Brazil - Club Med in Brazil - help please

Hello to the resident Brazil experts. Im not the regular Club Med type, but considering we now have two small kids, son just turned 3, daughter is 15 months old, we are seriously considering Club Med.

After an initial round of research, based on the three existing resorts in Brazil Ive killed Itaparica and am pondering between Trancosa and Rio das Pedras. On paper, both these seem to be resorts of similar caliber, both are rated 4 'club-med stars'... whatever that means.... (???)

Im wondering what those of you that know these resorts and/or the surrounding beach areas can tell me to help in me deciding on which resort to pick... we plan to go there for 10-15 days in mid January 2011.

Tips, suggestions and comments would be most welcome.

Cheers from Buenos Aires,
Gaucho100K

Good idea to eliminate Itaparica; that place is terrible.
I have never been to the other two Club Med in Brasil, but I'd pick Trancoso just because Bahia has a better summer weather than Rio de Janeiro state.
In the Southeast region, summer is the rainy season. Sometimes it rains for days or weeks non-stop. But in the Northeast, summer is the dry season.
There is a difference in the ocean water as well. The Northern coast has warm water and the Southern notably colder waters. The "transition" zone is somewhere around the Bahia/Espirito Santo border.

I've only been to one Club Med when our kids were young. It wasn't our best experience. . . . . .

You may want to take a look at the resorts at Costa do Saiupe. There are a number of large hotels there, very kid friendly, likely less of a "summer camp" atmosphere. Good luck.

I’d go with Trancoso hands down. Beaches are much better, resort is much newer and as MariaSF pointed out the weather up north is much better this time of the year.

Flight is longer though, not sure if that is something to be considered. If you prefer something near Rio, I’d go with Portobello resort, which is quite close to Club Med and a much better experience for the kids.

Thanks to all for the advice. The geographic location of Trancoso (being the furthest up North) was an important factor. A longer flight is not too much of an issue.... do you guys know if go get to the Trancoso resort you would normally fly to Bahia...? If so, how much longer is the trip after that...?

Thanks again,
Gaucho100K

I've only been to one Club Med when our kids were young. It wasn't our best experience. . . . . .

You may want to take a look at the resorts at Costa do Saiupe. There are a number of large hotels there, very kid friendly, likely less of a "summer camp" atmosphere. Good luck.

Was this very long ago...? I ask because the feedback Ive been reading on Club Meds has been in general very positive.

Thanks for the advice to look into Costa do Saiupe.... can you name any specific resorts that I should look-into...?

Thanks,
Gaucho100K

I have never stayed at a Club Med but family members have been to the Trancoso one and rave about it. I have passed that resort on the "road", it was a pitted track when I was there two years ago. Trancoso is a beautiful uncrowded, almost desolate place, and the beaches are stunning. In January I would go there with children with no question.

The resort arranges transfers, including air to a small airport 7km away or you can drive yourself from Porto Seguro, 80 km away. They have Hertz onsite at ClubMed also.

Related questions.... I see that places like Breezes and SuperClubs also have resorts in the north of Brazil, but somehow I feel that Club Med is a better option because I get a feeling that their properties are not as large as the Mega operations such as Breezes and SuperClubs..... perhaps Im wrong about this...?

BTW, Im not at all closed to an option that offers all inclusive programs.... if someone knows of a nice luxury resort that has a kids friendly program, please let me know.... I have to say that the main draw to Club Med is the fact that they are known to have a very good kids program and we want our 3 year old son to have a ton of things to do and a good number of kids to share the vacation with. We are willing to sacrifice comfort and luxury to get the kids program....

Thanks again,
Gaucho100K

I have never stayed at a Club Med but family members have been to the Trancoso one and rave about it. I have passed that resort on the "road", it was a pitted track when I was there two years ago. Trancoso is a beautiful uncrowded, almost desolate place, and the beaches are stunning. In January I would go there with children with no question.

The resort arranges transfers, including air to a small airport 7km away or you can drive yourself from Porto Seguro, 80 km away. They have Hertz onsite at ClubMed also.

Thanks... this is just the type of info I wanted.

Ive just gotten off the phone with Club Med here in Buenos Aires and they tell me that they only arrange air transfers to Porto Seguro... from there they say it takes about 90 mins by bus to the resort. I guess the air transportation to the small airport is only for domestic flights in regional-jet types, they tell me the charters from EZE are in B737s and the larger Embraer birds.

You may want to take a look at this resort near Recife. It's a family-friendly luxury resort.

http://www.summervilleresort.com.br/summerkids.php

You may want to take a look at this resort near Recife. It's a family-friendly luxury resort.

http://www.summervilleresort.com.br/summerkids.php

Obrigado Maria !!! ^ :D

After more research... it seems like the Trancoso resort is a little far away from the beach, some reviews say its about 700-800 meters away and you must walk down steps.... this is going to be an issue with small kids..... hmmmm.... need to do more research I guess.

I've also heard very good things about Summerville, in Porto de Galinhas.

The problem for many of these resorts, at least for those of us in North America, is the flight and intra-Brazil flights. For Trancoso the closest airport is Porto Seguro. I believe there's no non stop from BAires to get there (I checked once or twice) but a charter would be a good option. I imagine you also can get a taxi from Porto Seguro airport, it is under an hour travel time allegedly. We are still looking into the area for a winter vacation, though not an all inclusive. For us, that requires a flt to Sao Paolo then back up north to these resorts. We did that one year, heading to Alagoas, but the layovers at GRU, etc., aren't fun.

For Porto de Galinhas you can fly to Recife and its about an hour or so from there. Beautiful water and beaches. Small town.

You may want to take a look at a Brazilian travel agency that is very well known. They seem to have great offers/prices to all inclusive and kid friendly resorts throughout Brazil.

http://www.cvc.com.br/index_regiao25.html

Buena suerte.

The problem for many of these resorts, at least for those of us in North America, is the flight and intra-Brazil flights.
...
We did that one year, heading to Alagoas, but the layovers at GRU, etc., aren't fun.



I don't want to go too OT here, but American Airlines flies from Miami to Recife and Salvador, no need to go to GRU anymore.

To the OP. You are right, the Trancoso and Arraial D'Ajuda coast is a cliif area. I've heard that the Cub Med has escalators/elevator.

I was considering renting a beach house nearby, but gave up because everything there is on the "higher ground" with not so easy access to the beach. I ended up renting a beachfront villa in Porto de Galinhas instead.

Yes, the AA flts to Recife and onward to Salvador are now a good option. ^

However, for Trancoso we still have to get to Porto Seguro, though those flts are quick from Salvador. But (there is always a but) the flt times on GOL and TAM from Porto Seguro back and forth to Salvador aren't good to catch the AA flt back to the US. Likely we can over night in Salvador which would be nice. (Also sorry to go off topic here.)

For travelers heading to Porto de Galinhas, the Recife option is perfect.

For the OP, I also saw some blurbs about a hotel/resort not so far from Salvador, Vila Gales. Allegedly the beach is beautiful and they too have a kids club.

In the Southeast region, summer is the rainy season. Sometimes it rains for days or weeks non-stop. But in the Northeast, summer is the dry season.


That's not true. The larger amount of rain in the Summer is only due to summer storms that develop usually in the afternoon, pouring rain for 30 minutes or so. Afterwards, the sky will clear immediately.
It's in the Winter when you will see cold fronts coming and staying for days, becoming cloudy for days with eventual drizzle that comes with it.

That's not true. The larger amount of rain in the Summer is only due to summer storms that develop usually in the afternoon, pouring rain for 30 minutes or so. Afterwards, the sky will clear immediately.
It's in the Winter when you will see cold fronts coming and staying for days, becoming cloudy for days with eventual drizzle that comes with it.

Southern Hemisphere summer or Northern Hemisphere summer? Here in Fortaleza, the rainy season is usually about December-March, but can vary a lot from year ro year. Rain is more often than not in the early hours, but can occur at any time. In the Amazon region, really the North not Northeast, you can get rain and even thunderstorms for days at a time. More rain in, say December-February, which is their summer. You do get real winters in the south, with even freezing temps in some places. Brazil is as big as the continental U.S., so it's risky to generalize about weather.

I've been to Summerville, in Porto de Galinhas area near Recife, and it didn't strike me as a Club Med-level resort, but was nice, with lots of activities for kids.

Regarding the weather, the memories of my late teen-age years during January in Brazil recall that is would normally rain every day or every other day, but for a short period of time, perhaps 20 to max. 40 minutes usually during the late afternoon.... I dont remember a single summer in Brazil where it rained the entire day.... and I used to be a frequent visitor to the South of Brazil (Florianopolis and the surrounding beaches)....

I've been to Summerville, in Porto de Galinhas area near Recife, and it didn't strike me as a Club Med-level resort, but was nice, with lots of activities for kids.

If Im reading your post correctly, you say Club Med resorts will be better in terms of amenities & overall perks vs. Summerville...? Thanks.

That's not true. The larger amount of rain in the Summer is only due to summer storms that develop usually in the afternoon, pouring rain for 30 minutes or so. Afterwards, the sky will clear immediately.
It's in the Winter when you will see cold fronts coming and staying for days, becoming cloudy for days with eventual drizzle that comes with it.

It doesn't happen every year, but it can and does happen sometimes (El nino or whatever it's called now).
Please don't say that the summers I spent on the Northern Sao Paulo coast, stuck in an apartment or hotel for days because of the rain, were not true.
In my 35 years in Brasil, a lot of summers were great, but a lot were not.

What I meant was the the weather in Southeast Brasil is unpredictable. You may get great weather, or you may just waste your time there. The Northeast is a much more sure thing.

It doesn't happen every year, but it can and does happen sometimes (El nino or whatever it's called now).
Please don't say that the summers I spent on the Northern Sao Paulo coast, stuck in an apartment or hotel for days because of the rain, were not true.
In my 35 years in Brasil, a lot of summers were great, but a lot were not.

What I meant was the the weather in Southeast Brasil is unpredictable. You may get great weather, or you may just waste your time there. The Northeast is a much more sure thing.

I wasn't aware that weather was programmable. Funny you should mention the Northern São Paulo coast, where the relief dictates the weather. The weather in Mangaratiba, municipality where the Club Med Rio das Pedras is located, is similar to Rio de Janeiro's.

I'm not disputing the fact that it rains less in Trancoso, but your criticism of Mangaratiba is not justifiable.

Hello Gaucho,

My kids are a bit older than yousr but not much. We went to ClubMed Trancoso last year. We are not ClubMed goers either. Beach access is an issue, you can either walk down or take a van. There is a bar at the beach but not much else. Facilities are ok and so is the food. Kids club is better than I expected. I think in Bahia the best destination for a family with kids is the Praia do Forte Ecoresort a bit North of Salvador. It feels smaller, it is much less noisy and service is much better. You can hire competent nannies for a decent price if needed be. Also access from Salvador is better than Porto Seguro-Trancoso.

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Hello Gaucho,

My kids are a bit older than yousr but not much. We went to ClubMed Trancoso last year. We are not ClubMed goers either. Beach access is an issue, you can either walk down or take a van. There is a bar at the beach but not much else. Facilities are ok and so is the food. Kids club is better than I expected. I think in Bahia the best destination for a family with kids is the Praia do Forte Ecoresort a bit North of Salvador. It feels smaller, it is much less noisy and service is much better. You can hire competent nannies for a decent price if needed be. Also access from Salvador is better than Porto Seguro-Trancoso.

Amazing advice... thank you very much. I will look into the resort that you mention.

Not a problem, I'll come get the Yacochuya vertical! :)

Not a problem, I'll come get the Yacochuya vertical! :)

:D ^

Just saw your PM... please check your Inbox.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

I am amazed by the quality of information available at FT. It is great that somebody with kids had actually stayed at Club Med Trancoso and could offer direct info.

When Gaucho100K gets good information it is even better, because he so so very helpful to all of us.

I wish I could buy wine from him, but I seem rarely to make it to BA.

I think in Bahia the best destination for a family with kids is the Praia do Forte Ecoresort a bit North of Salvador. It feels smaller, it is much less noisy and service is much better. You can hire competent nannies for a decent price if needed be. Also access from Salvador is better than Porto Seguro-Trancoso.

This indeed does look like a better option... the website is much better than most other non-international chain resort websites Ive seen. One thing that does make me think, however, is that their kids club is apparently for children from 5 years onward.... and our son is only 3 years old. He´s above average size for his age and very outgoing & independent... but an almost 2 year gap at this age may be a little too much for him... regardless, I wont rule this out just now.

Thanks again for the information.

Cheers,
Alex / Gaucho100K

Since you mentioned Florianopolis, you should consider Costao do Santinho resort www.costao.com.br in Florianopolis island in South Brazil which has been considered the best resort in Brazil for two years in a row (2009 and 2010), as per Guia 4 Rodas - a respectable travel guide in Brazil; the title for 2011 has been awarded to the newly established Breezes Buzios Resport www.breezesbuzios.com.br.

You may consider Costao as an alternative, weather in South Brazil is also milder as compared to North/Northeast Brazil. Nearby Florianopolis you have Beto Carreiro World (theme park) and Balneario Camboriu (Uniprais Park: http://www.unipraias.com.br/) which make a great day out program.

Rgs,

Thanks for the info !!! ^

Whats your take on Rain & overall weather in the Floria during Jan & Feb...???

Since you mentioned Florianopolis, you should consider Costao do Santinho resort www.costao.com.br in Florianopolis island in South Brazil which has been considered the best resort in Brazil for two years in a row (2009 and 2010), as per Guia 4 Rodas - a respectable travel guide in Brazil; the title for 2011 has been awarded to the newly established Breezes Buzios Resport www.breezesbuzios.com.br.

You may consider Costao as an alternative, weather in South Brazil is also milder as compared to North/Northeast Brazil. Nearby Florianopolis you have Beto Carreiro World (theme park) and Balneario Camboriu (Uniprais Park: http://www.unipraias.com.br/) which make a great day out program.

Rgs,

Thanks for the info !!! ^

Whats your take on Rain & overall weather in the Floria during Jan & Feb...???

Every year I spend at least one week in Santa Catarina state for holidays because I have relatives living in this region. I will share my recent experience 2009/2010: one week for New Year's eve in Balneario Camboriu (where my brother has a beach apartment) and another week in Bombinhas where I made a scuba diving advanced (PADI-certified) course.

I got about 70%/80% of my time with stable weather, clear skies, sunny, and moderate temperatures (about 30 to 32 degrees, never more than 34 degrees - different from Rio de Janeiro and Northeast Brazil where you can easily reach temperatures above 36 degrees during the Summer, last year Rio had record breaking temperatures above 40 degrees, this is why I avoid Rio and Northeast Brazil during the Summer). Considering you have children, this is an important factor to consider.

20%/30% of the time, however, I had cloudy weather or rain for part of the day. If you are not lucky, you may have a situation where you have 2 or 3 days in a row with clouldy skies and rain. In such cases, in a place such as Florianopolis you may easily go out and spend the day visiting the city, a shopping mall, or nearby towns such as Blumenau, or a zoo (the Pomerode zoo is famours with children and my niece always loves to visit this zoo), or the mentioned Beto Carreiro World which gets full on cloudy days or the Uniprais Park which I personally find quite impressive. But you would need to rent a car, and watch out for time to avoid traffic (although the BR101 highway which serves Florianopolis to the North - direction Balneario Camboriu and Curitiba - is in very good conditions - the highway from Florianopolis to the South - direction Porto Alegre - is in terrible state and should be avoided). Consider if you are in a resort in a small, isolated place, you have no option to go out in cloudy days...this is not the case of Florianopolis.

[As a side note: I usually enjoy Rio and Northeast Brazil off season, eg March-May/September-November when temperatures are milder. Two weeks ago I spent 5 days in Maceio and it was great: temperatures of about 30/32 degrees, sun and clear skies. During this time, however, in South Brazil you may get very unstable weather due to cold fronts coming from Argentina]

Last but not least, another issue to be considered is that Florianopolis is extremely well connected to Buenos Aires e.g. GOL, TAM, AR nonstop plus Pluna via MVD; but beware that some areas/beaches of Florianopolis are full of "porteño" tourists... ;)

Rgs,

Guys.... I need to revive this thread. After all my research last year I ended up going to Florida but this winter it looks like I will take a week and pack my bags for Brazil... Would greatly appreciate it if I could get feedback on this resort... I dropped the ball this year and did not plan ahead for the winter vacations... I now dont have much to choose from and the place that seems to get the best reviews based on what various TAs have told me (and what Ive seen online) is this resort that is part of the Fiesta Group of Hotels...

Grand Palladium Imbassai Resort
http://www.fiestahotelgroup.com/es/hoteles/destinos/america/brasil/bahia/grand-palladium-imbassai-resort-spa/

I can get a killer deal through a good friend that owns a TA.... so Im ready to pull the trigger on this. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Im ready to pull the trigger on this. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

The Grand Palladium is a new resort. It opened in mid-2010. Everything I have heard suggests they might have benefitted from a long "soft-opening" but that they now are excellent, especially for people with children. In short, Gaucho, I suspect it will be delightful for you!

Please remember i have not seen it since it opened. The location is very nice and there are all the normal wonderful experiences to be had in the area. My report is based on the experiences of other people, including my nephew, who stayed there a few weeks ago.

Have fun! Will you transit GIG? It would be great to see you!

Thanks for the feeback.... I cant believe my luck, but I called this morning to close on this trip and the TA tells me that the resort is oversold so Im not now confirmed but instead on some sort of priority waitlist.... grrrrrr :mad:

Thanks for the feeback.... I cant believe my luck, but I called this morning to close on this trip and the TA tells me that the resort is oversold so Im not now confirmed but instead on some sort of priority waitlist.... grrrrrr :mad:

Good luck. There are a few alternatives but you probably know them.

Yes... thanks, Im looking into them but it doesnt look good. Im working on a Plan B to northern Argentina.....

Thanks again,
Alex