As I said in my previous post, at Ilha do Mel there’s no other choice than walk, facing the healthy absence of cars and roads. And as part of this walk, mi wife Maryori took note of the different pousadas and bars located around Nova Brasilia, Praia do Farol and Praia do Fora, which produced this map:

The references to the places I will mention on this entry can be found in the map.

We stayed at Caminho do Farol, sometimes listed on some guides under the name of Dona Tunica -in fact, you better ask for this last reference, since everyone seems to know it by this name. We paid R$35 each for a double bedroom with private bathroom, per day. We arrived on a saturday afternoon, around 5pm, when there already was a lot of people in the island. Since the Serra Verde Express train arrived to Paranagua a little late, we got delayed, and by the time we arrived to the island our room was already taken, despite we had made a reservation over the telephone from Curitiba. When I was already picturing myself sleeping on the shore -there were no vacant rooms anywhere- the guy who managed the place, everyone just called him Pelé, gave us his room. The reason: he’d be working up late at the sailors feast, so he didn’t need his bedroom. Next day, many people left and we were moved to a bigger room, but also hotter.

During summertime, the island is extremely hot. At night time, temperature go down a little, but it’s still difficult to sleep. Take along your best mosquito repellent, because there are a lot of pernilongos -the funny name for mosquitoes in Brazil. And of course, carry lots of sun protection.

Around the island, there’s a virtual monopoly of Skol, not precisely my favorite beer. On top of it all, it costed R$4 everywhere -in Rio, depending on the place, it costs from R$2,50 to R$3 . But they served it as everywhere else in Brazil, so gelada, you really feel like drinking more and more. You know: beer bottles come inside some kind of thermos, known as camisinhas, which keep the beer chilled. Thus, the small glasses, to serve just a little and keep the rest chilled. The only placed I found Bohemia -to me, a nicer beer- was at A toca do abutre, a bar in Nova Brasilia, which has slightly higher prices than the rest of places. Skol costed R$4,50 and Bohemia R$5,50.

Our favorite place to eat was Barranco, right entering Praia do Fora. A peixe surf, with deep fried fish, casquinha de Siri (stuffed crab), rice, fries and salada -there’s the picture, below- cost R$28, and was big enough for two people. In general, you obviously have to eat seafood, which is not too expensive. Lunch or dinner for two, with a couple of beers, costs from 25 to 35 reais, approximately.

A basic advice: besides not forgetting your insect repellent -get the strongest one you find, such as green can OFF!- and sunscreen, you just have got to carry a flashlight. At night time, the trilhas (paths) are pit dark, so to walk around from one place to the other you’ll have to carry your flashlight. Be aware of that.

An issue that will disgust more than one, is the running water -the one coming out of the faucet- which has a pretty dark yellow color. Since it’s so hot, you need to stock on plenty of bottled water, to drink and wash your teeth as well. Large bottles are hard to find in the island.

You might be wondering: is it worth visiting Ilha do Mel? Honestly, I think the pictures I published here and in the previous entry say it all.

Really, it’s a great place for those who want to enjoy a non urban beach experience, in warm and calm waters. Surfers, Ilha do Mel doesn’t have many big waves, so there’s not much to do there. By the way, there are many pousadas in the area of Praia das Encantadas, but we didn’t go there. If someone spent some time there and wants to tell something, do so in the comments area.