Ilha Grande

This wonderful hideaway lies about an hourish of the mainland, and from the moment we boarded the passenger ferry, the craziness of our urban neighbourhood was already a fading daydream.

This place used to house an infamous prison for the especially dangerous and deranged. No surprise really- I'm sure that any would-be escapists would have stood more chance in Alcatraz. And that's always assuming they'd managed to survive the onslaught of a billion or so hungry mossies.

Our pousada was the delightful Manaca, right on the beach (infact we had to drag our stuff a short walk across the sand to get to the gate!) Clean room, hot shower, fantastic breakfast. Nuff said.

The weather was crap mind you, but who minds swimming in the rain if the water is so clear and warm? A couple of hours walk (or an hour on a boat) takes you to Praia Lopez Mendez, apparently one of Brazil's top three beaches. (according to our host at the pousouda)

My advice? Drop everything and get over there for a weekend away from it all.

Just take a bath in insect repellant before you get held prisoner by a million or more flying bastards.

Just another pristine paradise....