Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By taxi
Taxis use meters that start at R$4; reckon on
R$15-20 between Boa Viagem and the city centre, and
R$30-35 between Boa Viagem and Olinda.
BOA VIAGEM
CAFÉS AND
RESTAURANTS
Bar da Fava
Bargaço
Chica Pitanga
Entre Amigo
Recanto Lusitano
2
1
4
3
5
INFORMATION
Tourist information
The most helpful tourist
information point is at the airport (daily 8am-6pm;
T
81
3462 4960,
W
www.ecife.pe.gov.br), where you may find
English-speaking staff. There are also branches at the
rodoviária (daily 7am-7pm;
T
81 3182 8298) and Pracinha
de Boa Viagem (daily 8am-8pm;
T
81 3182 8297).
Alternatively, there's the tourist hotline, the Disque Recife
Turístico (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm;
T
81 3355 8409), on which
you should be able to find someone who speaks English.
ACCOMMODATION
Arrecifes Hostel
Cosmopolitan Hostel
Estação do Mangue
Golden Tulip Recife Palace
Hotel Atlante Plaza
MarHotel Recife
Piratas da Praia
7
1
4
3
6
5
2
ACCOMMODATION
By far the cheapest place to stay is Boa Vista in the city
centre, though most of the city's hotels and hostels are
located in Boa Viagem, near the beach. An obvious area to
consider staying in is nearby Olinda (see p.275), where the
high prices are offset by the charm of its colonial conversions
and culture. As ever, if you want to visit during Carnaval,
you'll need to book months in advance.
Praia do
Pina
Parque dos
Manguezais
4
CITY CENTRE
Hotel Central
Av Manoel Borba 209, Boa Vista
T
81
3222 2353; map p.266.
The celebrity guests - Carmen
Miranda and Orson Welles among them - may have long
gone, but this handsomely decaying old hotel (opened in
1927) still has many of its original features, including window
shutters, stone steps and cage lift. While the en suites have
a/c, the clean, spartan
coletivo
(shared toilet) rooms are
probably the best bargain in the city. Ten percent
disco
unt if
you book two nights or more. Breakfast included.
R$75
Mercure Recife Metropolis Hotel
Rua Estado de Israel
203, Ilha do leite
T
81 3087 3700,
W
mercure.com; map
p.266.
This is the only luxurious hotel near central Recife; it
offers a pool, sauna and restaurant faci
lities, t
hough most
apartments also have their own kitchen.
R$260
Villa Boa Vista
Rua Miguel Couto 81
T
81 3223 0666,
W
pousadavillaboavista.com.br; map p.266.
Cosy and
comfortable option in a mid-range bracket that rarely seems
worth the money in Recife: the spacious, a/c rooms her
e come
with ceramic floors, free wi-fi, TV and breakfast buffet.
R$265
Shopping
Recife
Praia de
Boa Viagem
Laundry
Farmácia Pague Menos-
Boa Viagem 24 Horas
BOA VIAGEM
Arrecifes Hostel
Rua Joâo Cardoso Ayres 560
T
81 3462
5867,
W
arrecifeshostel.com.br; map p.271.
One of Boa
Viagem's newest hostels, this HI-a
liated place is perfectly
pitched between the airport and the beach. The tiled rooms
are basic but spotless, with a choice of a/c or fan, and there's
also a kitchen, paved patio with hammocks, a pool table and
wi-fi. Breakfast
included. Pric
es for m
embers are given
in
brackets. Dorms
R$52 (R$42)
; doubles
R$120 (R$110)
Praça Boa Viagem
SHOP
Shopping Recife
1
BARS
Bar Boratcho
Boteco Maxime
Socaldinho Camarão
1
2
3
0
200
metres
Piedade &
