If you ever should find yourself in the position where you are tempted to go to Fernando do Noronha a beautiful yet somewhat dry archipelago in the atlantic outside the state of Pernambuco in North Eastern Brazil there is ONE thing you should make sure of. NEVER EVER USE the agency of PAX TURISMO located in Petropolis in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte.
Without lying I can safely say that the staff of this agency does not:
a) understand the concept of tourism
b) understand the basic needs of a tourist
c) know what the hell they are doing
If you spend good money going to an island in the middle of the ocean you would possibly like to live somewhere close to the sea – convenient for a late night swim if the spirit should come to you. You might also want sea view, convenient location in relation to restaurants and nightlife. Throw in a swimming pool and a bar service in the hotel and you’re pretty much there.
When we described these requirements to Pax Turismo they simply tried to explain why all of these amenities were useless instead of trying to find alternative accommodation. My last little piece of faith in these people left me when they called to inquire whether it was possible to see the horizon from our pousada.
Good God!
In addition to the very valid points above they are rude, formalistic and unpleasant. Do yourself a favor and find some other agency.
PS! It is important to be aware that organizing a simple holiday arrangement takes a long time and will really put your negotiation skills and patience to a test anywhere you go in Brazil. Brazilians like their shopping and gladly spend hours discussing the finer points of the journey without any other background information than a one page leaflet and whitout ever having been at the destination themselves.
