Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ACCOMMODATION
Although there are dozens of
hotels
, finding a room at weekends and during June and July can be di
cult, especially If
you want an affordable one. During this high season some places demand a minimum stay of three or even seven nights;
on the other hand, out of season, rates plummet.
Campos do Jordão Hostel
Rua Pereira Barreto 22,
Abernéssia
T
12 3662 2341,
W
camposdojordaohostel
.com.br.
More like a cheap hotel than a traditional youth
hostel, with just a couple of small dorms and rather more
private rooms, but the staff go out of their way to be
of help
and it st
ill offer
s the cheapest beds in town. Dorms
R$60
;
doubles
R$180
Geneve
Av Dr Januário Miraglia, Abernéssia
T
12 3662
1711,
W
hotelgeneve.com.br.
A small, unpretentious
hotel on the main drag, with neat rooms and a communal
front room wh
ere the
y get a big roaring fire going of a
winter evening.
R$200
Nevada
Av Macedo Soares, Capivari
T
12 3663 1611,
W
hotelnevada.com.br.
They throw in breakfast and
evening “sopa” at this good-value mid-range hotel in the
centre of Capivari, where rooms at the back are slightly
cheaper than those at the front.
Midwe
ek prices are
roughly fifty percent cheaper usually.
R$420
Pousada Villa Capivary
Av Victor Godinho 131,
Capivari
T
12 3663 1736,
W
capivari.com.br.
A very
comfortable chalet-like hotel, where the rooms are cosy
and the salon, with big fireplace, is like the front room in a
well-kept house. If you come here at the weekend (Fri & Sat
night), you have to take a two-night package, which
includes a big brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Midweek rates ar
e roughl
y a third of the price quoted.
Weekend package
R$1490
EATING AND DRINKING
Baden Baden
Rua Djalma Forjaz 93, Capivari
T
12
9980 3680.
Get out your lederhosen for beer, sausage and
fondue at this trendy bar, which gets packed out in season.
If you don't fancy a cheese fondue for two (R$99.80), the
R$36.80 giant steak and cheddar sandwich should fill a
gap.
Daily 11am-11pm.
Fraülein Bierhaus
Rua Professora Isola Orsi 33,
Capivari
T
12 3663 1529.
You can get good German food
here - a mixed grill with sauerkraut and potatoes costs
R$93 for two, for example. But what you really want is at
the end of the menu: the beer list, with a huge selection of
German, British and microbrewery Brazilian, and even
American, brews. Not cheap (R$27 for a bottle of London
Pride ale), but a massive step up from a can of Skol or
Bavaria.
Mon-Thurs & Sun noon-10pm, Fri & Sat
noon-midnight.
Harry Pisek
Av Pedro Paulo 857 (3km out of town)
T
12 3663 4030.
The eponymous Harry studied
sausage-making in Germany, and serves up his own
wurst in several varieties at this restaurant and
“salsicharia” (sausage shop) on the way to the Horto
Florestal, with a big sausage sign outside so you can't
miss it. If you're not sure which wurst to plump for, go for
a misto (mixed platter; R$49.90).
Mon-Fri noon-5pm,
Sat 10am-11pm, Sun noon-6pm; July daily
noon-11pm.
Le Foyer
Pousada Chateau La Villette, Rua Cantídio
Pereira de Castro 100, Vila Everest (1km above Capivari)
T
12 3663 2767,
W
chateaulavillette.com.br.
The best
of the town's numerous pseudo-Swiss fondue restaurants,
with a Swiss-French rather than Swiss-German emphasis.
It's very posh, but not stupidly expensive: a cheese fondue
for two costs R$110.
Mon-Thurs & Sun 7-10pm, Fri &
Sat 7-11pm.
8
The coast
Despite its proximity to the city, São Paulo's 400km
coast
has sometimes been
overlooked in favour of more glamorous Rio. But don't listen to
cariocas
who sniff that
the state's beaches aren't up to par: many are fabulous, although foreign visitors are
relatively rare. Northeast, towards the border with Rio state, the area is developing
rapidly, but still offers great contrasts, ranging from long, wide stretches of sand at the
edge of a coastal plain to idyllic-looking coves beneath a mountainous backdrop. A car
is an advantage for exploring the more isolated, less spoilt, beaches, but if it's a popular
beach resort you're after, public transport can usually take you there from São Paulo in
less than half a day. In the other direction - southwest of Santos - tourism remains
low-key, in part because the roads aren't as good, but also because the beaches simply
aren't as beautiful.
