You probably have already heard the story of the Buzios ‘genesis’, a quiet fishing village brought into the limelight by Brigitte Bardot (dating a Brazilian beau at the time) in the 60s and the rest is history. These days, a bronze statue of Bardot gazing the bay of Buzios is at a prominent position at the promenade. Buzios is a very beautiful, upscale, beach town more Mediterranean in style than Brazilian. It is more peaceful during the week (unless a cruise ship is visiting) while in the weekends is the ultimate party town. Been only a 2.5 hrs drive from Rio, Buzios is the perfect get away.

How to get there: take one of the frequent buses departing from Rodoviária Bus Station at Downtown Rio and then is a 2.5 hrs trip to Buzios. There are buses from Copacabana/Ipanema to Rodoviária but as it is a rather ‘shady’ area if you are not familiar and you are likely to wander around just take a taxi to and back.

What to do: 1.party 2. relax. There is not much here in terms of cultural activities, but plenty for the other two options.

Party: Rua das Pedras/Orla Bardot is the epicentre of the key nightlife options with a great variety of bars, elegant restaurants and big clubs. Here you will find the key clubs Pacha and Privilege. For more chilled out drinks try Anexo Bar.

Relax: I actually much prefer Buzios for its relaxing scene and there are plenty of options too. Buzios has the following good beach choices starting from the centre and moving further away: Azeda (a picturesque small bay, close to the centre with calm, crystal clear waters, not very crowded),  Joao Fernandes (the popular beach, with a couple of beach huts options, a lot of people and loud music, a bit commercial), Ferradura (calm waters and beach huts for chilling), Geriba (my favourite option). Geriba is a great beach option, it is the longest beach with stretches of fine white sand and turquoise water and in my opinion the most ‘tropical’ out of the local beaches. It is the surfer’s beach, you will understand why once there. If you want to swim the left side of the beach has calm, warmer waters and there are a few beach hut options right at the edge. The right side, where beach bar FishBone is located is quite windy but having tried both options I much preferred this side as it is more relaxed and FishBone is a chilled, lunch option offering good acai and fresh fish – although a bit on the expensive side.

Plenty of options for bar and cafe chilling at the centre of Buzios but I adore Maria Maria Cafe on Rua das Pedras, a magic little place with views over the sea, friendly hosts and super delicious artisan cakes, freshly prepared every day (I should know, I paid a visit all 5 days of my stay). Great coffee too.

Stay: Depending what your priority is (beach relaxing or partying) opt for a traditional pousada in the centre of Buzios or Geriba to be close to this gorgeous beach. I stayed at Wasi Geriba and would definitely recommend this small, pretty and friendly bed and breakfast. It has gorgeous views over Geriba Lake and it is a 10 mins walk to Geriba beach and a 5 mins drive to the centre of Buzios. For more central and upscale accommodation Villa Balthazar is a dreamy option.

For more travel tips on Buzios, get in touch taksidin@gmail.com