Brigitta’s

Brigittas Restaurant captures what Búzios really is: charming, easy going and with a certain air of sophistication.

There is a small bar with an eating area in the front of the restaurant and about four tables scattered in front, but the real entrance is through a small, well-hidden door, leading into this adorable restaurant with live music. There is no back wall at Brigitta’s; only an opening to the sand, the bay, and the fishing boats.

The platform above the main floor is a former guestroom with a wall torn down but bed still in place; complete with artful tray on which drinks and dinner are served to those lounging around as if at home.  Grilled fish/ seafood and steak are their specialties, but they also variety of delicious pasta’s and salads. Perfect place for a group or a romantic date night

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Buzios: Surf’s up at Geriba Beach

Because of its wide-open face to the southeast, Geribá Beach has the best surf in Búzios! The beach itself is the widest and one of the longest beach in Búzios.

Whether you prefer a short board or a  long board in the center there is constant large surf. If you didn’t pack your own board, don’t worry, you can rent a board for R$30 a day (ie $18US), they even throw in a rash guard!  If you want lessons, this is the spot to learn, great foam and only R$36 for an hour + rash guard.

There is a great lunch spot right on the beach: Fishbone located on Geriba beach is also one of the hottest nightlife places to be seen. Talk about a restaurant with a view… facing the beach or just looking around at the people around you.. all you will see is beauty:) For lunch they have great sandwiches or traditional Brazilian fair and snacks; with the alcohol always flowing. Afternoons are a lively après beach scene. Evenings feature weekly bar events including dance parties and luau-like festivities that run till the wee-hours of the morning.

I can’t wait to go back—This place is not to be missed!

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Best Restaurant in Buzios: Bar do Ze

After a day of beach, head to Rua das Pedras, where you will find tons of cute stores (this is the spot to pick up your Brazilian bikini if you don’t already have one!), and TONS of restaurants!  Including authentic Brazilian, American, Asian, Mexican, Seafood, and French.

My Favorite place Bar do Ze:

When you walk by Bar do Ze, the first thing that comes to mind is- what a charming, romantic restaurant with a great view of the bay. It is way more than just that! First off, since I am only a few Portuguese classes in, I was pleasantly surprised by the very friendly staff which spoke good English:) Ok, now to the food…

The food was INCREDIBLE!!! We started off with a nice bottle of wine (which isn’t the easiest thing to find in Brazil) and a warm goat cheese salad (perfect way to start a meal in my opinion), but it was the lobster pasta that sealed the deal for me.  The huge chunks of fresh delicious lobster in a very light but flavorful tomato sauce was so unbelievably good, my mouth waters whenever I think about it! Mmmmm! On to dessert: Fresh chocolate dipped strawberries with gelato! Honestly doesn’t get much better than this, was a perfect meal, and I plan on going back!

Usually, come 10pm Bar do Ze turns into a more trendy, fun atmosphere, however it started to downpour the night we were there… and when it rains here, it POURS! As you can see the staff was kind enough to ‘make us’ rain coats, and provide a bag so I could ‘save’ my shoes:)

If you find yourself in Buzios… this place is a MUST try!

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Buzios: Where to stay

Perched on a hill side between Centro and Orla Bardot, Vila D’Este is a wonderful hotel with amazing views, beautiful decor, excellent staff, very peaceful AND close to everything you need!

The hotel itself is beautiful, overlooking the bay (above is the view from our room!),there are 2 pools: the one above is a regular pool, the pool pictured below is a ‘warm’ pool with jets. Enjoy the gorgeous sunset by the warm pool, sipping on caipirinhas, listening to the DJ, who plays nice lounge music on Saturdays.

To the right, the warm pool flows into the hotels massive steam room.  SO relaxing! All of the soaps and toiletries are by L´Occitane, so it smells great wherever you go.

The restaurant is small, but very cute with an incredible view facing the bay.  Each morning there is a delicious buffet breakfast of fresh fruits, breads and some hot items.  Excellent way to start your day!

The hotel is a short walk (2 mins) from Rua das Pedras, located at Orla Bardot, therefore, you can walk to the best restaurants in town. WARNING for the Ladies: ALL of the streets are cobblestone…. so wear shoes you can walk in or at least ‘manage’ (ie no stilettos- saw a few girls get stuck and fall over… not pretty!) also, as you can see the stairs are also stones and pretty steep- I found it easiest to just carry my shoes till I  got to the bottom:)

For a weekend getaway in Buzios Vila D’este is the place to stay!

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The ‘Hamptons of Brazil’ : Buzios – West Coast

Buzios, dubbed as “the hamptons of Brasil”, “St Tropez of Brazil’, or the ‘playground of the rich’ is a small, charming fishing village filled with cute boutiques, great restaurants and incredible nightlife 3 hours from Rio.  Getting there: Rent a car OR take the bus… Bus is really easy, clean, only takes about 2.5 hours and costs $25.

Búzios is a peninsula of mountains with beaches between almost every one of them.  The west coast beaches are calm, beautiful clear waters (great for swimming and relaxing) while the east coast beaches face the open sea, better for surfing/water sports (I will cover these in a future post).  The beach pictured above is Ossos, a secluded tiny beach that you have to ‘hike’ down to: yes below is the ‘trail’ to the beach… it’s a little muddy but totally worth it when you make it to the bottom!
You can climb along the rocks, have a drink and relax, then head to the next beautiful beach, Azedinha Azeda (pictured below). Another small secluded beach with an amazing view! Other popular beaches on the west coast include: Joao Fernandes, Brava, and Tartaruga.  

If you don’t feel like walking/hiking around to the different beaches there are several other options: 1. Water taxi (little power boats) that will take you to whatever beach you want to visit on the west side.  2. Rent a ‘buggy’, warning they are stick shift only, so if you can’t drive a stick…you can’t drive a buggy! 3. Catamaran (will cover in a future post).

Historical things not to miss:The statue of Brigette Bardot by Chrisina Motta. Brigette Bardot has been credited with popularizing the town of Buzios when she visited it in 1964 with her boyfriend at the time, Brazilian musician Bob Zagury.  Fun fact: Brigette Bardot is also credited with popularizing the bikini (Thanks Brigette!!)

One the most well known sights of Buzios: the bronze statues of the Three Fisherman of Buzios. Always hard at work these fisherman are a reminder of the fishing roots of this once rustic village. In the evening the water will reach up to their knees!

More on Buzios to come!

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