When we live in big cities like Mexico City and Sao Paulo we NEED a weekend getaway. And I do mean need. We feel like getting away from the traffic, pollution, dust, noise, etc... So where can we go that's within driving distance?
Let's start with Sao Paulo. "Paulistas" have many different options. There are the mountains, the beach and small cities nearby. What stops people from enjoying it often? The price. Hotels are very expensive. They only take packages reservations for the weekends. You'll have to pay for at least 2 nights no matter what. And during holiday weekends it gets to be ridiculous expensive. A cheaper alternative are the "pousadas". They are the brazilian equivalent to a Bed & Breakfast, but many times their restaurants will serve all meals and snacks. Many hotels and "pousadas" there will offer recreation for the kids. The places we liked to go near Sao Paulo are:
* Campos Do Jordao: Popular destination during the winter in Sao Paulo. It is known as "the brazilian Switzerland". During the season parking there can be a nightmare. But it is a charming city.
* Monte Verde: They have some hotel-fazenda "ranch hotels" with horseback rides, waterfalls and great food. It's very cozy.
* Juquehy: Nice beach destination. It is exactly what one can expect of a beach in Brazil. Caipirinhas being offered at the sand and all. The sea is calm and safe for the kids to play in.
* Riviera de Sao Lourenco: It is a mini Sao Paulo by the beach. The sand is not white. Lots of foreigners and Paulistas like this place. I don't. Your judgment.
* Guaruja: Another popular beach. This one does have nice beaches but it is significantly more crowded than Juquehy. It is also much closer from Sao Paulo.
* Sao Roque: Small town, very close to Sao Paulo with a great hotel.
*Ibiuna: It's by a lake in a small town. Lots of people have a second home there. It's very cozy.
If you're in Rio the popular destinations are Angra dos Reis, Paraty and Buzios at the beach and Petropolis, Itaipava and Terezopolis in the Mountains. The Casa do Toca Pizzaria in Terezopolis has the best pizza and antipasti I've ever ate.
We used to go to a small beach near Juquehy. It is still a very undeveloped place and this is why we love it so much. We rented a house over there. It was the best thing we've done.
The only place we've been to near Mexico City is Avandaro or Valle de Bravo. It has a huge lake and it is very pretty. We stayed at the Hotel Avandaro Golf and Spa. The price was cheap compared to Brazil but the hotel room was old and not very nice. But it was totally worth the trip.
I know Acapulco is 5 hours away. I've heard that the road to get there is not that good. But I can't wait to find out if it's true or not. I really want to visit Acapulco.
Does anyone have any suggestion for our next trip? Need to be within driving distance.
10 comments:
There are many nice places for a weekend getaway: Cuernavaca, Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Texcoco, Puebla, Tepoztlán, Tlayacapan, Tequesquitengo, Oaxtepec, Taxco, Real del Monte, Bernal, Tequisquiapan, Mineral del Monte, Malinalco, the Nevado de Toluca, Tepotzotlán, Tula, etc. It's more a question of the kind of places you like. Guanajuato is probably my favourite.
The road to Acapulco is fine, in my opinion, but it's probably too far for a normal weekend. Also, I don't think Acapulco is particularly nice. I do think that there are plenty of nicer beaches, but you should probably make your own opinion :-).
Thanks! Do you have a name of good hotels in the cities you mentioned?
There are lots of beaches we would like to visit, but they're too far from Mexico City. We would have to fly. We've been flying so much already that taking short car trips seem more appealing to us at this moment. And the places we like are places surrounded by green and nature.
I love your blog. My husband is up for promotion and may have the option of going to either Sao Paulo or Mexico City. Having lived in both, what do you recommend? We do not have kids yet (just a dog). I have a career and understand I will have to make some sacrifices but would like to do some type of work or study. And we are quite young still (mid 20's). Any input would be helpful.
Thank you so much! I like Sao Paulo better, but Sao Paulo is more expensive. You will need to negotiate a good deal with the company, and take a close look at their cost of living adjustment clause. the dollar is very low in Brazil right now. And without kids you can travel a lot around Brazil and South America. Specially if your husband has to travel for work. You can visit Argentina, Chile, Peru. And in Brazil you can go to Rio, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Pantanal, Cataratas do Iguacu and the Amazon. There is a lot to do and see there. Beautiful beaches, forest, waterfalls... It is so green. I miss it! I'm still getting to know Mexico because I haven't move there yet because of the school. We're doing the super commute from Florida and I go there every other weekend and I'll spend summer there too. But it is not nearly as green as Brazil. Traffic is just as bad and so is the violence. And do enjoy your sabbatical. You'll be learning another language and this can help you when and if you decide to go back to work. And you may be able to find a job there. And I do have friends who took this time to get their masters on-line. It is a fun life, but it takes some effort adapting to the new culture. I wish you the best of luck!!
I'm the first poster. If you prefer nature, my suggestion would be to stay in one of the aforementioned cities and visit the natural sites nearby. That should also be fun for the kids. Some ideas:
- Stay in Cuernavaca and visit the Zempoala lakes and forest.
- Stay in Taxco and visit the Cacahuamilpa caves.
- Stay in Tepoztlán and go up the Tepozteco mountain.
- Stay in Toluca and drive up the Nevado de Toluca volcano. You can drive all the way up to the crater rim.
- Stay in Pachuca and go to Real del Monte and the El Chico national park.
These are all either tourist oriented or large enough that so you should be able to find a good hotel according to your needs.
I hope you managed to see the monarch butterflies when you went to Valle de Bravo. It is also very nice to see!
Thank you so much!! You have great suggestions!
I told my kids about the volcano and they can't wait to go there!! It's funny, I looked for houses in Toluca but did not know there was a volcano so close.
And we did not see the butterflies this time, but we will be back. We went with friends and ended up doing what they wanted to.
Your list we'll keep us busy for a while. And we'll skip Acapulco and fly to Cabo.
Hi cecillia, we are a family of 3, 2 adults and a Girl age 7. We are wisiting SP, ibiuna this december 20-january 8 2013.
We would like to see Nature and interesting sightseeing. Dó you have recommodations? We like Horseback ride. Best renards, emilia k. From Copenhagen, Denmark
Hi Emilia!
I love Denmark! I have a great friend from Copenhagen and another one who lives in Koge.
I spoke to a friend who suggested a horse ranch in Ibiuna for you to visit. Here is the link to their site. I hope you enjoy it!
http://www.harassetti.com.br/conteudo_exibir.asp?cod_texto=18
Hi Cecilia, Thanks. Looks god. You are welcome if you ever come to Copenhagen, you are welcome. We live in osterbro, Close to City center. 😄Emilia
Any time, Emilia! Let me know if you need anything else.
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