Tag: Praia do Forte

Travelling to Salvador

We flew to Salvador on 19th June 2018 from Rio De Janeiro We stayed all inclusive at a lovely hotel called Iberostar Praia Do Forte which was about a 40 minute drive from the airport. Praia Do Forte is a prime example of eco-tourism. There are 4 endangered Sea Turtle’s in Praia Do Forte. Iberostar is involved in a plan to protect the Turtle’s

Accommodation

The hotel was a good standard of all inclusive but not quite 5 star. The rooms were very spacious and clean. The food and drink in the hotel is also very good with 6 restaurants (Do Lago – Gourmet Restaurant, Novecento – Italian Restaurant, Pelo – International buffet, Mai Tai – Asian Restaurant, Maresia – Mexican Restaurant, Odoia – Bahian Restaurant) and 5 bars. There are also 5 pools at the resort.

There is also a lovely little bar and restaurant down by the beach which is lovely to eat at during the day.

The complex itself is very big with a lot of activities day and night. The hotel was directly on to the beach which was a beautiful beach with soft sand and clear blue sea. You could walk on the beach for miles. There is the centre of Praia do Forte a short distance away with bars and restaurants.

There was entertainment around the pool each day. It was waiter service around the pool but you could go up to the bar and order yourself. The cocktails were made fresh and were very nice. One of the cocktails looked and tasted like raspberry ripple ice cream but because it did not taste very alcoholic we were unaware of how much we were drinking. Caipirinha is Brazils national cocktail which is a made of lime (other fruits can be used), sugar and Cachaca (Brazilian Sugar Cane Brandy). These drinks are very refreshing but also strong. This hotel made the most amazing fresh cocktails.

Location

We walked most days on the beach. The beach was very quiet not sure if it was the time of year we went but each day there wasnt many people on the beach. It was a lovely stretch of beach that you could walk a fair distance in either direction. The sea was warm and relatively calm so could not understand why there wasn’t more people in the sea etc considering there were other hotels near by. There wasn’t anything else within walking distance of the hotel.

World Cup

We stayed at the hotel during the World Cup 2018. The hotel made a lot of effort with regards to the guests enjoying the football. There were a lot of large sculpture relating to the World Cup around the hotel.

On one of the days Brazil were playing, There were live bands throughout the day and BBQ food etc in area’s around the pool which did not usually serve food. Everyone was having the most amazing time.

When it was time for the game a large room was set up with large screen, buffet food, waiter service, bar service and cocktail station. Almost every seat in the room was taken. The whole room was going crazy when Brazil scored a goal. They played Switzerland that day and drew 1 all.

We had met some Brazilian couples so spent the day with them even though they couldn’t speak English and we couldn’t speak Spanish/Portuguese but through google translator we got by. This was one of the best days we had at the hotel. When the game was over the room quickly emptied and although Brazil did not win the party still carried on,

We went to watch England play on one of the days which was quite a contrast to the Brazilian game. The large room was set up again as it was with the Brazilian game but we were the only English guests in the hotel so there wasn’t many people watching the game although it did come with an advantage we worked out that their were 2 waiters to each person watching. Plus point on one hand but the down side was drinks were flowing extremely quickly lol. Did not see much of the evening that day.

Summary

We did experience some very heavy downpours through out our stay but they were short lived and did not spoil our holiday. We did have one day when it rained most of the day. June is one of the wettest months here so did expect some rain. The weather was mainly hot, sunny and around the pool weather.

We were travelling to various detitanations in Brazil and wanted an all inclusive beach holiday in between. We did not venture out of our hotel apart from on the beach during our stay as we had been sightseeing in other destinations prior to this hotel and was going to further destinations of interest after. For what we wanted from the hotel and location this was a very good choice. The only downside was that there wasn’t many English speaker guests at the hotel. Many of the staff also struggled with English. We did try and use a bit of Spanish but unfortunately our Spanish isn’t good enough at the moment. If we venture back to Brazil hope our Spanish has improved.

Images

Things to do

• Dink a Caipirinha
• Visit one of the wonderful beaches
• Visit the Tamar Project
• Try scuba diving
• Do some snorkelling.
• Try the local cuisines

Top Tips

• If visiting anywhere in Brazil try the Caipirinha cocktail it is amazing
• Tamar Project is a Turtle Sanctuary which is a short drive away although we did not go there it does seem a worth a visit for a worthy cause.
• Watching the World Cup in Brazil was amazing if you are going to go to Brazil the year it is the World Cup do it then.
• This is not a main tourist destination for many countries so be aware that many will not speak English.
• Check out the best time of year for weather as some months have a lot of rain. Hurricane season is from June to November.
• Check out the Government information before travelling to Brazil https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/brazil/safety-and-security
• Check out other destinations we have visited in Brazil. Please click on the following links Rio de Janeiro , Foz Do Iguacu
• If going out of the resorts be aware that there is a high risk of mugging and pick pocketing especially in El Salvador.

Weather