I am getting married in late April next year and my wife to be has left me to
arrange the honeymoon. We'd love to go to Brazil for about two weeks,
spending a few days in Rio, the Amazon, and by a beach. We've also heard
that the Iguassu Falls are not to be missed, but do you think this will be
too much travelling? We have £6,000 in total, but would like to use a
wedding list via a tour company to help us pay for it, preferring luxury
boutique style hotels. Chris, Glasgow
Sunday Times travel expert, Richard Green, responds: Looking at the
time you have, it would be best to drop the Amazon. It's a five-hour flight
up to Manaus (gateway to the rainforest), whereas the Iguassu falls are just
90 minutes away from Sao Paulo. The falls are such a spectacular sight and
make a great last stop before a direct flight back to London from Sao Paolo.
If you don't want to miss out on a blast of South American wildlife, instead
of the Amazon, you could take a short flight to the Pantanal - a vast
expanse of wetlands, with lots of bird species, capybaras, march deer, giant
river otters, and the odd jaguar.
A perfect combo would be three nights in Rio at the seven room hotel La Suite,
three nights at the Araras Ecolodge in the northern Pantanal, four nights at
the Pousada Vila D'Este in the coastal resort of Buzios (a short drive from
Rio) and finishing with two nights at the Hotel Das Cataratas right by the
Iguassu Falls. All in, this would cost from £5996, through Last
Frontiers (01296 653000), including British Airways flights from Glasgow
(via Heathrow), domestic flights in Brazil, accommodation and transfers.
Three nights at the Amazon Ecopark Jungle Lodge near Manaus would cost
roughly the same, but would knock out the best part of two days for
traveling.
Last Frontiers offer a Gift List Service enabling people to contribute towards
the cost of the honeymoon, or surprise you with additional treats along the
way. Other operators offering wedding list options include Trailfinders
(gift list line - 0845 050 5925) and Trips
Worldwide (honeymoon line - 0117 311 4404).
We had our honeymoon in Brazil. I am Brazilian and was going to move here so I wanted to enjoy my country. We went to a Hotel Resort in Angra dos Reis - Rio where you have the pleasure of a beautiful beach, safari, horse riding and lovely natural pools in the mountains - www.hotelportobello.com.br
Talita Bentley, Chesterfield,
Just came back from my Honeymoon in Brazil & Argentina - it was organised by www.Dehouche.com who did an amazing job - really fantastic little boutique hotels but super luxurious and great team on the ground sorting out boats and jeeps etc. absolutely perfect. I got quotes from many travel companies Dehouche were competitively priced and being actually based in South America had the edge in terms of local knowledge and infrastructure - highly recommended! mail me if you want to see the itinerary we did - it gave us a good look at the two countries yet was suitably relaxed and didnt skimp on comfort.
Josephine, London, UK
After much research we found a lovely cottage in a remote area, perfect for walking in the mountains and forests in November, but only an hour from warm, sunny beaches. Unfortunately, it is in Cercados de Arana, by the Chira Reservoir in central Gran Canaria, and the area has apparently been devastated by the recent fires. Where else could you suggest that is not too far to fly, warm in November, and offers good walking as well as swimming?
Julia White, St Peter Port, Guernsey
Hi there, This is a opinion from a carioca living in Sydney: I would suggest you to consider visiting "Fernando de Noronha" Island in the north of the country. I deally you should spend at least 3 days there. http://www.noronha.com.br/ Enjoy it !
Nathalie, Sydney, Australia