Brazil - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 293

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By bus From Recife, take bus #983 or #993 from Rua do
Sol to Praça do Carmo, just by Olinda's main post o ce and
a 2min walk up into the old city. From Boa Viagem, take
bus #910.
Tourist information The main tourist o ce is on
Av Da Liberdade (daily 8am-6pm; T 81 3305 1060,
W olindaturismo.com.br), with a branch on Rua Prudente
de Morais 472 (Mon-Sat 8am-5pm; T 81 3429 0244), at
either of which you can pick up a decent map. For general
info see W olinda.pe.gov.br, and for all Carnaval-related
info W carnaval.olinda.pe.gov.br.
Tour operators Victor Tur, Av Sigismundo Gonçalves 732,
Carmo, Olinda ( T 81 3429 1532, W pousadamarindos
caetes.com.br) is an agency run out of the Pousada Marin
dos Caétes that arranges bus and air tickets and car rentals,
as well as city and beach tours.

pousada, while the cheaper rooms are aroun d the p ool area
at the back. All have a/c. Breakfast included. R$100
Hotel Pousada São Francisco Rua do Sol 127 T 81
3429 2109, W pousadasaofrancisco.com.br. Definitely
more of a hotel than a pousada, this place has a good-sized
pool, a pool table and 45 bright, comfortable rooms, with
antique wooden floors and Afro-Brazilian art decorating
the walls. All hav e a/c, fridge, cable TV and wi-fi. Breakfast
included. R$180

EATING AND DRINKING
If you want to eat for less than R$20 in Olinda, try the
comida por quilo places along the seafront and in Novo
Olinda. For a bit more, you can eat far better in the old
town. Best and least expensive of all, though, is to join the
crowds drinking and eating street food at the Alto da Sé,
with the best views in town to boot. The charcoal-fired
delights sold here can't be recommended too highly; try
acarajé , from women sitting next to sizzling wok-like pots
- bean-curd cakes, fried in palm oil, slit, and filled with
salad, dried shrimps and vatapá (a paste of coconut milk,
dried shrimp, palm oil and ground peanuts).
Atelier e Comedoria Lautreamont Rua Prudente de
Morais 249 T 81 3439 4434. Near the Uruguayan consulate
and with a vaguely Uruguayan theme, this crimson-shuttered
gallery-cum-restaurant is perfect for a quiet, late afternoon
meal when other places are closed. The food's largely
regional, though, unusually for this part of the world, they
also do a decent Spanish tortilla (R$16). Daily 10am-11pm.
Banana Split Praça do Carmo 5D T 81 4104 0445. Plenty
of tasty snacks to choose from at this tiny German-owned
place, including a ricotta and sun-dried tomato sandwich
(R$11), soups, including caldo verde (R$6), salads (R$16) and
tasty fresh fruit juices (from R$2.50). Given the Praça's brutal
heat, you might also want to indulge in the house sorvete
(R$8). Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat & Sun 9am-10pm.

3

ACCOMMODATION
Albergue de Olinda Rua do Sol 233, Carmo T 81 3429
1592, W alberguedeolinda.com.br. Located on a busy main
road by the seafront, this bright and tasteful HI hostel has
a bucolic little garden with hammocks and a pool, ideal for
mingling with other travellers. Rooms are a bit on the plain
side with just the bare necessities, but they're clean enough
and the place itself has a friendly vi be. W i-fi. HI di scoun t
available. Breakfast included. Dorms R$38 , doubles R$80
Casa de Hilton Rua do Sol 77 T 81 3494 2379, W casa
dehilton.com.br. The eponymous Hilton rents out a few
vibrantly painted rooms in this bright yellow house at
an unbeatable price; the tatty furniture has seen better
days but the rooms are adequately comfortable for a few
nights, and there's also a comm unal kitc hen fo r those
wanting to self-cater. Dorms R$25 , doubles R$75
Ì Pousada Alto Astral Rua 13 de Maio 305 T 81 3439
3453, W pousadaaltoastral.com. Decorated with naïve art
and with a handsome wrought-iron staircase, the staff
here are incredibly friendly and the breakfast area (lavish
spread included in price) is perfect for socializing. Rooms
are warm, wildly painted and superb value, plus there's
a pool and wi-fi. Ask for any of the rooms at the back, or, if
there are four of you, ask for room eight - spaciou s and
with leafy views over the city. Single rooms available. R$80
Pousada Marin dos Caétes Av Sigismundo Gonçalves
732, Carmo T 81 3493 1556, W pousadamarindoscaetes
.com.br. The petite rooms come in all colours and styles, some
like a doll's house, some like a ship's cabin, and each named
after one of Pernambuco's great and good. The wooden
floorboards are a nice change from tiles, and though the
bathrooms are also prett y poky, they're nonetheless clean.
Breakfast included. R$70
Ì Pousada Pedro Rua 27 de Janeiro 95 T 81 3439 9546,
W pousadapedro.com. A spiral staircase leads up to the more
expensive rooms in the main house of this charming

Ì TREAT YOURSELF
Oficina do Sabor Rua do Amparo 335,
Recife Antigo T 81 3429 3331, W oficina
dosabor.com. After two decades of
supplying Recife and Olinda's chattering
classes with exquisitely prepared
Pernambucan cuisine, the reputation of
this place precedes it. And with an interior
that's hardly ostentatious, the emphasis is
squarely on the food; blowing a day's
budget on dishes such as their pumpkin
stuffed with shrimp in a passion fruit and
coconut sauce (R$95) is all too easy.
Tues-Thurs noon-4pm & 6pm-midnight,
Fri noon-4pm & 6pm-1am, Sat
noon-1am, Sun noon-5pm.