Come to Paraisu Acu and you can follow us by car on a spectacular adventure to as close to heaven as I can imagine in Brazil. |The drive from Rio de Janeiro to Petropolis is a tollway backdropped with the most dramatic range of soaring, often sharply pointed mountains to which we are heading. |From the lowlands climb steadily up a steep, twisting road, yesterday full of swirling mists heavy in the dense rainforest plunging below us. Moss covered stone walls reinforce and hold up the sharp, stone cliffs above us, with waterfalls tumbling down. Breathtaking. |Ethereal huge trees with wide fingered branches loom out of the mists beside the road, mistletoe dripping from each branch in wondrous patterns. Looks like something out of Dracula. I expected a sweep of bats any minute....|This tortuous road was hand hewn by slaves. No doubt. Slavery was only abolished in Brazil, in theory, by proclamation, in 1880s.|So here we are and I can see the blood and sweat of each one of those men as we climb through these monstrous, vine tangled forests. 'Precipitous' sounds too tame.....|And then we arrive in Petropolis. We expected a village of rural poor.......we find a Bohemian rhapsody. An almost German town of the nineteenth century with mansions straight out of the Alps, huge estates line both sides of the road. It's complete with a French built crystal palace from 1880s, palaces, a former casino, 1940s style complete with the ghosts of Hollywood stars, kings and queens who visited here in 40s before gambling banned in 1946 in Brazil. 'This sure ain't Rio!'|I suggest to you that the town possibly warrants an overnight but we have a much better suggestion for you. Do a quick 'whip around' this Summer cool retreat for the wealthy and drive on heading for Paraiso Acu at the back of Bonfim...make sure you have a GPS and some clear written directions as backup, or hire a taxi to drive you from Petropolis and pay him to return and collect you days later...Everything you need for some gloriously relaxing days is here.| The drive is fascinating. Drive out of Petropolis and beyond the back of nowhere along a narrow twisting road past favella style housing that climb the ridges, some of the housing is actually relatively grand interspersed amidst poorer homes.|We booked for this Independence Day long weekend only days before so the only accommodation found was a 'chalet' at Paraiso in Bonfim 40 mins out of town. ...we knew little about it except that at $130 Australian dollars or 350 reis Brazilian per night including breakfast it is considered expensive by Brazilian standards. I was expecting humble, unassuming..Big mistake. |It's PARADISE!|It's an agriturismo huge estate with apartments, cabins and houses plus camping tucked neatly into glorious greenery and sweeping, pristine gardens. Hibiscus, azaleas, bananas grow in abundance throughout and the photos tell of the breathtaking and most dramatic mountain backdrops and views so close you can almost touch them. |Soil is rich and this area is evidently the market garden for Rio. Acres of vegetables climb the slopes in dramatic chequerboards of green. Flower growing is also big here.|It's heaven. We're certainly in the clouds....there's a freshwater pool fed by a man made waterfall, a sauna and a children's games room. Lovely lounge area in the main building for reading with spectacular views.|Our chalet is very comfortable with modern ensemble king bed, a little on the hard side for me and the pillow is low. You may need two. The bathroom is modern and comfortable with a good hot shower. The water from the tap is fresh and very safe.|A full breakfast is included in tarrif including fresh local fruit, cereals, hot food, cakes and a variety of breads but no gluten free. |We dined at the restaurant in the evening and it's the best food I've had in Brazil. We had trout so fresh it was almost still flapping, caught from local pristine water in the morning and served in the restaurant same day, baked in a paper bag with toasted almonds. Delicious. Inexpensive $15 or 42 reis Br.Aust.|But wait there's more: There are walking trails because the resort edges onto the Serra dos Orgãos national park and this morning I have already walked just after dawn and listened to the thrilling sounds of hundreds of different birds. I startled two pheasants (??) And heard two birds whose called sounded like 'whacky, whackpot'. Go figure that one. I tried to spot them but they sounded big birds. Also saw tiny hummingbirds feeding and watched the sun rise cap the huge pointed hills opposite. High drama indeed and all this before breakfast included in the tarrif, just waiting for you. This is a very special and unique Brazilian experience that I wouldn't miss if i were you. We plan to do a two hour walk 4 miles return into the Park tomorrow to the waterfall and river. To enter the park you pay 28 reis if foreigner or half if Brazilian...
Read moreWe found this Pousada by looking at a map and finding the closest place to stay to the national park. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. The backdrop with the mountains is spectacular and unique. We went on the tour offered by the pousada which was very helpful in learning about the park and finding waterfalls. Our guide was great! She spoke very good english and was truly interested in having us learn more and enjoy ourselves. We only had 1 day of hiking which was not enough, I would try to spend a couple days there. The restaurant had very good food for dinner and a great atmosphere. The breakfast had a lot to offer and was perfect. The room we stayed in was very basic, but there's so much to do there, and so much beauty in other areas, it didn't bother us. We heard there were nicer rooms, but we didn't see them. Make sure you have very very good directions to get there. It is extremely remote. We went at night and were able to find it, but I would recommend driving when it's light out. Not many people at the pousada spoke english, which added to the experience, but was a little difficult to find out detailed information about the area and activities. They were all great and tried very hard to help us. The owners spoke very good english, so when they were there it was extremely helpful. Wifi is very weak, so as long as you don't need wifi, it's a great experience to be removed for a while. We met some very nice people who stayed there and seemed to be regulars. It was a great community. This was our first stop on our 2 week trip and one of the most beautiful. It is truly unique and I can't say enough about the beauty. I would highly...
Read morePousada Paraiso Acu is our absolute must-go place every time we are in Rio.||This place is absolutely magical. Natural beauty is stunning and there is nothing that beats waking up in the morning to birds singing. I always sleep so well in this place to soothing sound of water streams and waterfalls that are everywhere and can be heard anywhere on the property. National park is right around the corner, you can walk there. There are numerous beautiful hikes that pass waterfalls. Ask pousada staff about them, they will be happy to share.||But besides the mesmerizing beauty of nature, pousada itself is so enchanting. One can right away feel all the love that owner put into it. Every little piece of décor is hand-picked. People that run this place are amazing. ||I fell in-love with this place immediately. So much so that when we were deciding where to have our wedding, there was not really a question where to do it. We travelled all the way from Los Angeles to have our wedding in Pousada Paraiso Acu, eager to share this jewel with our friends and family.||Here are a few more things worth to mention:||Restaurant – dinner and lunch dishes are delicious. Breakfast that is included in stay has a lot to choose from: fresh fruit, eggs, baked yummies, juices, etc.||Adventure park – there is an adventure park walking distance from pousada. We did zip-lining there and rope course, but there are much more fun things to choose from||Sauna and natural outdoors pool – natural pool is filled with water from a little waterfall. We enjoyed swimming in...
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