Posted by Seth on May 17, 2012 under Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports | 
Redeyes suck. When they’re less than six hours flying time they suck even more. And when they involve sitting in coach they suck even more. So maybe I’m a glutton for punishment, but as part of this mileage run I was booked on a US Airways 757-200 from Honolulu to Phoenix, in coach. Ouch.
I was somewhat fortunate in that I got a window seat; that’s my preference anyways, especially on a redeye. When we boarded the plane I walked back to check out the other seating options and I was incredibly happy that I didn’t end up in the rear exit row. While the middle and aisle seats back there have tons of legroom the window seat has the slide housing which really gets in the way of a comfortable ride.
I headed back up to my row and settled in to 13A; triskaidekaphobia is apparently not an issue with US Air. That row has a misaligned window which is both good and bad. I found it nice for leaning against when I was sleeping but were I to want a view I’d probably be pretty disappointed with it.
As for the seats themselves, they are pretty tight. And pretty old. They actually still have ash trays in the arm rests.
I’m actually surprised they haven’t removed them to save on weight and cut the fuel costs a bit more than anything.
As for the in-flight experience, I slept the entire time. There might have been a drink service but I didn’t notice. I also have no idea if there was buy-on-board for food. I put in my ear plugs, donned my eye mask and was asleep before they made the announcement that personal electronic devices were permitted. I woke up when we landed in Phoenix.
I survived and it wasn’t incredibly awful. It also wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience. In other words, exactly what I expected.
Posted by Seth on May 15, 2012 under Dining, Mileage Run, Trip Reports |
What to do in Honolulu with a three hour layover? This was the question nine of us were faced with in the middle of a ridiculous weekend mileage run. There were more than enough different cards available to grant lounge access but, quite frankly, the lounges there aren’t anything special and we were looking for something better, something different, something to eat.
The solution was a quick walk over to the L&L just off the airport property, past the car rental lots. No, it isn’t the best plate lunch in Hawaii but we didn’t have time to get over to Rainbow Drive-In or anything else too far afield. It was close by and better than any of the options inside the airport. Plus it gave us an excuse to walk around and get some fresh air.
Even better for us, one of the guys had a friend picking him up for the layover and she arrived in a pick-up truck. That meant we got a ride over to the restaurant rather than having to walk it. Bonus!
"Lunch" was just as expected. Quite filling and reasonably tasty. I actually branched out from my normal Mixed BBQ plate and added on an order of Korean chicken wings. The wings took a while to be cooked but they were delicious. Just a bit sweet in addition to crispy fried.
After the meal we headed back in to the airport. We made it to the US Airways check-in area and proceeded to confuse the heck out of a number of different agents as we each attempted to check in and address potential issues in out itineraries. Mine had the same HNL-PHX segment in it twice and others were working to get bumps or otherwise change flights. A trail of chaos followed in our wake, though the agents did seem to handle it reasonably well, all things considered. We were down to five now, with a bit more than an hour prior to the flight. The only lounge option was at the far end of the airport and, again, just not worth the schlep. Instead we headed downstairs into the garden area and settled in at one of the gazebos.
There we sat, under the watchful eye of Sun Yat Sen, relaxing in the cool Hawaiian breezes until it was time to make the way to the gate.
Yeah, we hit a bar along the way and actually paid for beers before the flight rather than getting freebies in the lounge. I still think we came out ahead on the deal. Lounges are fine, I suppose, but there really are better options out there when you’ve got a couple hours to kill.
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Posted by Seth on May 15, 2012 under Dining, Flying, frequent flyer, Mileage Run, points, Review, Trip Reports |
Having had so much fun the last time around (plus, I did book five of these!) I was off again last week for a quick trip to Portland, Oregon, again for just long enough to have dinner before heading back home on the redeye flight. And, like last time, the trip was pleasantly uneventful. I didn’t put together a video this time, but it still was a reasonably fun trip to document.
Somewhat shockingly we left on time from LaGuardia and made it in to Houston early. Alas, only a snack plate so I declined (I had just eaten at my favorite NYC taco truck) and took a nap instead. Incredibly exciting, right??
Flight number two had a meal service offering up two options that both sounded decent enough. I asked the flight attendant to surprise me and I ended up with a ravioli-ish option in tomato sauce. Nothing to write home about, good or bad.
A couple hours later we were on final into PDX, though we came in from the "wrong" direction. The winds were different than any other time I’ve arrived in PDX so we came in from the other side. It gave me a very different view of arrival than I was expecting
The really good part of the evening came when I arrived in Portland. A friend who lives there was available to go out to dinner that night so he picked me up from the airport and we headed out to some awesome Cuban food at Pambiche.
Just a quick stay in Portland, however, so I was soon back at the airport, just in time to clear security and head over to the gate for my departure back to Chicago.
I was happy to be upgraded for the redeye, though that may have worked against me. The two folks in the row ahead seemed to become fast friends prior to departure and they kept chatting into the first hour or so of the flight. Mid-con redeyes are already bad enough. Having chatty passengers nearby didn’t help the situation. I still managed to get a bit of sleep and was semi-functional by the time we made it to O’Hare.
I did rather enjoy being the only passenger in the first class cabin on the 6am ORD-LGA flight not wearing a suit. It was a pleasant reminder that life can be fun without having to dress up to play a part.
Departure from O’Hare was right on time and pretty soon I was napping again, all the way to New York City.
We arrived early and an hour later I had navigated the bus/subway transfer – including helping another passenger who didn’t have a MetroCard and who only had bills – back in to Manhattan. The day was just getting started and I was ready to go. Or at least ready to try to survive on just a couple hours of sleep.
Like I said at the beginning, nothing too amazing on the flights, but it was a fun day. Special thanks to Luke for driving out to the airport to pick me up for dinner, and for knowing where the good food is in Portland. Definitely made for a great night.
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Tags: Chicago, Dining, Flying, frequent flier, frequent flyer, houston, in flight, New York City, PaxEx, Photos, points, Portland, review, Trip Report
Posted by Seth on May 14, 2012 under Dining, Flying, Mileage Run, Review, Trip Reports |
I had quite high expectations as I boarded United Airlines flight 15 from Newark to Honolulu. This is, after all, a flagship route and as a top-tier elite customer seated in the forward cabin I expected a level of service and comfort that would be truly unparalleled from the world’s largest airline. That expectation was shattered even before we left the ground when I was threatened with arrest for attempting to talk to the pilots before the cockpit door had been closed. Wh’ev.
Things went downhill from there.
One of the recorded pre-flight announcements indicated that the flight was operated by Continental Airlines, a brand that hasn’t existed since I put them out of business back in March. Seriously, it has been more than 8 weeks now. That they haven’t fixed the recording is an abomination and an insult to brand homogenization. Alas, following my prior chastisement I chose to bite my lip and accept that the flight was going to be a miserable 11 hours of my life rather than point out to the flight attendants that there was a mistake in the recordings that demanded resolution.
A meal was served shortly after departure. The flight attendants who had appeared so diligent in following my every move prior to departure had failed to notice that I had traded seats with another on the flight. This meant that my meal order was taken approximately 38 seconds after it should have been, with the FA going to the incorrect seat before finally noticing my new arrangements and coming over to ask what I wanted.
Continuing with the branding debacle which started with the announcement prior to departure, the linens, glassware and flatware were a mismatched mess of old and new names and logos.
The steak was fine – it tasted nothing like leather – but, as can be seen from the photo, there was no bread to be found anywhere near my tray. Truly insulting that the roll wasn’t served as it should have been.
The ice cream sundae trolley showed up after dinner, laden with gooey toppings and a few choices of digestifs for those of that persuasion. Of course, being a Hawaii trip I was more in to mai tais than liquor and I asked to have another. I was informed that the mai tais had too much sugar, meaning that I should stop drinking them. Oh, and no Grand Marnier, either. Alas, I was stuck drinking the cognac instead.
All this, and we still hadn’t cleared Wyoming airspace.
The flight continued, as did the abject mistreatment. I wasn’t awoken from my nap, meaning my fresh-baked mid-flight cookie cooled off before I could eat it. They simply do not taste the same when the cookies have cooled.
By this point in the flight, as if by some miracle, additional mai tais appeared in the forward galley and shortly thereafter at our seat. Of course, as part of serving the drinks at this point in the trip, questions were raised as to my consumption habits, including my willingness to mix rum drinks with other rum drinks and the impact that might have on my sobriety. Explaining to the flight attendants that getting drunk was the only way to deal with their subordination didn’t seem like the correct response; once again I bit my tongue.
About an hour before arrival our last meal was served, I accepted the tray from the flight attendant and then immediately realized my mistake. They served the meal with only 55 minutes remaining before arrival and that would mean insufficient time to digest before undertaking the hike from the gate to the curb. And I know how important it is to have time to digest before such strenuous exercise. I considered calling for a wheelchair to avoid issues but instead simply accepted the risk of getting a cramp as I walked out of the airport to our next meal.
Finally, our landing in Honolulu was anything but normal. We used a different runway than I’m used to from my previous trips to the island meaning that the views I was expecting on final approach didn’t materialize. It is hard to get good photos of a landing when the pilots change things like that on you without consultation.
At least the flight was finally over. Eleven hours I’ll never get back. Eleven hours of pure torture.
Yes, the entire post here was decidedly tongue-in-cheek. That said, the service really was rather below par from my previous experiences. Part of that stems from the downgrades in the service offered on the flight (fewer meal choices, entrees of lesser quality) and part of it was from a crew that didn’t really seem to be happy working, much less with a group of six guys in the forward cabin who actually intended to enjoy the trip rather than just idle through until the doors opened again on arrival. I really never did get a roll with my meal, for instance, and things like drink and snack basket service were essentially non-existent. Only one of the FAs was anywhere close to being personable. Oh, and the IFE on these planes really is an embarrassment. Just awful.
Clearly not actually a "trip from hell" but also not a particularly great ride.
Tags: Continental, Dining, Flying, Hawaii, Honolulu, IFE, in flight, Mileage Run, Newark, PaxEx, Photos, review, Trip Report, United, United Airlines
Posted by Seth on May 12, 2012 under Dining, Review, Trip Reports |
Odds are that if you’ve made it to Fajardo, Puerto Rico you’re there for one of the mega-resorts in the area. The El Conquistador (where I was staying) is the most popular but there are a few others in the area. There are also a few smaller hotels and B&Bs around. Either way, getting away from the hotel is nearly always a better option for dining and that certainly held true in Fajardo. We had several meals on the resort and, with the exception of one, they really weren’t very good. The meals we had off property, on the other hand, were nearly all delicious. Moral of the story: Go out to eat.
As for where to go, there are a number of options. Some are easily walkable from the resorts and some are a bit further afield. Fortunately we had a car to make those also feasible.
The best meal all week (at least to me) was at La Estacion. The restaurant is run by a New York City couple who moved to Puerto Rico, set up shop and haven’t looked back. Along the way they’ve churned out some of the best food in the region, day in and day out. Everything is fresh, with the menu changing depending on what’s available from the market that day. The two options for preparation are pretty much grilled and smoked, with a variety of meats and fish to choose from. I had the grilled lobster while Matt had the grilled red snapper. Both were spectacular, though I have to admit that the snapper was better.
Both mains were served with tostones and a mango salad, making for quite a full meal. Of course, even though we didn’t actually save room for dessert that didn’t stop us from eating some. When glazed bananas are deep-fried in dough and served with ice cream I’m never going to be able to say no.
I didn’t get to try the New Yorican Hot Dog (wrapped in bacon and garnished with a sliced avocado. I’m going to have to go back for that some day.
La Estacion is located about a half mile from the main gate of the El Conquistador. That’s not very far but the main gate is far enough from the hotel itself that walking it would be quite a schlep, particularly with the hills. We drove.
The following night saw us at, Pasion por el Fogon, a tapas restaurant about a mile and a half the other direction from the resort. The sangria was too sweet, but that was the only real negative I remember from the evening (possibly because we still finished the pitcher). We had six different small plates, from mushrooms sautéed in garlic sauce to the less traditional fried plantain and bacon balls. Squid stuffed with crab meat was particularly delicious, while the smoked salmon was just OK.
For the main course we had a mofongo stuffed with mahi mahi. The folks at the next table over raved about the chorizo (I’m still not sure why I didn’t order it) and there were a few other options on the menu that looked delicious. Definitely a solid set of choices covering both the traditional and local varietals of tapas to make for a good meal.
The other two meals we had off-property were walkable from the resort, so long as you don’t mind heading out down an unmarked and unlit street with no clear indication as to where it leads. We did it at lunch time but there were plenty of folks doing it at dinner time, too. It is plenty safe; the road is actually one of the employee parking lots for the resort. From the marina area of the resort head out past the ferry dock and the dive shop and through the gate that leads off the property. Walk along the water for 10 minutes or so and you’ll find yourself in the park and town where there are a bunch of dining options to choose from. Some of the smaller stalls weren’t open while we were there – it was decidedly shoulder season at best – but most of the larger shops were open, leaving a few choices to try.
Lunch number one was at Blue Bahia. It was just OK. The beer was cold and the food was reasonable, but it wasn’t particularly great so it is a bit lower on my recommendation list. The other meal we had was at Racar Sea Food, just past Blue Bahia.
Racar’s is all outdoor and very simple fare, mostly seafood with a few meat options, too. A plate lunch, including rice and beans, was about $6 and it was pretty darn good. The shrimp arepas I ordered was even better, though not quite as filling.
There were a few other restaurants in the area, both out on the main road and along the walkable water front, but we didn’t get to them. Something about being lazy with a pina colada on the beach seemed to get in the way.
All of the meals off-property were, for me, better than the meals on-property. Dinner at Strip House was on par with the better of the other dinners if you really don’t want to leave the resort. But if you can muster the energy I highly recommend getting out and exploring the little town. Your taste buds will thank you for it.
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Posted by Seth on May 8, 2012 under Hotel, Review, Trip Reports |
It is hard to know for certain that the room we had at the El Conquistador Resort near Fajardo, Puerto Rico is typical. I say that because the property is huge. It has nearly 1000 rooms scattered across several buildings and a number of different configurations to choose from on the website. We booked a "normal" ocean view room with two beds and that’s exactly what we got.
The front desk agent mentioned an upgrade due to HHonors Gold status; I believe that got us the balcony as not all the rooms I saw had those. Having the balcony was actually incredibly nice. We spent a decent amount of room time out there, listening to the ocean (and the incredibly loud funicular) and watching the days roll by.
We also received two free "welcome drinks" for the Gold status which ended up being just whatever we wanted at a few of the bars on property rather than some specific schlock. That was a nice touch. And two free bottles of water in the room. Not daily, but for the entire stay.
The bathroom portion of the room was surprisingly large. There was a separate make-up table in addition to the wide sink-top counter. Plenty of room to spread out all of our scuba gear to dry after a week of diving.
And the closet is also part of the bathroom; a large, walk-in closet which could probably pass as second bedroom in a Manhattan apartment. Impressive for someone (like me) not used to closets that large.
One strange part of the room is that the bathtub is recessed into the floor. You step down into it rather than over the lip into it. A bit weird, though I suppose having the very high ceiling in the bathroom was vaguely interesting.
No mini-fridge in the room was a bit of a disappointment. We got by, keeping the beer we brought in from the grocery in the ice bucket. Still, it would have been nice to have that option available to keep snacks and such stocked, particularly given the low quality and high prices of stuff out in the resort.
Not the most modern of facilities nor the most amazing room. Quite reasonable and very much in line with what I was expecting, but nothing amazing. I’m generally not a resort person and I cannot say that either the room or the other facilities at the El Conquistador have swayed me from that bias. But it was a very reasonably room overall; definitely didn’t detract from the stay and actually offset some of the other negatives.
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Posted by Seth on May 8, 2012 under Hotel, Review, Trip Reports |
There are many, many reasons the El Conquistador Resort, located on the north-eastern side of Puerto Rico near Fajardo, is a great place to spend a few days. The hotel has been around a long time, moving between brands over the years. It is currently operating as part of the Waldorf=Astoria Collection under the Hilton HHonors flag and in just about every way the service provided spoke to the expectations of such a resort. And, despite its age, the facilities seemed to be quite well maintained as well.
The resort property is a sprawling complex atop a cliff overlooking the water. There are rooms in several buildings and the views from just about every angle were top-notch.
We were also fortunate that for most of our stay the resort was quite empty. We pretty much had run of the facilities, with no lines or difficulty accessing the various services. This did come back to bite us on occasion – the spa closed early due to lack of demand one day, for example – but it generally worked out in our favor.
The location of the resort presents a few challenges for guests. First, the multiple buildings can mean long walks between parts of the resort. To get from the spa to the marina, for example, could easily take 30 minutes, with multiple elevators and long walks in between. Getting to the Marina also means a ride in a funicular, which was fun but also got to be a bit of a pain to wait for several times a day. It also meant the non-stop sound of it running audible from our room, day and night. Eventually I managed to tune it out, but it was not at all quiet.
Getting to the beach was an even greater adventure. There isn’t actually a beach at the resort. Instead they have a private island just a couple miles off-shore with a beach as well as hiking and various other activities. The 20 minute ferry ride is only slightly annoying but the limited service – only hourly most of the week due to low occupancy rates – was much more unfortunate. Even the regular half-hourly schedule isn’t all that great. On the plus side, once you get out to the beach, the water was lovely and the facilities both broad and reasonably priced for a resort facility.
The biggest disappointment of the stay, by far, was the food served on the resort. We had one good meal out of five. That’s not the sort of rate you’re looking for when access to alternative dining is so limited. We ate at two of the "fancy" restaurants for dinners, the Italian place and Strip House, the steak restaurant. The steak was great and that whole experience was pretty much awesome. The other meals, not so much. Breakfast in the café was cold, both the first time if was served and the second time after we asked them to try again. Lunch on the island with the beach was limited to three sandwich options because the main restaurant was closed for repairs during the low season. And the one I ended up eating was just mediocre. At least the pina coladas served on the beach were reasonably tasty. Truly disappointing just how bad the dining was. Especially given the ridiculous mark-ups charged.
We got off-property to eat a couple times, too, and that was much better. A few posts about those options will be forthcoming.
Oh, and apparently their version of the business center is stuck in 2002.
There are a couple "bodega" type shops on the property if you want sundries, snacks or self-serve booze and the prices aren’t completely horrible. That said, if you have a rental car it is highly recommended to stock up at a grocery on the way in from the airport. That was definitely useful for us.
Overall the property really is very nice. We were treated wonderfully from the moment we arrived until our departure. And the facilities were lovely. I sortof wish the bad meals didn’t leave me so bummed about the overall experience. Alas, it seems they have. Maybe because the worst of the meals was our last on the morning of departure.
Posted by Seth on May 7, 2012 under News |
With an extra half hour to spare at the San Juan airport on Friday afternoon before my flight back to New York I took the opportunity to wander over to the new Terminal A and check it out. The terminal is opening very soon and will house JetBlue‘s operations at the airport; it is a MAJOR upgrade from the existing facilities from what I could see.
OK, to be fair, I didn’t actually get inside and there wasn’t a ton to see. Still, the bits that I did catch were quite nice.
High ceilings, big windows and plenty of gates. It is everything a growing airline could want from a new terminal. Of course, it remains to be seen what facilities are available inside the terminal, and it seemed that the gates were split into at least two groups (I am not sure if they connect behind security or not; I would assume so). But from the bits I did see, it looks like quite an improvement from the current facilities.
Posted by Seth on May 7, 2012 under Trip Reports |
Given the opportunity to spend time underwater, I find it hard to resist. Facing five days on the beach in Puerto Rico – hardly a burden to begin with – I was quick to schedule about as much time as I could diving with the operator at the hotel. That meant three days of spending the morning below the surface. The plan seemed sound.
The good news is that I was underwater, breathing canned air and generally at peace. The bad news is that the diving, particularly the first couple days, was not particularly great. I wasn’t expecting the best conditions or most amazing dives of my life, but the 20-30 foot visibility and minimal life of the reefs was below even those limited expectations.
There were some moments of awesome, scattered through the monotony of silty fan corals, that ultimately made the dives worthwhile. Day one included a spotted ray, swimming along not too far from us.
On day two we caught glimpse of a turtle at one point, and the conditions started to improve a bit. The parrot fish, plentiful throughout the week, were a bit less skittish and willing to pose for photos.
Day three was the best in terms of animal sightings, with a few different turtles spotted on the dive, including one that was not particularly skittish as I swam nearby, snapping a few photos.
Mostly for convenience we dove with the operator based at the El Conquistador Resort where we were staying. One of the crew, Nick, was awesome and diving with him for two of the three days was great. He was willing to respect the different skill levels of the divers on the boat and made sure that everyone was able to maximize their experience. The other guys were less than stellar, arbitrarily cutting dives short, stirring up silt as they guided and otherwise making things less pleasant during the dives.
That all said, I would still recommend them as an operator, in part because the overall level of care and comfort for customers was high. They took care of our gear between dives and overnight. They had great snacks on the boat for between dives. And, in a first for me, they had beer in the cooler for post-dive refreshments. Only for consumption after the second dive, of course, but it was a nice way to lead in to lunch time on the ride back to the dock.
That was quite nice.
I ended up with a few more photos, shared in the album here, that I’m reasonably happy with. Still, the overall quality and quantity of marine life left much to be desired. If I’m in the region again I’ll probably go diving again, mostly because sitting on the beach for a week would drive me bonkers otherwise. But I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to dive the north eastern coast of Puerto Rico. There just isn’t much there to recommend it.
Posted by Seth on May 3, 2012 under Trip Reports |
After spending my first several hours in Rio on the beach it was time to expand my horizons. Literally. There are two main attractions other than the beach – Sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer. I didn’t have time to do both so I made the choice to go with easy and convenient. I hopped in a cab and headed to Sugarloaf to ride the tramway up to the top and look out over the beaches and skyline. Not nearly as high in elevation as Christ the Redeemer, but way more convenient to get to. And I managed to get a bit of both in anyways.
The cable-car ride up to the top of Sugarloaf is split into two sections. The views from the first base station are pretty impressive in their own right and there’s another bonus available. The lower station also happens to have a heliport built in allowing for tours of the area ranging from a 7 minute trip up to Christ the Redeemer and returning along the beach to hour long trips that cover the whole region. I had the conversion rate wrong in my head so I miscalculated the price of the short trip and thought it incredibly cheap (turns out it was just a fair deal) so I went in to ask about taking a ride.
A trip requires a minimum of three passengers and a maximum of four. I wasn’t going to be able to go just on my own. Fortunately for me, however, there were three women who had purchased a tour and there was an empty seat still on that trip. I was booked within moments and headed out to the helipad, hopeful that the clouds would clear and that we’d actually get up to Christ the Redeemer; it was iffy and no guarantees. Once again the timing worked in my favor and as we were loading up the helicopter the clouds cleared enough that we would be able to make the flight.
Moments later we were circling above the statue, looking down at the statue, the beaches, the city and the people of Rio. It was awesome.
Not surprisingly the 7 minute tour lasted exactly 7 minutes. And as we landed the next group was queued up and ready to go. I headed off to the next stage of the cable car and up to the top of Sugarloaf.
I was sold on Sugarloaf with the promise that every time you turn a corner the views are even better than the past ones. Ygor couldn’t have been more right about that. There was a small jungle at the top station and I wandered through, coming out at the edge of a cliff overlooking the downtown airport, with planes coming and going. Back out the other side were vistas of the beaches and the skyline, depending on which direction I turned (like the first photo in this post).
As I started to head down from the peak the weather quickly worsened. The wispy clouds that earlier threatened our flight up to Christ the Redeemer quickly switched to a full-on rain storm. I was soaked by the time I got in to the taxi at the bottom (the cable car is enclosed but there was some outdoor time between the rides) but I got a cab and made it to the airport without any trouble at all.
It was a tremendous finish to a wonderful day. Sure, the commute is a bit of a pain, but a day on the beaches and in the skies of Rio definitely didn’t suck. I’m quite happy I made the trip.
Posted by Seth on May 2, 2012 under Trip Reports |
It is quite easy to see why sitting on the beach in Rio is a compelling way to pass the day. Both the Ipanema and Copacabana beaches were bustling on the Saturday I visited, filled with locals and tourists alike. My day started, as I like to do in any destination, with a local malted beverage and pastry. In my case a reasonably light beer and cheesy-bread (pao do quiejo) fortified me for the bus ride in to town and my morning of beach time.
The bus from the airport into town takes 30-40 minutes and pulls up right on the beaches, providing easy access to living the local dream. Before long I was wandering on the sand, occasionally dipping my toes in the Atlantic Ocean and watching families and friends enjoy the sun.
I’ve spent a decent amount of time on beaches filled with hawkers. I cannot ever remember enjoying the experience. Both Ipanema and Copacabana had hawkers everywhere. Everything from snacks to drinks to a new bikini (and, yes, even those guys were actually selling their wares) was on offer and there was a decent amount of action for the vendors. Maybe because they were generally doing OK without harassing people things seemed easier. Or maybe because I didn’t speak a word of Portuguese I just didn’t notice the annoyances. Either way, watching the waves roll in and out as hawkers and pretty people strolled by was a great way to spend a few hours.
Ask anyone who has spent time in Rio which beach they prefer and you’ll most certainly get an answer. It is not a question about which many folks are indifferent. I spent about 2 hours on each beach. For my time and money, Copacabana is the place to be. I’m not entirely sure why I feel that way – both were fine – but Ipanema felt a bit more hectic and active to me, I think, and I generally want my beach time to be down time. Even within Copacabana the eastern end (closer to Ipanema) is more active, but by the middle of the beach things thin out pretty quickly, making it really easy to relax.
When the time comes to sit down and relax on the beach there are plenty of vendors with chairs and umbrellas available. Just a couple bucks for the day and way better than dealing with schlepping your own gear out to the beach. Most also offer bar and snack service, though that is also quite easily secured from the hawkers.
Of course, it is also important to partake of the local goods while enjoying the beach time. In addition to the hawkers selling bikinis on the beach there are plenty of options for buying gear, including a nearly endless variety of flip flops, surf boards and other goodies.
Oh, and local beverages, too. Walking the promenade, coconut in hand, is a an awesome way to cool off in the sun. Reasonably priced, too, around $1.50 each. The view alone is probably worth that, not to mention the cool sweet nectar.
And, as the afternoon rolls on and the happy hour spirit kicks in to gear there is arguably nothing better than an ice-cold caipirinha served up on the beach. I certainly had my share.
I also had lunch just off the beach at Devassa. It is both a brewery and a restaurant, with the different beers named for the women the represent – blondes, brunettes & redheads – and they were quite delicious. The food was decent, too. It is definitely a touristy place to eat, but the beers made it worth a visit for me.
Not a bad way to pass a few hours, soaking up rays. And this was only part of the day. With about 3 hours left before I had to head to the airport I shifted elevations, up into the sky to see more of the city.
