Carnivale Accomodation

Reserve now...and keep confirming your reservation. As Carnivale approaches this board floods each year with posts by people who assumed that they were so special that something would be available. That week minimum stay...you betcha. Option... find someone to split the week with. That small hotel room you are going to cram.... if the hotel owner allows it he is going to charge each one full fare. And will have a week minimum. This is the time of the year when lots of Rio business folks really make their tit for the year. Not a time to look for bargains. You want to do what millions want...be prepared to pay for the priviledge. Figure out where else on the trip you can cut corners.

You say ideally Rio, so assume you are open to other ideas. You could look at Salvador, Olinda (next to Recife), both of which have famous street parades (Rio's is in a huge, elongated open-air stadium) or even a smaller town with carnaval activities, such as Sao Joao dos Reis (inland from Rio). Carnaval is the highest of the high season, hence the minimums and high rates. As #1 says, this is not the time for bargains. Flights to/from Brazil, accommodatins, etc. will be expensive, and travel difficult. You really have to want to see Carnaval. And you need to book real early.

Read this thread, post #40 about the differences between the various carnival places. Also follow the two links mentioned in that same post #40, to discussions about accommodation and about feedback from the past years.

I really enjoyed carnaval in small, colonial Olinda. Nearby Recife (6 km away) also has huge parties during carnaval. Just see my pictures here. I stayed with a local family, read more about it in the discussion I mentioned above.

Boa viagem,
Cecilia

P.S. I liked carnaval in Olinda so much because you don't ned to buy tickets to see the parade (Rio) or join a bloco (music / dance group; Salvador) to be close to the music. In Olinda it's more mellow and not commercial, the bands parade the streets in every which way and you can follow your favourite one around for as long as you like. Or you can relax and sit on the stairs of the little church in the centre and watch all the party people, the bands, the music, the colours.... and order food and drinks from the vendors on the stairs.

Just see some of the video clips I shot of carnaval in Olinda and Recife.

I found a homestay with a local family upon arrival, not wanting to pay ten times the normal hotel prices for an entire week (only stayed 3 nights), more tips on finding homestay in Olinda are in the threads I mentioned in post #3.