We returned from our travels almost two weeks ago, and the hectic lifestyle of London living didn't take long to take over and for me to keep putting off writing my final blog entry. Yes, that's right, the final one (I'm sure some of you are grateful it's finally over, well until I set of somewhere again!)
After our stint in Rio, we went to spend a few luxurious days on Ilha Grande, an island just off the coast of Brazil. That is pretty much exactly what it was, a few days on the beach, indulging in good food, good wine, a surprisingly cold sea, and lot of sand (everywhere).
The most useful information here would be getting to and from Ilha Grande – a quick Google search showed me there were various transfer companies, and the one I found the cheapest was http://easytransferbrazil.com/ - they have two available collection times, between 07:00-08:00 or 10:00-11:00. The bus will collect you from your hotel, transfer you to the port, and take you on a boat to Ilha Grande. On the island there are two port drop offs, and most hotels are within walking distance of these.
We booked a round trip of R$170 per person, which was both easy and trustworthy. The company also offered various day trips from the island to other nearing islands, but as these were our relaxing days, we decided against any trip.
Our return to Rio, and our last couple of days was probably the most luxurious of the whole honeymoon. We were booked (and upgraded) in the JW Marriot on Copacabana, provided with a private lounge where food and drinks were free and welcomed with a bottle of champagne and cake. All the perks of having a husband who a) has collated a ridiculous sum of hotel points through work travel and b) was cheeky enough to push the “it’s our honeymoon” line.
We spent the day eating along the sea front, drinking a bit too much red wine and going for a swim on our rooftop pool, with iconic views of Rio. Our flight home wasn’t until 9pm the following day, so we saw fit to make the most of the free lounge drinks that evening, go for a quick wander to the beach night market, before going back and polishing off our complimentary champagne in the roof top bar.
The next morning, with a slightly sore head, we concluded that retail therapy would be wholly appropriate, and spent the afternoon shopping mall hopping from Leblon to Rio Sul and then the main shopping streets in Copacabana. We went a little Havianna crazy (they’re literally £5.00 a pair) and then attempted to stuff everything into our overflowing backpacks. I’m still not entirely sure why they were overflowing, we barely bought anything and we’d thrown lots of things away… But come 7pm, we had successfully packed, checked out and were on our way to the airport.
There’s not much else to say, apart from we flew home First Class, sipping on our pink champagne and whisky, eating our three course meal, and having an amazing sleep on our reclining beds. One of us was really excited, almost embarrassingly so, particularly when they dished out the overnight bags, and soon we were landing back home at Heathrow.
This trip is one that I have wanted to do for a very long time, and I was particularly lucky that I wash afforded the time off work in a new job to do this. Having been back at work for a week and settled back into our crazy London lifestyle, it’s easy to forget how amazing everything we did and saw was.
When asked my highlights since our return, I have found it really hard to pin point my favourite part. South of Argentina and the amazing views at Patagonia? Crashing falls at Iguazu? A once in a lifetime experience in the Amazon (despite being bitten alive)? A week in the most enigmatic city I’ve ever been lucky to have visited? There are far too many moments to choose from and I think the trip as a whole made it.
As it’s my last post (and apparently I haven’t spoken about him enough…) I’d like to thank my amazing husband, who proved that actually he can be quite organised as he thoughtfully planned this entire trip alone. I was lucky to have a travelling partner who always kept me entertained, taught me a lot, and occasionally proof heard these blogs (yes heard, he made me read them to him).
Anyhow – it’s Adios from me! If you need me, I’ll be the odd stranger lounging around in my First Class Pyjamas.
