4 star luxury in Ubatuba!! :)

When talking to friends I often get asked the question, "do you get sick of hostels?  You dont stay in them ALL the time, do you?"  And until a 2 nights ago the answer was "yes, I do".  Sometimes I got lucky and the hostel was quiet & I had a dorm to myself - but apart from when I was staying & studying in Cordoba, I have stayed in dorms in hostels.  On Ilhabela, the hostel was deserted, and not only was I the only person in the dorm, I was the only person in the hostel!  It was like having a house to myself :)

On leaving Ilhabela, I got to the mainland to be told that I could either wait for 6 hours for a night bus to Rio that would have me in Rio at 4am or wait again until the next morning - I decided to hit the road regardless - the weather was terrible and I just wanted to get further north for some sunshine.  So I spent R$3.50 on an hour bus journey to Caraguatatuga (or someplace similarly spelled) and then I really splashed out for a R$5.20 ticket to Ubatuba.  Got into Ubatuba at 7pm, hungry and tired - I'd been on the road a whole 6 hours, travelled about 40kms and then got the news that I would have to wait another 4 hours for a connection to Rio that would have me in Rio at (guess what)...4am.  Sigh.

So when I saw the 4 star Ubatuba Palace Hotel a block down from the bus station, my mind was already made up before I knew how much the room would cost.  I paid R$200 for a bed & breakfast & buffet evening meal - the food was delicious...and....when I got to my room I discovered I had my own little verandah with hammock! :-D I was in heaven and it was worth every penny :)  Here are a couple of pictures of my little piece of heaven...