Getting to Trindade and settling in

We liked the idea of Tridade as a place to celebrate our birthdays because it does not have a gas station, no bank, no chain store anything – not even an ATM machine. It's our kind of place. Plus, it has been getting a lot of good reviews on travel websites for backpackers, etc. It was time for us to check it out.

Luiz and I are strategic when we travel. Most places worth a visit are visited by hoards of people. We try to avoid the crowds. For the really popular spots our strategy is to steer clear of holidays and high season in general and try to arrive on a Sunday afternoon. Sundays tend to be quiet days where weekend visitors are packing to return home and pousada (bed and breakfast) owners are eager to offer a discount to book an otherwise surely empty room.

Getting to the coastal town of Trindade was a bit of a haul. Just about 5 hours south of Niterói by car, it took us nearly 7 hours and three buses to reach our destination. It was a pleasant adventure.  The "Costa Verde" (green coast) is a beautiful drive.  Our bus from Niterói went as far as Angra dos Reis. Then we transferred to a local bus company, Colitur, to ride the hour-plus further down the coast to historic Paraty (R$8). (There are busses from Rio that go directly to Paraty, but since we were leaving at 6:00 a.m. we departed from our local Niterói bus station.) From there we hopped a really local bus, again Colitur, for the additional 45 minutes to Trindade (R$3).

Our advance research had us focusing on a pousada (Pousada do Riacho) tucked back off the main road (there is really only one road that is Trindade) that featured individual chalets, a nature trail through the surrounding forest, and a swimming pool fed by the stream that borders the property. But when we got there it struck us as a little too hippy-dippy and the fact that we would be the only people there (while sweet and romantic) could mean the breakfast service may be minimal.

So we checked out several other pousadas and decided on a really nice place (clearly top of the line for this otherwise rather rustic spot) called Pousada Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers), also back from the main road. It turned out to be an excellent decision.

Our room was terrific with views of the forest and the pool below. The place was spotless. Breakfast was tremendous. And our hosts Sonia and her daughter Renata were sweet and attentive. Should you find yourself in Trindade, look them up.

Having unpacked our bags and chatted up our new friend Renata for a recommendation for Luiz’s birthday almoço (hearty mid-day meal/lunch) we set off to explore Trindade.