Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The spa towns
The drive from Belo Horizonte and the
cidades históricas
south
to Rio
turns into one
of the most spectacular in Brazil once you cross the state border and encounter the
glorious scenery of the Serra dos Órgãos, but there is little to detain you in Minas along
the way. he route southwest
to São Paulo
, however, is altogether different. The hills
rising into mountains near the state border harbour a cluster of
SPA TOWNS
- the
Circuito das Águas
, or “Circuit of the Waters”, as the spa resorts of
São Lourenço
and
Caxambu
are collectively known. They are all small, quiet and popular with older
Brazilians, who flock there to take the waters and baths, though their appeal has
definitely faded in recent years. Each is centred on a
parque hidromineral
, a park
built around the springs, incorporating bathhouses and fountains.
2
Caxambu
Just behind São Lourenço for the title of most appealing of the spa towns,
CAXAMBU
was a favourite haunt of the Brazilian royal family in the nineteenth century. Lourenço
Castanho Taques explored the area in 1674, but settlement didn't really get going until
the 1750s. People started coming to “take the waters” in the 1840s, and the Das Águas
Minerais de Caxambu bottling company was established in 1886, along with the basis
of the park you see today.
Parque das Águas
Rua João Carlos 100 • Daily 7am-6pm • Park entry R$5; bath R$15; sauna R$25; massage R$70-90 •
T
35 3341 3266
he
Parque das Águas
, in the centre of town (just off Praça 16 de Setembro 24), is
worth a visit, though despite some renovations in 2010, much of the complex feels
distinctly neglected. Built in the last decades of the nineteenth century and the early
years of the twentieth, it's dotted with eleven oriental-style pavilions sheltering the
actual mineral water springs and houses an ornate Turkish-style Balneário de
Hidroterapia (bathhouse) completed in 1912 that is very reasonably priced - you can
bathe in early twentieth-century opulence, and there are also various kinds of sauna
and massage available. The bathhouse has separate facilities for men and women.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
CAXAMBU
By bus
The rodoviária
(
T
35 3341 9063), served by direct
services from Belo Horizonte (6hr), Rio (5hr) and São Paulo
(7hr), is on the western edge of town, around 1km from the
park. Buses for São Lourenço also depart several times a day.
Tourist information
In the town hall on Praça 16 de
Setembro 24, near the park entrance (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm;
T
35 3341 1298,
W
descubracaxambu.com.br).
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Caxambu
Rua Major Penha 145
T
35 3341
9300,
W
hotelcaxambu.com.br.
For faded, late
nineteenth-century elegance it's hard to beat this old
stalwart, 400m from t
he spa,
but with its own gym, pools,
saunas and free wi-fi.
R$150
Palace Hotel
Rua Dr Viotti 567
T
35 3341 3341,
W
palacehotel.com.br.
Grand colonial option that opened
in 1892, close to the park and with another slew of pools,
sauna
and m
assage parlour. Buffet breakfast (free) and free
wi-fi.
R$175
São Lourenço
If Caxambu is the last word in Edwardian elegance,
SÃO LOURENÇO
rivals it with its
displays of Art Deco brilliance. Its
Parque das Águas
is studded with striking 1940s
pavilions and has a stunning bathhouse which looks more like a film set for a Hollywood
high-society comedy. The most upmarket and modern-looking of the small spas, the town
is popular with young and old alike. Since 2002 corporate giant Nestlé has been bottling
the water here (and managing the park), under the brand
Água Mineral São Lourenço
.
