I did almost the exact same itinerary last year at about the same time. You should try to book ahead if possible. We stayed in Rio the week before Carnival for “pre-Carnival” and went to some street parties around Lapa. But even then finding places to stay was difficult – so definitely book your Rio stuff ahead of time.

Ilha Grande is nice but you’ll spend a decent amount of time getting there and back – and there isn’t a ton of things to do if you don’t like hiking. That said, your best bet at Ilha Grande would probably be to take a boat taxi to one of the nicer beaches on the other side of the island. Paraty is a beautiful town but for good beaches you’ll need to head to Trindade, and you should do the “island hopping tour” from the Paraty dock. We didn’t have trouble finding a place to stay during Carnival at Ilha Grande or Paraty, but all the “cool” places were booked – so if you do want to stay at a fun hostel as opposed to a posada, you might want to book ahead.

This might help you out a bit with the Ilha Grande bit: http://www.southamericaliving.com/ilha-grande-brazil-travel-guide/

Thank you both for your replies! Knowing it would be crazy in Rio during Carnaval, I booked my accommodation ahead of time (thank goodness). Now just need to book a hostel in Ilha Grande and Paraty and we will be set.

You both mentioned Trindade. This was also recommended to me by my Brazilian friend, but I'm having a hard time finding anything about it or even where it is on the map. Could you tell me more about how to get there and how long it takes? I would love to go, but not sure how much time we will have if we only have two nights in Paraty.

Also, SATraveler, can you tell me more about this island hopping tour? That sounds awesome. And, thanks for the link!

The beach right at Paraty is not the greatest, so.... There are boat tours starting from Paraty. It's hard to miss 'em once you're there. Your accomodation will have information. At least one stops at Trindade. Or you can hike/walk (about 30 min). And another route is the islands.

I often find YouTube to be a good resource to get an idea of what a certain place is like.
This might help with the 'what to do':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z83_aeEGd_U

Here is someone's video of an island tour:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm2u91LiifE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBlCODYrBIs

Trindade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip4FT-RqB1Q

Hmm, I'm slightly confused. The Trinidad beach I went to was a series of beaches and it took about a 45 minute bus ride to get there from Paray.

But that doesn't really matter, because if you only have two nights you should do the island hopping tour. You'll basically take an open boat to several island beaches and have like half an hour at each to swim. Most sell lunch as well. Setting up the tour is really easy, you'll see people selling them, and if you don't you can just walk down to the dock and there will be numerous boats there. Feel free to bargain the price down a bit, and bring some snacks and drinks if you don't want to pay for the food onboard.

VidaNaPraia - thanks for the YouTube videos. I never even thought about looking on YouTube, actually, but that's a great idea.

SATraveler, I will definitely look into the island hopping tours once I'm down there. Sounds like it's pretty easy to arrange.

Thank you both! I've just booked three nights at Biergarten Hostel, which looks like a good place. Now just need to book a place in Paraty.

Cheers!

Hi everyone!

I am also in the process of planning a trip to Paraty/Ilha Grande and have found this very useful. I am going to Brazil for a week in March and am hoping to split my time between Rio and Paraty or Ilha Grande. We live in NYC so am trying to spend some time in a non city environment. Which would be easier to get to? To complicate matters, I am traveling with family (husband and 2 children, aged 3 and 6). Am thinking 3 days in Rio and 4 days in either Paraty/Ilha Grande. Is that doable? We're just looking for a place to eat well, chill out and have some family time. What would you recommend and any suggestions on places to stay? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Well, Paraty itself is a town with picturesque colonial architecture; the good beaches are a busride or boat ride away. Ilha Grande requires 3 hours by bus (105 miles to Angra dos Reis) and a further hour by ferry (plus connection time) and is rural, so insects can be a problem. So I guess it depends on how well your kids travel and what you want to see. A lot of the coastline of Brazil has large waves, so you also want to consider a place where little kids would feel comfortable in the water and you can relax while watching them. If I were travelling with little kids, I'd stay closer to Rio and with less complicated transport, maybe Cabo Frio (only 90 miles from Rio and 15 from Buzios) which has some calm beaches, or Araial do Cabo.

Try also DPNY Hotel on Ilhabela, another beautiful island between Rio and São Paulo. Fly from Rio to SP and then take a 3 hours bus to Ilhabela. If you are adventurous enough, rent a car in Rio and drive from Rio to Ilhabela to São Paulo. Don't forget your GPS. I strongly recommend a Navteq map GPS, like Garmin.
The route to Ilhabela: Dutra Highway until São José dos Campos, Tamoios Highway until Caraguatatuba, Rio-Santos Highway to São Sebastião and then ferry boat.
The route to São Paulo: ferry boat to São Sebastião, Rio-Santos Highway to Imigrantes Highway to SP.

I am also going and think your itinerary makes the most sense I wouldnt do 3 nights in SP but if you have a friend there itll be fun i m sure! happy travels!