World cup accommodation/camping
 

I have posted this as a reply on another thread but thought I get more of an answer here with a new one...

I am going to base myself in Rio for the whole of the world cup. I've traveled in Brazil a bit before so am not fussed about "doing the tourist thing." I wanted to catch an England game but that won't be happening now with the draw and where England are playing. I am not paying silly money to fly to Belo Horizonte and neither am I doing any more 7 hour bus journeys...

I've found a campsite, that is about an hour from Copacabana called World Cup Camping Rio. They are in Recreio, which is a nice area itself. Only charging £35 pppn.

Do any of our members here know anything about them? I found a press release they let out over the weekend and their parent company seems legit... I will wait till the end of this week and then book. Camping sounds fun, pool etc and better than being rammed into a tiny room with 9 beds, and one meter space for everyone, which most hostels have.

The hostels all seem to have set packages as well now, like they do for Carnival when the prices rocket and the standards go down... Not a surprise really.

Right, thanks in advance folks. And if no-one knows anything about these guys, but has alternatives????

Recreio is essentially a suburb of Rio, down the coast a ways. Residents face heavy traffic daily commuting into the city, often an hour or more one way. Imagine how much more there may be during the WC.
Good luck with your plans.

Befriend the locals and accept their hospitality. :)

Hi all,

I have a hotel room available in Salvador - the Hotel Vila Velha. We booked 5 nights and are travelling away for the middle three. Hotel won't refund so I was hoping to let someone else have the room while we're away. We booked the hotel a while back so got a great deal. Details below:

Hotel Vila Velha
14-17 June (3 nights)
£300 in total (same nightly price we paid)

I'd be able to give you the keys on the 14th and would need to get them back on the 17th (we're also booked ourselves on the 17th so need the room then).

Please contact me for details - we may also be able to share the room on the 13th and 17th if people want accommodation for these dates. Let me know! Thanks

Ben

You've confirmed the hotel will allow this and won't end up kicking out these other folks as unregistered guests? Who's responsible if the other folks cause damage?

World Cup Accomodation
 

I'll be staying at Natal, i've found the camp through Stoke travel. They are also offering camps at in Rio and Pipa.

They are offering free drinks and arrange the transport to and from the world cup matches as well.Nice and easy!

The Stoke one is different from the one the OP mentioned. The Stoke one is apparently located in Barra de Tijuca, also south of the city, but slightly less so than Recreio. Barra is often said to resemble Miami more than Rio.
Hope you like your fellow campers a lot, because you're going to be sitting in traffic with them for hours while getting transported to the games, or even to see the sights of the city.

My thoughts on this (from someone who grew up in the Barra/Recreio area):

I love it how people just highjack a brand, making it look like it's some sort of official World Cup brand. By the looks of it, this is just some people who set up a makeshift camping ground in the backyard of a large house. As this seems to have been converted specifically for World Cup tourists, it's anyone's guess whether they will have built sufficient facilities (think toilets, showers, etc).

GBP35pppn for camping is extortionate anywhere in the world. Make no mistake: with the extortionate prices people are charging in Brazil ahead of the World Cup, I expect a lot of vacant rooms when the time comes, which will be flogged in the market. If you're travelling with someone, BRL300 will get you a decent room in town, once prices come back to "reasonable" levels. I have seen recently an Ibis in Sao Paulo going for BRL220pn… A bed in a hostel in Zona Sul might end up costing more like GBP25pppn when prices get back to "normal".

Location: while it is true that it’s in the vicinity of some lovely beaches, bear in mind the house itself is in the middle of nowhere. It’s a 500m walk to Avenida das Americas, which is a busy road, but there’s nothing at that point either. So with no shops around, and no bars, etc you’ll have to rely on the camping site for a good portion of your food and drink. While they seem to offer a shuttle, it’s anyone’s guess whether they will run it continuously. There are now “fast” buses running from Avenida das Americas but it may take you 1h to reach the “beginning” of Barra, where there might be some action in terms of bars, and FIFA Fan Zones, and another hour to reach Copa. That’s in normal traffic… And when you get off the bus at night, expect to walk a dark road back to the campsite.

My advice: book a few days there (maybe 3-4) and be on the lookout for alternatives. I doubt they will be booked out anyway so if you find you love the place most likely they’ll have a spot for you to stay on, and there would be nothing worse than paying for 30 nights in advance and then finding you’re stuck in a place…