Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as a small
Museu de Arte Sacra
, with the usual church silverware, various religious
sculptures and antique furniture on display.
Museu Casa de Cultura Jorge Amado
Rua Jorge Amado 21 • Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-6pm, Sat 9am-1pm • R$4 •
T
73 3634 8986
Housed in an ornate mansion commissioned by Amado's father in 1926, the
Museu
Casa de Cultura Jorge Amado
was once the home of the city's most famous son and now
contains exhibits on the region's chocolate industry and Amado himself, though the
whole thing is in dire need of renovation. Born in Itabuna in 1912, Amado moved to
Ilhéus when he was a baby, and spent much of his life here and in Salvador.
The beaches
Apart from the centre, you'll find the main concentration of bars in Ilhéus along the
fine beach promenade of the Avenida Soares Lopes, east of the centre - the beach itself
called simply
Avenida
- though much of it is polluted and not recommended for
bathing. There are other beaches to the south:
Do Cristo
is on the river with a statue of
Christ the Redeemer, and tiny
Da Concha
and
Do Sul
are south of the Rio Cachoeira.
Some 6km south of the centre lies the area's best beach,
Praia dos Milionários
, lined
with coconut palms. Some 8km south lies
Cururupe
, where there are a series of bars,
some holiday homes and groves of palm trees.
Backdoor
, the famous right
surf break
, is
at Km 14, while the beaches of the suburban community of
Olivença
begin at Km 17 -
Batuba
(
W
batubabeach.com.br) and then Praia de Olivença itself. Other than the
sands, the main attraction in Olivença is the tranquil
Balneário Tororomba
, a public
swimming bath built around mineral water from the Rio Tororomba.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
3
ILHÉUS
BY PLANE
Aeroporto Jorge Amado is 3km from the centre on Rua Brig.
Eduardo Gomes, on the south side of the river (
T
73 3234
4006); taxis should be around R$25. Most regional carriers
operate flights here, notably from Belo Horizonte, Rio,
Salvador and even Porto Seguro.
Car rental
Localiza (
T
73 3231 8158) has a car rental desk
in the terminal and there are several ATMs.
BY BUS
The rodoviária (
T
73 3634 4121) is on Praça Cairu, 3.5km west
of the centre of Ilhéus, but buses outside marked “Centro” or
“Olivença” will take you into town; from the centre take the
“Teotônio Vilela” or “Salobrinho” buses (15min; R$2.20).
Destinations
Itacaré (frequent; 1hr 40min); Porto Seguro
(4 daily; 4hr); Rio (2 daily; 23hr); Salvador (7 daily; 7.5hr);
São Paulo (3 daily; 28hr); Vitória (1 daily; 14.5hr).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
★
Bar Vesúvio
Praça Dom Eduardo
T
73 3634 2164,
W
barvesuvio.com.
Yes it's a tourist trap, but this is one of
the most famous bars in Brazil thanks to Amado's
Gabriela
,
Cravo e Canela
. It has a genuine history that goes back to
the 1910s and really was frequented by indolent cocoa
farmers. Dishes named after “Nacib”- the Middle Eastern
owner in the novel - are still served, with cold draught
beer (R$6) and
pastel árabe
(a sweet cake, a bit like
baklava; R$5.50).
Daily 10am-midnight.
Bataclan
Av 2 de Julho 77
T
73 3634 0088,
W
bataclan
.com.br.
Fashionable restaurant, gift shop and arts centre
associated with the famed Amado novel (it was a brothel
until the 1940s), with a room dedicated to the former
owner and Amado character “Maria Machadão”.
Mon-Sat
10am-11pm.
Ilhéus Hotel
Rua Eustáquio Bastos 144
T
73 3634
4242,
W
ilheushotel.com.br.
This grand old canary-
coloured building is loaded with character, a faded 1930s
high-rise by the water in the centre of town. Rooms are
simple but adequate, and
come
with fan or a/c and TV
(though a/c is R$60 more).
R$120
Pousada Pier do Pontal
Lomanto Júnior 1650
T
73 3221 4000,
W
pierdopontal.com.br.
Solid mid-
range choice on the south side of the river, near the airport,
with modern but
rustic-c
hic style rooms, all with cable TV,
a/c and free wi-fi.
R$210
Porto Seguro
The most popular destination in southern Bahia is the resort area around
PORTO SEGURO
,
where Cabral supposedly “discovered” Brazil in 1500. Founded in 1526, the port has some
