1 TA destination in Florianopolis. There seemed to be 2 ways to hike there - a longer route walking down the main road inland and then cutting straight through the forest, or a shorter, but more difficult - yet visually rewarding route along the coast. We went for option 2. We did not realize however this was still a 3 hour trek, and we did not prepare properly for it. A bit of the way into climbing the side of the mountain we were uncertain whether we were on the correct path any longer, there were no other people anywhere in sight or earshot, we did not have phones on us because of shabbat, and decided to turn around.

This was fine, as we relaxed on Matadeiro Beach and then Praia de Armacao. This walk alone, between these 2 beaches was absolutely stunning. We headed back to Lagoa da Conceição on Saturday night to explore.

Sunday, March 24th
•   Watching sunrise over Praia de Armacao
•   Ilha do Campeche
•   GOL Airlines #1273 FLN-GRU 9:30pm-10:45pm

We woke up early to catch the sunrise over Praia de Armacao. This was incredible and really worth it. Beautiful, serene, quiet out. We asked the B&B owner what the "must see" spots were for our final day and were told the most beautiful spots in all of Florianopolis were Lagoa da Conceição (which we had attempted) and Ilha do Campeche. We settled on Ilha do Campeche - a small island off the coast, very easy to get to, as the boats left from Praia de Armacao, right near where we were staying. The boat held approx. 10 people and the ride took ~30 minutes. Arriving at Ilha do Campeche, the colors of the water (deep green) and sand on the beach (bright white) were incredible. The boats come pretty close to shore, and you hop out into the water, holding your stuff above the water hopefully. The boats tell you what time they will pick you up. This was quite a place to relax and enjoy the scenery...

Monday-Wednesday March 25th-27th
•   Exploring Sao Paulo until the Seder

We explored a bit, walking down Avenue Paulista, stopping into shops, and this nice park right off the avenue... (Otherwise, were helping prep for Pesach)

Thursday, March 28th
•   GOL Airlines #1704 GRU-SDU 8:50am-9:57am
•   Windsor Palace Hotel in Copacabana
•   Sugarloaf Mountain before dusk

Flying into Rio is amazing, specifically if you're flying into SDU, the domestic airport closer to the city. The Windsor Palace Hotel was nice, although Copa apparently is quite seedy. Further over in Ipanema and Leblon is MUCH nicer, although more expensive to stay. We picked up food from the caterer at Chabad of Copacabana and stopped into the Kosher store as well. Together with food we packed from NY, we had a TON of food for the rest of Pesach.

The view from the top of the hotel was incredible - you could see Corcovado and Sugarloaf mountains, Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, etc.

We headed over to Sugarloaf to head to the top right before dark, to see the view in both light and dark. This was incredible - a must do.

After being in Rio for the trip, the way I describe it, is ... incredibly beautiful nature (tall lush mountains on the ocean with huge waves) with a dump of a city dropped on top of it. Therefore, when you're high up looking around - it's incredible. When you're down in it - ehhh....more so in seedier areas like Copacabana, as there are nicer areas in Ipanema and Leblon...

Friday, March 29th
•   Open jeep tour of Tijuca Forest and Corcovado
•   Open jeep tour of Rocinha Favela

We asked the front desk about what to do, and settled on an open jeep tour of the Tijuca Forest and Corcovado. I don't recall the cost, but it was very decently priced, and lasted 5-6 hours. We beat all the lines and went to the top of Corcovado quickly - only to see the massive lines on the way down. We had not planned on taking the jeep tour of the favela (due to nervousness and unfamiliarity), however others in the first tour had taken it the prior day and highly suggested it. It turned out to be great. Upon driving into the favela, the driver has 2 buddies drive the jeep to the other side of the favela, so we can walk through and get to the jeep on the other side. We were introduced to them, and he mentioned one of them is from Israel. He smiled brightly upon "Shalom" and responded with a big "Shabbat shalom". We saw him further in the favela - he has a key copying stand with a big blue magen david drawn on it, and his name "Paniel". Overall, a great day.

Saturday, March 30th
•   Copacabana Beach
•   Lapa

Hung out on Copa beach over Shabbat. Took a cab into Lapa at night, explored. Found some side street with a live band and dancing in the street, which entertained us for a while.

Sunday, March 31st
•   Hippie Fair in Ipanema
•   Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas
•   Ipanema - Copacaba Beaches

Every Sunday is the Hippie Fair in Ipanema, which we walked around for a while. A short walk from there is the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, where there are bike rentals, boat rentals, etc. It's a gorgeous walk around the Lagoa. We then went back to the beaches, to take some pictures, as all our other beach time was on Shabbos/Yom Tov.

Monday-Tuesday, April 1st-2nd
•   Copacabana Beach
•   AA #974 GIG-JFK (as soon as Pesach ended)

The car service that picked us up motzei pesach for the airport, showed up without a full tank of gas and wasn't sure he had enough to make it. It so happened there was an insane accident and traffic was beyond ridiculous. Instead of taking ~40 mins, it took 1 hr 40 mins, due to both traffic, taking an alternate route, and the driver needing to find a gas station. Meanwhile, there were some huge thunderstorms with a torrential downpour as we got close to the airport. Apparently the Rio airport ceiling is pouros and the floor was wet near the gate. As we were rushing I slipped and fell quite hard to help keep things interesting.

Other things we noted:
•   Almost every bank had security guards with machine guns. We also had difficulty taking out cash at many banks with our US debit cards.
•   "Oi" is Hello is Portuguese. If you're used to saying "Oy" in a Jewish way, it can be entertaining when you do so without thinking and the person next to you thinks you're saying Hi.
•   Brazil is not cheap.
•   English is hard to come by, especially in taxis. We relied heavily on Google Translate. Apparently there is a small distinction between saying "No Fala Portuguese" and "No Falo Portuguese" - I don't speak Portuguese, vs, You don't speak Portuguese. Apparently we were telling the cabs the whole time that they didn't speak Portuguese. No wonder they kept on talking...


Sao Paulo pictures:

Avenue Paulista:


Soccer Stadium:



Florianopolis Pictures:

Flying in to Florianopolis:


Armacao Beach:


Arriving at Ilha Do Campeche:


Ilha Do Campeche:


Lagoa De Conceicao:


Lagoa De Conceicao Sand Dunes:


Walk to Matadeiro Beach:


Sunrise:



Rio De Janeiro Pictures:

Copacabana Beach:


Rio from Atop Corcovado Mtn:


Rio from Atop Sugarloaf Mtn:


Rio from the Tijuca Forest:


Rocinha Favela:

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #236 on: December 31, 2013, 07:02:18 PM »
Awsome TR!  At least your pictures of Rio were nicer than ours when it rained the whole time we were there.

Offline Dan

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #237 on: December 31, 2013, 08:28:24 PM »
Muito bem!

I didn't have any issues getting an automatic in FLN years ago.  Can't even imagine getting around without a car.

No restaurant reviews?
Didn't want to brave hang gliding in Rio?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline MendyP

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #238 on: January 01, 2014, 01:45:03 AM »
Because of Pesach we didn't go to any restaurants. We ate food from the local caterer at the wedding, not sure who it was, and at our hosts. The caterer from chabad in Copacabana cooked great food, definitely recommend, and the price was decent.

We wanted to hang glide. We saw others landing on the beach and it looked amazing. The front desk at the hotel stopped recommending providers they said, after an apparent incident the prior year when an American fell out of the hang glide and died.... So they scared us off a bit, plus we found out it cost much more than we originally thought.

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Re: Brazil Master Thread
« Reply #239 on: January 26, 2014, 12:18:35 PM »
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.