Buzios, Brazil: The Case Against Points

I polled a group of points bloggers and asked them what factor is most important in planning where they go on their next trip. Here are the results:

• 43% said: Wherever has great award availability so I can indulge on Krug Grand Cuvée while in flight.
• 24% said: Wherever there is [INSERT HOTEL CHAIN], I get free breakfast with my copper status.
• 78.4% said: Wherever there is an exhaustive amount of Trip Reports, I want to see if I can get a better shot of the toilet than that other blogger.

Although these numbers are not scientific and strangely do not aggregate to 100%, the findings are tragically accurate.

Why do I use the word ‘tragically’? Because points have undoubtedly interfered with the adventurous temperament coded within our jet-setting DNA, mutating our development from budding globe trotters to passive spectators. This Prison of Posh as I have called it has led us to first consult the Hyatt Hotel Directory when planning a trip instead of the tried and true technique of spinning the globe and seeing where it stops.

Looking back through my old photographs, I came across pictures of Buzios, a quiet beach town north of Rio De Janeiro, overlooked by so many who venture to the land of samba.

Buzios doesn’t have a Park Hyatt or a Waldorf leaving a points traveler bewildered at the prospect of having nowhere to stay. Instead, Buzios is made of quaint bed and breakfasts called pousadas which range in price from budget to baller.

I stayed at the Hibiscus Beach Pousada and really don’t recall it being overly fantastic or terribly underwhelming leading me to wonder if  this is the way memories of great vacations are supposed to be. To put it another way, shouldn’t the chronicles of our trips be centered around the afternoon spent trying to find Praia da Foca then on the fluffy pillows of the upgraded junior suite?

I certainly think so but, at the same time, still find myself perusing Hotel Reviews searching for the best hotel in Thailand that provides the most perks for elites.

If your visceral reaction while reading this is to say, “Check out the Conrad Koh Samui,” then you may be beyond salvation. If you’re still on the fence as to whether there are destinations worth both your time and hard currency, then perhaps these pictures from Buzios will convince you to stop repressing your wandering soul.

The other option is to surrender your metaphoric passport to adventure and go on a cruise.