Saturday, December 24, 2022

We woke up feeling refreshed on Christmas Eve Day – I had made entrance reservations at Parque Lage first thing in the morning. I had read a lot about how their brunch is a great value – so we high tailed it there with empty stomachs. There’s something you should know about this place…

First of all, it’s a gorgeous old mansion. Secondly, this makes it an Instagram magnet. After we put down our names for the restaurant, we hopped in another line… to have our picture taken. 😅 Because we were early we didn’t have to wait too long and once we were done getting our picture taken it was only a few more minutes before we were seated.

I’m an impatient person, particularly when I’m hungry. And when we finally got seated, it was worth the wait. There are two tables right by the pool – on the edge. It was one of the best tables there!

We ordered the breakfast special – came with an omelette, salad, fresh fruit, meat and cheese – and a basket of different breads. We decided to order a bottle of bubbly to have with our brunch. At this point, our table was covered in beverages and food and they had to bring over an extra side table. It was glorious!

The mansion has two stories – if you want to access the second floor (where you can have unobstructed views of Christ the Redeemer) you have to purchase something in the gift shop. It was a low amount (I think like $5-10) and the money went back to a school.

We got up there – and it was pretty cool because you really are at the base of the Corcovado (hill where Christ the Redeemer sits) and it wasn’t very busy. We heard a lot of cheering and we peeked over the edge to see the line below to get the famous picture by the pool – and a couple had just gotten engaged. So cute!

We wrapped up there – and got in an Uber to the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. Uber was easy to access there – and significantly cheaper than what we were used to paying in the US. I think the most we paid was around $18 – and that was the ride from the airport.

The Botanical Garden was gorgeous – you could easily spend a few hours there. We didn’t do everything because honestly I wasn’t wearing the best footwear. The pictures are stunning and we had a great time.

Once we were done there, we made our way back to the hotel. Our hotel was hosting a special Christmas Eve dinner buffet. It was later in the evening, so we decided to go to our rooftop for happy hour and a small bite to eat.

The buffet at the hotel was really great – and it was a fun way to spend Christmas Eve!

Up Next:
-Beach
-Christmas Day Brunch
-Return flight home