Camping

Camping is a possibility in and around major beach resorts up and down the coast, where lots of Brazilian youths regularly flock in the summer. Aside from specific campsites, some beachfront pousadas allow people to pitch tents and share facilities. The problem with camping (aside from mosquitos and rain) is security. At a campsite or pousada, you’ll definitely have to watch over your valuables. And if you foolishly decide to pitch a tent in the wilderness, you’ll be putting not only your belongings at risk, but yourself.

For information about sites, consult with the Camping Clube do Brasil (tel. 21/2532-0203, www.campingclube.com.br). With headquarters in Rio, it operates close to 50 sites throughout Brazil.

Hostels

The best accommodations deals to be had in Brazil are in simple pousadas (guesthouses) or albergues de juventude (youth hostels). There are some very well-equipped versions of the latter. Although standard dorms are a steal at R$30–40 a person, couples and families can often snag private rooms that work out to be the same price. Contrary to stereotype, many of Brazil’s hostels are cheery and friendly places (many in restored houses) with gardens, lounges, and room to swing in a hammock and meet up with fellow travelers. An International Youth Hostel Association card isn’t necessary, but it gets you discounts of around R$5–10 a night.

If you’re traveling during summer or school vacations, be forewarned that beds fill quickly, so it’s wise to reserve in advance. For a list of more than 80 hostels, consult the Federação Brasileira dos Albergues de Juventude (tel. 21/2531-1085, www.hostel.org.br), whose headquarters are in Rio.

Pousadas

A pousada is generally a guesthouse or bed-and-breakfast, but the definition is as elastic as pousadas themselves are varied. Some pousadas are really basic hotels with four walls, a sheet-covered mattress, a window, and that’s it. Others are welcoming, intimate, family-owned lodges where you’ll be made to feel as if you’ve just moved in. Still others qualify as refined and luxurious boutique hotels with creature comforts and amenities galore. Ultimately, a pousada distinguishes itself from a hotel by its size (small—many are often located in houses or bungalows as opposed to high-rise hotels) and B&B-style. Pousadas are rare in big cities, particularly Rio, São Paulo, and Brasília, but you’ll find them everywhere else, particularly in beach areas.

Some of Brazil’s most captivating pousadas—many of which are included in this guide—are members of an association called Roteiros de Charme. These pousadas all offer great comfort, outstanding service, and exquisite furnishings. Often, they are located in historic homes or in idyllic locations. For more information, contact the Roteiros de Charme headquarters in Rio de Janeiro (tel. 21/2287-1592, www.roteirosdecharme.com.br).

Hotels

Like pousadas, Brazilian hotels are quite varied. Although they receive star ratings (from one to five), these ratings are more impressionistic than accurate, and not all hotels have stars. In general, hotels are confined to big cities and are located within multistory high-rises, although you’ll come across some older, cheaper, and shabbier ones as well. A quarto usually refers to a room without a bathroom, which is what you’ll get if you check into an apartamento, along with basic amenities such as a ventilador (fan) or air-conditioning, a TV, a stocked mini-fridge, and a phone.

Usually apartments are ranked as standard, superior, and luxo (luxury). Depending on the hotel, the luxury can be a mild upgrade from the standard or can include pampering on a rock star-and-royalty scale. In beach towns, rooms with sea views are highly coveted and usually cost more. Be aware that some hotels add a local service tax onto the rate, which may add another 15 percent onto your tab. In Rio, for example, there is a 5 percent service tax.

Apart-Hotels

In big cities, especially Rio and São Paulo, you’ll find apart-hotels, also known as flats. Located in modern high-rises, they are usually frequented by business travelers who want a sense of a home-away-from-home. Cheaper than hotels of the same caliber, apart-hotels usually have a living room and kitchen where you can make your own meals; however, they also have hotel amenities such as security, and sometimes a pool and/or fitness room, restaurant, and even room service.

Motels

Motels in Brazil are nothing like the friendly family variety North Americans are accustomed to. In Brazil, motels are where couples go for encounters of an amorous/sexual nature. Many rendezvous are illicit, but often they provide getaways for harried middle-class couples in search of a quickie or teens or twenty-somethings who get no privacy at home. Viewed that their primary purpose is to set the stage for an hour or night of passion, motels usually feature kitsch-erotic decor and accessories and staff that are extremely discreet.

Depending on the location and/or the price, motels can be sleazy and dangerous or quite posh with heart-shaped beds and whirlpools, mirrored ceilings, TVs and wet bars, and so on. Aside from undeniably atmospheric, they are usually pretty inexpensive (rates are by the hour and the night).

Jungle Lodges and Fazenda Lodges

If you dream of visiting the unspoiled Amazon rainforest, the best (and most comfortable) way of doing so is to check into one of the many jungle lodges that can be reached by boat from Manaus (and are actually in the rainforest). Usually located on a suspended complex of stilts overlooking a river, jungle lodges vary from rustic to (overly) luxurious; who needs the trappings of a five-star hotel in the middle of the world’s largest rainforest? Most of them, however, are quite comfortable and ecologically correct, relying on natural materials to blend into their surroundings.

Similarly, if your heart is set upon visiting the Pantanal, you should definitely consider staying at a fazenda lodge. Similar to jungle lodges, fazenda lodges are located deep within the Pantanal’s wetlands, providing you with a unique and privileged location from which to view the region’s teeming wildlife. A fazenda is a ranch, and most of these lodges are actually working cattle farms (the Pantanal is cattle country); guests can also participate in, or at least witness, life on the farm.

Although there are a few basic options, the majority of fazenda lodges, while rustic, are fairly comfortable. A few feature accommodations in historic ranch houses with original antique furnishings. You’ll also find fazenda lodges on the Ilha de Marajó, at the mouth of the Amazon River. The fazendas here are devoted to vast herds of water buffalo that are raised on the island.

Despite the fact that meals and all (or most) guided excursions and nature activities (and sometimes transfers) are included in the rates, both jungle lodges and fazenda lodges are fairly pricy (usually a 2–3-night minimum stay is required). However, in both cases, they offer the best way of experiencing both of these two unique ecosystems.

© Michael Sommers from Moon Brazil, 2nd Edition