Buzios was made famous by the French starlet Brigitte Bardot when she visited in the 60s w her Brazilian boyfriend & she declared her love for the little fishing village. Soon after, Brazil’s rich & famous began flocking. Today during high season it’s a pretty ritzy place apparently. Ronaldo has a massive place on the top of a hill w fantastic views. I’m sure there are many glitterati. I of course didn’t visit in the high season & since I went directly from Arraial do Cabo to Buzios & since Arraial is supposedly “the Buzios of 20 years ago”, I feel as if I should compare the two.  

Arraial do Cabo vs Buzios

• Perfectly wide white sand beaches vs brown sand beaches not as wide or pretty
• Accessibility to some beaches is difficult vs easy beach accessibility
• Uncrowded beaches vs far more highly crowded beaches
• Crystal clear water & good visibility vs less visibility
• Beach services spotty vs beach svcs always
• No established tourist central vs very well established tourist downtown
• A couple nicer restos vs a shitload of really nice restos
• Sunset watched after a hike to mirador vs sunset watched at a table in a nice resto
• No bar scene, real quiet at night vs an active bar scene
• Pousada accommodations vs wider range of accommodations, incl luxury
• Feel is chill & laidback vs chill & higher class
• Relatively cheap vs more expensive

The beaches don’t compare – Arraial do Cabo wins hands down. Buzios wins as far as service industry goes – food, drinks, shops, etc. – but you pay for that as Buzios is definitely more expensive. Strolling the downtown of Buzios you’ll find a very charming center. This is somewhat missing from Arraial do Cabo – although there are pockets – but this is exactly why I’m sure all the tourists flock to Buzios & perhaps only visit Arraial for a day trip to see its beaches. I loved Arraial do Cabo. I liked Buzios more than I thought I would – enjoying a great meal while watching a stunning sunset was a highlight. But I would never ever visit Buzios in high time (generally that’s a rule of mine) as multiple cab drivers told me my 10-15mins drive from the center to my pousada on Geriba beach would take 2hrs in high season. No thank you. It was lovely now. Relaxing & quiet. But I noted a few joints appearing to be massive clubs that were shuttered for the season. Not that I minded at all… but I could imagine the place turns into something else when it fills up. So visit Buzios during the low season when it’s on the quiet side & you can walk into any restaurant you want without making prior reservations but also make a loop to include the real standout & my fave, Arraial do Cabo.

Tartaruga Beach, which was best snorkeling beach when I visited due to visibility. And I should’ve known based on these clouds at 12pm that it was going to be a funky sunset. It was a fun day starting w beach & snorkeling time then visits to a couple miradors before strolling through the center at sunset. The clouds are definitely consistently special. Maybe my fave sky of the trip.

The changing sunset trifecta

Praia Ferrandurinha – A tiny lovely little beach you have to go purposefully hunting for. It’s worth it.

Praia Joao Fernandes – lovely, good for snorkeling but clearly quite popular

Brig & I posing in the center. Many of the good restos / bars / shopping are in the center but it only has a sliver of a beach – so I stayed on a proper beach & would taxi / walk & public transport it back & forth. And all over the island to explore.