3 NIGHTS IN PARATY
We reached historical Paraty by bus and stayed in the oldtown district. Paraty is a mix of lush agricultural areas famous for their cachaca (a white rum) distillation, surfing hot spots and the romantic city centre. It’s also where we found the best caipirinhas by a mile – right at our hotel bar, Pousada dos Sandi.
1. Distillery tours & caipis
There are a few distilleries in the area and various tasting tours, but some of us headed to Alambique Engenho D’Ouro, one of the famous big distilleries. The friendly staff took us through each step of the cachaca process – from harvesting the sugarcane to infusing the finished product to make liqueur – followed by a tasting of the different kinds of cachaca. The shop where we bought cachaca also sold cassava flour, which we could bring back home tomakeourown farofa!
2. Beach-hopping
A 30-minute bus ride from the central bus station along a scenic route takes you to Trindade, an off-the-wall little beach and surfer hub with shops, restaurants and backpackers. The beaches to be reached from there are Praia de Fora, Praia dos Ranchos, Praia do Meia and Praia do Cachadaco. There are small beach restaurants and stand-up paddleboards to rent.
3. Strolls & snacks
Paraty’s old town is dotted with restaurants, delis and street vendors carting wooden trolleys filled with all kinds of sweet treats. From candied nut bars to dulcede leche slices and coconut ice, it’s apparent you’re in sugarcane country. The delis sell gourmet dulce de leche and cachaca, so it’s worth a stroll for treats to take home, too.
We ended our trip with one night in São Paulo, a businessdriven city with a beautiful park, cathedral, city centre and people. It’s like the Joburg of Brazil: buzzing, bright and bursting with character.
Brazil offered everything we wanted in a big fat family trip: adventure, feasts, friendly people, variety, excellent weather and, of course, our new friend, Wilson.