Fernando de Noronha

[catnip]

Anyone been? Impressions?

 

http://www.noronha.com.br/english/index.html

[duke37]

Sorry I don't do impressions.

 

 

 

:+

[trilingual]

Friends have been there. Everyone says it's absolutely gorgeous. If you like diving and snorkeling, nature walks, and dolphin watching, you'll love it. Probably good for about 4 days or so. It's a small island with a small population, so no organized gay scene, although the old "there's no such thing as a straight Brazilian male" rule probably applies, if you're discreet.

 

Flights to Noronha leave from Recife and Natal. Unless you hit bad weather, you should enjoy it.

 

Fernando de Noronha is a national park/reserve. The number of visitors is limited by the number of accommodations on the island. The only way to visit is with a package tour. I have a feeling there's not a lot of variation in prices (not that much competition) and it's not the cheapest place to visit (everything is brought in from the outside). You can check with Carlo Romano for tour prices, English speaking guides, which pousadas are recommended, etc.

[catnip]

Thanks, tri. I was talking to a few Brazilians at a restaurant here in NYC and they were all raving about it. Does sound beautiful, but maybe for a later visit. I think it will be Maranhão and the lençois for me this year.

 

http://www.maria-brazil.org/lencois_maranhenses.htm

[trilingual]

RE: Maranhão - Lençois

 

Those are good choices, too. Off the gringo trail, and interesting. São Luiz is a colorful old city, quite large. There's gay life there. Check Netgay for addresses of saunas, bars, etc. You could also ask fellow M4Mer siruncut if he's got any info. He's originally from São Luiz, and has been there recently, so he may have uncovered some new spots!

[BillyZ]

Having spent five days on Fernando do Noronha in August, I can confirm that all of Tri's post is exactly right.

 

It would be a terrible place to visit solo. I went with a nonrental Brazilian lover from Recife and we had a fine time. There were mostly Brazilian tourists and few North Americans or Europeans.

 

For a nice place to stay, I highly recommend Solars de Ventos, but some of the other pousadas (no real hotels operating) are a bit shabby.

 

Anyway, the island is the kind of low-key place some people will find charming and relaxing, while others will be bored to death. Thanks to my buddy Joselio, I loved it.

[trilingual]

Check weather patterns before you go. I'm not sure when the rainy season is for Noronha, but you don't want to get stuck on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere for a solid week or rain (and watching your expensive tour package go down the drain).

 

I think Noronha has good weather most of the year, but this would be the only precaution I would mention before you book a trip there. I know someone who went and experienced exactly what I described, and the trip was a huge disappointment, as you can imagine.

 

Otherwise, everyone raves about it. Having a travel companion is a good idea. It's very small (only about 1,000 permanent residents) so this is no metropolis!