Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INFORMATION
Tourist information
The availability of the tourist
information o
ce at Praça Benedito Leite (
T
98 3212 6211)
can be unreliable, though opening hours are usually
10am-5pm daily. The Secretaria de Turismo at Rua Portugal
165 is open Mon-Sat 8am-7pm and Sun 9am-3pm. Both
o
ces supply similar maps and basic information, but rarely
have English-speakers. The kiosk at the airport (
T
98 3244
4500) is open 24hr (though not always manned).
GETTING AROUND
On foot
You shouldn't need to use public transport very
much: the area of interest is small and most things are
within walking distance.
By taxi
Radio taxis are available from Coopertaxi
(
T
98 3245 4404) and it won't be more than R$10
around town.
Car rental
Localiza (
T
98 2109 3900).
ACCOMMODATION
Most of the city's luxury hotels lie well outside the centre, near the beaches, but to get a flavour of the city's atmosphere there's
no substitute for staying in the
centro histórico
. You should be aware, however, that there are extremely loud reggae nights
(normally Wed, Thurs & Fri) here that may keep you awake well into the early hours. All the options below offer free wi-fi.
Casa Livinia
Rua do Giz 380
T
98 8103 1842,
W
casalavinia.com.
Gorgeous mid-nineteenth-century
colonial mansion with just four romantic suites decked out
in period style with f
our-po
ster beds, mosquito nets and
polished wood floors.
R$220
Grand São Luís Hotel
Praça Dom Pedro II 299
T
98
3167 3200,
W
grandsaoluishotel.com.br.
Comfortable
but not as luxurious as it once was, this ageing concrete
1970s throwback is well located in the historic centre but
generally cocooned from the noisy party nights. Great
views across the river, nice circular pool, good cable TV,
strong a/c and free
wi-fi. D
ecent restaurant and big buffet
breakfast included.
R$185
Pousada Colonial
Rua Afonso Pena 112
T
98 3232
2834,
W
clickcolonial.com.br.
Finely maintained mansion
offering basic rooms (old beds, TV but no cable, slow wi-fi)
but good servi
ce in p
leasant surroundings, close to the
historic centre.
R$130
Pousada do Porto
Rua de Nazaré 82
T
98 3221 0793,
W
pousadadoportoslz.com.br.
Good-value central option
in another atmospheric, colonial property, though the
simple, clean rooms h
ere defi
nitely do feel the brunt of the
noise on party nights.
R$108
Solar das Pedras Hostel
Rua da Palma 127
T
98 3232
6694,
W
ajsolardaspedras.com.br.
Barebones but busy
and cheerful youth hostel right in the heart of the action in
Praia Grande (in a nineteenth-century home), with tidy
dorms and dou
ble rooms. Pri
ces for m
embers are giv
en in
brackets. Dorms
R$35 (R$30)
; doubles
R$80 (R$70)
4
EATING
At weekends virtually the entire city moves out to the beaches, which are large enough to swallow up the masses without
getting too crowded. You will quickly discover one of the delights of this coast: the seafood. The beach stalls do fried fish,
the prawns are the size of large fingers, and whatever they don't cook you can buy fresh from a stream of vendors. One
thing you won't find outside Maranhão is
cuxá
- a delicious dish made of crushed dried shrimp, garlic and the stewed
leaves of two native plants. Another local culinary icon is Guaraná Jesus, a soft drink produced here since 1920 and now
owned by the Coca-Cola Company. Note, however, that the restaurants most fêted by locals tend to be a long way from the
centre and hard to reach unless you have a car.
Crioula's
Rua do Giz at Rua João Vital
T
98 3221 0985.
Traditional, spacious dinner hall for buffet
por quilo
lunches, with an old-time
maranhense
flavour (as well as
doce de espécie
, the coconut dessert typical of Alcântara).
Mon-Sat 11am-3pm & 6-10pm.
La Pizzeria
Rua do Giz 129
T
98 3182 8794.
Brazilian
traveller and foreign backpacker fave for dinner, with a
friendly vibe, decent thin-crust pizzas and cold beers
(mains R$12-30).
Daily 6.30pm-midnight.
Restaurante dos Arcos
Grand São Luís Hotel, Praça
Dom Pedro II 299
T
98 3167 3200,
W
grandsaoluishotel
.com.br.
Movers and shakers pile in to this hotel restaurant
for the excellent lunch buffet (Mon-Fri noon-3pm) by the
kilo; they also serve dinner buffets (set price) with themes
that differ through the week.
Daily noon-3pm & 7-10pm.
★
Restaurante Senac
Rua de Nazaré 242
T
98 3198
1100,
W
www.ma.senac.br/restaurante-escola.
Excellent
restaurant that's a training ground for serious apprentice chefs
and waiting staff (SENAC is a culinary college). Meals are
buffet-style, with a vast selection of salads, seafood mains
(including the famous
cuxá
rice) and desserts for R$30 (not by
the kilo). It's a bit 1980s, with a live pianist, but great value.
Get there early. Dinner is à la carte (mains R$65-120).
Mon-
Wed & Sat noon-3pm, Thurs & Fri noon-3pm & 7-11pm.
