Slowing down . . . Ilha time

A 5 hour travel day may seem like work in the middle of an existing holiday stop, but it's well worth it to get out of the city and see more of what makes Brazil this blend of human, urban and eco beauty.

Easy Transfer made it well, "easy" to organise online. Pick up from your front door, a three hour drive to a ferry across a short span of the Atlantic and you're unloaded in Abraao along with laid-back backpackers and local families on holiday. Ilha Grande was a prison island until 1994. It now champions eco tourism - along with feet in the surf dining, poussada living (inns or hostels) and taxi boat rides exploring both crowded and secluded beaches for snorkeling, paddle boarding or just lazing around. It is an instant change from life in the big city and immediately everything slows down.

With limited time on the island we fought that initial urge and instead headed out on a 3 hour hike through the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest to Lopes Mendes Beach. The trek was a good workout over and around the edge of the mountain with picturesque beaches along the way. We were on a mission and completed it in two hours with us soaked in sweat and at one peak stopping for some cool down time. Triathletes, we're not. You can easily extend the time with stops at other points. Instead, we celebrated the quick finish.

A beer, a swim and ahhhhhh . . . Ilha time.

The ride back to our poussada by taxi boat was another visual feast. Rich, lush, green mountains and small secluded beaches surround you. To be sure no one is left behind, the drivers call out destinations as they pull up along the beaches throughout the day. If you're worried you'll miss the Portuguese pronunciations, you can book a return on arrival.

Tourist life in Ilha Grande is the expected beach holiday destination vibe. There's something for everyone. Backpackers drinking in the streets of Abraao, people taking late night swims, couples on romantic "date nights" with the sounds of Brazilian classics played live and great seafood! We had a bit of it all. There was a local fresh seafood dish at Lua e Mar, some stops for acai and a coffee, a lunch at a small restaurant on Enseada de Palmas . . . all washed down by local beers.

At the end of each day, we visited Cafe do Mar to let the surf wash over our feet, take another dip and watch the final taxi boats arrive to the tunes of their resident DJ.

With only a two-day stay (extended to three at the last minute) we wanted to see as much of the island as possible. We met another couple on our transfer down and together set out to schedule a small, private boat to take us around the island for swimming and snorkelling at as many beaches as possible. That small intimate boating experience doesn't quite happen in peak season on Ilha Grande, but what we ended up with was worthwhile. Having Sevag and Alex to laugh and chat made it even better.

It also helps to have someone pay attention to where you end up on the island in case you almost miss the boat moving to the next beach. (Thanks Alex).

Our beach stops included Dois Rios, Aventureiro, Meros, and ended with a great lunch at Maguariquessaba of perfectly grilled fish for some pretty "hangry" tourists.

To cap off our get-a-way from the holiday, we spent an afternoon at Enseada de Palmas and a morning relaxing with the locals as they repaired a boat on Praia Cerna (no it's not the one pictured below - that one is pretty much ship wrecked).

Both were secluded beaches without much taxi or tour boat traffic and both captured that laid back Ilha time. Our final views were from the ferry looking back as we returned to Rio time.