ABSOLUTE BEACHFRONT House on 20-mile sandy beach (#41544)

Description of the Rio de Janeiro vacation home rental

This is truly a dream location. Only an hour's drive from the "Marvellous City" of Rio lies the safe yet bustling town of Marica and its 20 mile stretch of golden sandy beach. Along the beach are various communities including Itaipuacu, Barra de Marica, Guaratiba, Cordeirinho and Ponta Negra. Our house, located on the beach at Guaratiba, is walled, gated and alarmed for security although it is in such a quiet location with friendly locals that the security is not really necessary! It's a lovely detached house with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a living and dining room, an eat-in kitchen, an outdoor barbecue area, a fenced-in private swimming pool with dolphin fountain, private driveway for parking, and a garden overlooking the beach which is just a few steps down. The view is spectacular with 180 degree open Atlantic Ocean view. You can lie in bed against the padded headboard drinking your coffee or tea in the morning, watching the waves come in, or you can sit at the marble table in the evening sharing a glass of wine with your loved one, watching the incredible sunsets. How about a campfire on the beach at sunset and after dark when it's still 25 degrees Celsius? The house is newly furnished with black granite custom tables in the dining and living rooms, granite countertops and table in the kitchen, and granite or marble countertops in each of the 3 bathrooms. The house is located between 2 beach kiosks serving delicious food, and more outdoor restaurants and a LAN internet business are within a 10 minute walk. There is a bakery a 2-minute walk away, and buses can be caught into Marica a 2-minute walk away. From Marica's bus station you can go anywhere in the Rio area. Included are airport transfers (maximum 4 passengers), and our caretaker, Vinicius, can be your friendly, English-speaking tour guide for a cost of $75 US/day. Meals can be arranged for a reasonable price. Rate is $1,000 US/week (except Carnaval in February each year @ $1,900 US/week); reductions available for longer stays. Contact Caroline for more information.

Area Description

Marica has a population of about 70,000 in "centro" and in the Marica area there are approximately 125,000 people. Services of every kind are located in centro, and in Guaratiba (only 1 km from the house) you will find services such as a food market, hairdresser, bar, restaurants, church, bakeries, outdoor bars, a LAN internet house, and more. In nearby Cordeirinho you can find tidal pools for the children to play in, and the locals will be sitting in these pools in their lawn chairs, cooling off. There is fishing on the salt-water lagoons a few blocks behind the house, or you can fish from the beach in front of the house (rod provided), and the locals go swimming a few miles away in Lagoa de Barra. About 10 km to the east of the house (buses are easily caught) is Ponta Negra where the canal comes in from the ocean to the lakes, all interconnected by canals which eventually return to the ocean at Itaipuacu at the western end of the beach; you can walk up to the light house at the top of Ponta Negra for an amazing 180' ocean view, with miles of golden sandy beaches to either side, or enjoy the views from the top of Pedra do Elephante at Itaipuacu. There is caving at Ponta Negra as well. If you are interested in historical sites, there is one of the oldest churches in Brazil in nearby Saquarema, and another near Marica in Sao Jose do Imbassai. Artifacts have also been uncovered in the Marica/Saquarema area. Marica has waterfalls as well. The region is called both Costa do Sol (Coast of the Sun) and the Regiao das Lagoas (Region of the Lakes) and it stretches for at least 100 miles from Marica to Buzios and Cabo Frio. Amazing beaches, lakes and friendly locals make an experience in this part of Brazil unforgettable. Let's not forget the close proximity of Marica to the city of Rio itself, with its unbelievable views from the top of Corcovado Mountain where the Statue of Christ stands protecting the city, the ride on the tram to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain (called Pao do Acucar by the locals), the Tijuca rainforest and Jardim Botanico in the centre of Rio, Rio Water Planet (waterslide park) and Terra Encantada (amusement park) in nearby Barra de Tijuca, the Rio Zoo and the huge Maracana soccer stadium. Marica is centrally located to take in Saquarema (Brazil's surfing capital), Araruama, Cabo Frio with its white sand dunes, and Buzios, the city made famous by Greta Garbo in the '60s.

Our caretaker speaks excellent English and can be your tour guide (max. 4 passengers) for the very reasonable cost of $75 US/day (for car and driver, not per person), so you can explore with the safety of a local who knows the area well, speaks the language and is a safe driver. His mother is a wonderful cook who is available to prepare meals on advance notice through the caretaker. Airport transfers are included, to a maximum of 4 passengers with a reasonable amount of luggage (the car is a Ford Escort). Extra cleaning during your stay can be arranged for an additional cost through the caretaker.