The Amazon - The Rough Guide to Brazil - page 352

Barrudada Tropical Hotel Av Mendonça Furtado
4120 T 93 3222 2200, W barrudadatropicalhotel.com
.br. There's nothing too tropical about this place - it's a
massive concrete structure with over two hundred rooms
on the outskirts of town. It is, however, the city's best hotel
and features an appealing round pool that is a real treat in
Santarém's hot and sticky weather. The mellow coloured
rooms are clean and comfortable - try and secure one on
the thir d floor from where there are views of the city and
beyond. R$225.50
Brisa Hotel Rua Senador Lameira Bittencourt 5
T 93 3522 1018, E [e-mail]. This is
probably Santarém's most atmospheric hotel, featuring a
little touch of greenery, wooden furniture and yellow hues.
The a/c rooms are clean and have private bathrooms,
although there is only one roo m with a window (facing the
back of the building). R$100
Central Hotel Av Tapajós 258 T 93 3522 4920. Run
by the same management as Mistura Brasileira , this
hotel has equally claustrophobic narrow corridors

painted in bright blue; the rooms are on the small side
here too, with just a tiny window flap giving onto the
interior. There is a handful of more spacious (and
slightly more expensive) rooms upstairs with
windows, so you're better off go ing for one of those.
There's wi-fi at reception. R$100
Mistura Brasileira Av Tapajós 23 T 93 3522 4819,
E [e-mail]. Right by the por
quilo restaurant of the same name, this centrally located
hotel has clean but small and stuffy a/c rooms with cold
water; most are dark with no windows as they face onto
the bright blue interior c orridor; try and ask for one of the
four rooms with window. R$100
Tapajós Center Hotel Av Tapajós 1827 T 93 3522
5353, W tapajoscenterhotel.com.br. On the southern
end of Av Tapajós, this new addition to Santarém offers
decent rooms in a concrete block; all have a/c, private
bathroom and cable TV. Some rooms look onto the river but
can get a bit n oisy at night as they also face the town's main
artery. R$170

5

EATING
Mistura Brasileira Av Tapajós 23 T 93 3522 4819. This
laidback place is a good spot for a por quilo lunch (R$31.90),
with a very decent selection of fish, meat and vegetable
dishes. It's among the best buffet restaurants in town.
Daily 11am-3pm.
Nido Av Tapajós 47 T 93 3522 4819. This sorveteria
offers a selection of about fifteen exotic flavours
including Brazil nut, açaí and all manner of local fruits -
scoop away at the self-service por quilo ice-cream stand
(R$31.90) and sprinkle with your toppings of choice.
Daily 3-11pm.
Nossa Casa Rua São Cristovão 54 T 93 9197 6354. This
warm and welcoming family-run restaurant features bare
brick walls and little colourful knick-knacks decorating
scattered shelves. The menu features new additions every
six months or so, giving the owner and chef some time to
come up with original creations taking in clients'
suggestions. Try the bestselling mega tapajós (fresh
pirarucu fish with cheese, oregano, jambu risotto and farofa

with plantain; R$47). Mon-Sat 7-11.30pm.
★

Peixaria Rayana Av Rui Barbosa 3596 T 93 3523
0349. This local institution has being going strong for
years and is by far the city's best restaurant. The place
itself is very laidback, with plastic chairs and simple
decor, but the food is truly exceptional - and wonderfully
cheap. As the name suggests, the speciality here is fish
that comes grilled, fried or boiled. The popular pirarucu
na manteiga ( pirarucu in butter sauce; R$40) is big
enough for two. Mon-Sat 10am-4pm & 6.30-
midnight, Sun 10am-4pm.
Trapiche Rua Adriano Pimentel 114 T 93 8127 6999.
On the riverfront, this welcoming restaurant offers lovely
Amazonian cuisine in a pleasant setting. The interior is
warm and welcoming, with an open brick wall and
paintings of the area. The risotto do pato (duck risotto;
R$25) is one of their most popular dishes, as is the pirarucu
stuffed with shrimps and jambu (serves two; R$62).
Daily 7pm-midnight.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Boteco do Sorriso Rua do Imperador 622 T 93 3522
3911. One of the city's best spots for some live music, this
friendly bar buzzes late at night when pop-rock and MPB
bands play until the early hours (11pm-2am). There are
over twenty types of wine, cocktails and 3.5-litre beer
towers (R$33), along with fish and meat dishes (serving

two; R$43) to refuel. Tues-Sat 7pm-2am.
Mascotinho Praça Manoel de Jesus Moraes s/n
T 93 3523 2399. This relaxed bar on the riverfront
promenade attracts plenty of locals who head here to
watch the sun set with a beer (R$5); the pleasant river
breeze is an added bonus. Daily 5pm-midnight.

SHOPPING
Muiraquitã Rua Senador Lameira Bittencourt 131
T 93 3522 7164. The city's largest souvenir shop sells all

manner of wooden crafts, jewellery, tablemats and more.
Mon-Sat 9am-7pm.