I have visited Morro de Sao Paulo twice in the past two years. Each time I am more charmed by the simplicity and beauty of this tucked away island off the coast of Salvador. My first visit was during off season and as a result there were only a few shops open and a few restaurants to visit but more than enough to keep you busy. The second time I was there was in December 2013. Just at the beginning of their high season. The town and surrounding areas were busy with tourist and locals. No problem finding restaurants and the street from the various shops was amazing. If you want a convenient and close escape from the city of Salvador then Morro de Sao Paulo is a good alternative. You must take a boat ride there and that is about 2 hours from the pier, a little rough crossing the Atlantic but well worth it when you pull up to the dock and embark on the island. There are no cars there, the only way to get around is by foot. It is not, in my opinion, handicapped accessible. Be ready to do a lot of walking up and down slight hills. The overall atmosphere is pleasant and the people are very nice and helpful. If you don't have command of the language you might have some difficulties but I managed just the same with my broken Portuguese and a little Spanish. It's not a fancy resort island, or at least not where I was staying. It is decent, clean and if you enjoy sitting out at night on the beach you can have a drink and listen to the street musicians perform or go to one of the numerous small but charming clubs available. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a relatively inexpensive but nice get away that is not overly fancy but more catered to families and couples.
So I came to Brasil during my Round The World for a 3 week stop. Arrived just in time for Carnaval 2014 and planned to leave mid-March. Boy oh boy - was I mistaken or what? I finally tore myself away from Brasil in June! What a wonderful country. However, my favourite place was Morro de Sao Paulo. Lovely beaches, warm people, easy lifestyle, wonderful weather, great food, I could go on and on. All I can say is this - just go. Get on the ferry from Salvador and go. Beyond fantastic!!!
Morro de São Paulo was a really wonderful surprise. I didn't expect the town and the beaches to be that wonderful. I do not travel much in Brazil where i have been living for the past 12 years due to the lack of respect towards people in general in terms of service and confidence. But this place was the best. the service was great even for the ** or *** hotel that we stayed in. Th restaurants too were great with mouth watering dishes for every taste as well as the excellent service.The beaches are great and clean (For Brazil this was a surprise) since the cleansing department passes every night to collect the trash and clean the beaches.DRAWBACKS: Everything, considering that everything is brought from the mainland by boat, is expensive and they charge a service fee / tip even if there was no service. There is also a R$15 entry fee to the island supposedly for the conservation of the environment.
Morro Sa Paulo is nice, but the whole beacfront restaurants and bars sell rubbish for 3 times the price of Salvador Bahia City. I did not eat my last two days in tourist infestated area, I paid three times less and ate great traditional food by going the other side of the Morro Sao Paulo where real Brazilians live.
We had a special, amazing experience: watch the whales around 3 meters from the boat (the good Agency to take the tourists is Rota Tropical ). Whales use to go there from July thru September. However, there is no guarantee since nature is unpredictable. We could watch many whales in small groups too but far from our boat. I loved everything. People are really, really kind, the place is safe, no violence, natives are lovely. And you can meet tourists from all over the world. People arriving and leaving everyday. You can find peace, amazing nature, good restaurants, simple dancing place, shopping (crafts, beachwear, clothes, pharmacies, supermarket), bars. ip: you don't need to take many things. The essential ones are: beachwear, t-shirts, shorts, simple dresses, slippers, jeans if the weather is not so warm during Winter time - from June 21st thru September, 23rd - it rains more than usual, but not so cold... nothing sophisticated, after all it is an island with around 10 thousand people. It is ecological place and you can go to the 4 first beaches walking. During the Summer, there are natural pools with fishes. We can reach there by Sea (around 2 hours from Salvador, Capital of Bahia), Sea/road/Sea or by plane. During the Summer, there are natural pools with fishes. You can contemplate the wonderful Sunset in a place named Forte and you can see dolphins too. I recommend this place definitely :-)
People are friendly,bars just front the beaches,many different beaches,excursions to other places on boat,easy snorkeling or diving places
We loved our six day stay in Morro.This Island is far away from all the buzz of Salvador, and is a place were you´ll find lovely beaches and a cozy holiday atmosphere.Avoid the capitals of Brazil Northeast area, and choose cozy spots like Morro, Pipa, Jeriquaquara, Itacare, Trancoso...You´ll find a different country and you´ll have lot´s off fun!!
Morro is a beautiful place but overall we found it to be a little too touristy. If you stay at 3rd and 4th beaches it is much quieter and you get a quieter more chilled out break.
We just did a day trip from salvador and we were blown away by the place,beaches and people . We wished we had stayed longer . The place is an island village with a beautiful beach especial the fourth beach . Not much people in any of the beach and we had the beach for ourselves .The entry into the island from the ferry docs was busy yet beautiful with a lot of restaurants and bars .We will definitely go back again .
Enjoy this lovely island riding a horse by the sea or just doing nothing. Catch a small plane and fly away !