Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pousada Pé da Mata
Rua Nova Iguaçu 1992
T
12 3865
5019,
W
pedamata.com.br.
Located 2km from the beach
in a pretty forest setting with spacious grounds, its selling
point is that by staying here you can be “in direct contact
with nature”. It also has a nice pool and a choice of rooms or
chalets, s
ome of
which have their own kitchenettes for self-
catering.
R$180
Pousada San Sebastian (Maresias Hostel)
Rua
Sebastião Romão Cesar 406
T
12 3865 6612,
W
alberguemaresias.com.br.
This is the local youth
hostel, which has all standard hostel facilities but with
the added benefit of a pool. Rates are slightly
more
expensi
ve on
Fridays and Saturdays. Dorms
R$33
;
doubles
R$79
NIGHTLIFE
Sirena
Rua Sebastião Romão César 418
T
11 3077 0020,
W
sirena.com.br.
This fabled nightclub is the reason many
well-heeled partygoers flock to Maresias. As well as the best
Brazilian DJs, it plays host to top international names,
attracting enthusiastic clubbers from all over the state and
beyond.
Sat 11pm-late, and sometimes other days too.
São Sebastião
The bustling little town of
SÃO SEBASTIÃO
, directly opposite the island of Ilhabela, was
founded in the first years of the seventeenth century. For over a century it relied on its
sugar cane and coffee farms before entering a period of decline. This lasted until the
growth of a local fishing industry and the development of a large oil refinery helped it
emerge from this stagnation in the 1980s, and the upshot is that it still has a lot of
colonial and nineteenth-century buildings.
The narrow roads that make up the historic centre allow for pleasant wandering
among the pastel-coloured colonial-style facades. Praça Major João Fernandes is the
heart of São Sebastião and home to a slew of one-storey snack bars and stores, all
dominated by the quietly impressive
Igreja Matriz
, built in 1636 and almost as old as
the town (although its interior is twentieth-century plaster). The simple white
construction, topped with a red-roofed bell tower, is typical of Franciscan-built
churches of the period.
On summer evenings, the
waterfront
(Avenida Dr Altino Arantes) becomes the site of
a fair selling clothes and bric-a-brac, in addition to hosting free outdoor concerts.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
8
SÃO SEBASTIÃO
By bus
The rodoviária is northwest of the town centre at
the junction of Av Antonio Januario do Nascimento with
Rua São Geraldo; buses from here serve Rio (3 daily; 7hr)
and São Paulo (6 daily; 3hr). Local buses to Caraguátatuba
(for Ubatuba) stop along Av Guarda Mór Lobo Viana, the
main road through town.
By boat
Ferries to Ilhabela (every 30min; 20min;
T
0800 773 3711,
W
dersa.sp.gov.br) leave from the dock
at the western end of Av Antonio Januario do Nascimento.
Pedestrians go free.
Tourist information
The very helpful tourist o
ce is in a
little building by the Praça de Eventos at Av Dr Altino
Arantes 174 (Mon, Wed & Thurs noon-8pm, Tues 2-5pm,
Fri & Sat noon-10pm, Sun noon-9pm;
T
12 3892 1808).
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Porto Grande
Av Guarda Mór Lobo Viana 1440
T
12 3892 1101,
W
portograndehotel.com.br.
This
pretty, whitewashed hotel is just a 10min walk from the
centre of town and set in park-like gardens that stretch
down to the beach. Rooms are spacious and well equipped,
and there's a po
ol, but it
has the disadvantage of being on a
busy main road.
R$210
Hotel Roma
Praça Major João Fernandes
T
12 3892
4622,
W
hotelroma.tur.br.
A simple but handsome old
hotel on the city's main square, where there's a range of
rooms, sleeping one to four people, newer ones with
private bathrooms around an attractive garde
n, and
older
ones without bathrooms in the main building.
R$85
★
Pousada da Ana Doce
Rua Expedecionário
Brasileiro 196
T
12 3892 1615,
W
pousadaanadoce
.com.br.
This is the prettiest, and one of the friendliest,
places to stay in the town's historic centre. The small but
perfectly adequate rooms are set around
a delig
htful
courtyard garden with a thatched veranda.
R$250
Pousada da Sesmaria
Rua São Gonçalo 190
T
12 3892
2347,
W
pousadadasesmaria.com.br.
A charming,
centrally located
pousada
with colonial-style furnishings.
An excellent breakfast is included, and they lend out
bicycles f
or the
ir guests to explore São Sebastião and
Ilhabela.
R$270
