MrBones22
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It's been well over a week since I came back from Comuna do Ibitipoca, and I still find myself speechless in trying to explain the experience to others. (It was years of hearing others talk about this place that made me finally go, I just had to see for myself)||||My daydreams are haunted by this place, I feel obsessed with it, dreaming of how to go back asap. ||||I rented a car at the Rio airport and made the 3.5 hour drive - a very easy trip as you pretty much are put right on Route 40 out of the airport. Highways were super, exciting drive up the mountains from Rio and then a casual cruise to Lima Duarte where you then have about 20km of dirt road to reach Engenho Lodge. The rural scenery just gets better and better the further back you go. ||||Rooms: Absolutely gorgeous. I stayed in one of the eight guest suites at Engenho Lodge for most of the time. Beautifully restored colonial farmhouse just oozing with character and detail - but with a zen like simplicity to it as well. You want to touch every surface as the texture of the old wood and antiques is marvelous. Linens, bedding, bed was dreamy. Beautiful clawfoot tubs, gargantuan shower-heads split off old copper piping and huge fluffy towels. Warm radiant floor heating and total serenity. The sound of the frog in the pond outside my window lulled me to sleep every night. Something about the zen nature of this place awakens the senses and you appreciate things you generally don't notice. I then spent one night in the remote community cabin, Humbolt Loft, in the village of Mogol where I rode one day by marvelous horseback. That experience was sublime, much more rustic accommodation, but with the magic service that Ibitipoca served up around every corner . ||||Food: Warm creamy polenta soup with poached egg and truffle oil, the most marvelous guava souffle for dessert. Waking in the morning to go pour a hot cup of local coffee out of an antique copper kettle kept warm atop the wood burning stove in the dining room. Trays of exquisite baked good flowing out of the kitchen, served with a friendly smile. Platter upon platter of exotic fruits I couldn't remember the name of. The food is mostly all organically grown on the farm, even down to the rice. I could have just eaten the rice and beans the entire stay and been happy they were so simply perfect. Loved the bottles of locally distilled Cachaca sitting on windowsills with small tin cups hanging on pegs, asking you to stop for a drink on the house. Just such marvelous little details with food and beverage, such exquisite food but served in a hearty farmhouse simplicity, with authentic genuine service behind it. They encourage you to pop into the kitchen whenever you want, really make you feel at home. I can't stop writing about food.. They also have an open air farmhouse bistro about 800 meters form the main lodge you can walk down to eat at. Sit there being served by chef Odette, a jolly afro-Brazilian woman who has pots of boiling stews to explore, as Macaws walk around the barn rafters above you. Also a great restaurant in the village of Mogol where I spent a night. Og and can't forget the outdoor BBQ near their private beach and swimming hole. All in all about 5 different places to eat, scattered across the reserve. ||||Excursions: Well, there are 13,000 acres of outdoors to explore. Just brimming with wildlife and exotic plants. Waterfall after waterfall to experience, each one there would magically be a rolled up towel waiting for me in case I felt like taking a dip. Little refugios across the property where fresh juices and snacks are magically waiting for you. Explored by horses, galloping across the land - explored by foot, explored by great full suspension E-Bikes which powered me up 4,000ft climbs to the top of mountains and then down through jungle trails to meadows full of 30 foot tall art sculptures originally displayed at burning man festival?!? Crossing little springs where tin cups hang on wires inviting you to take a sip from mother earth. The guides, Junior and Adelson (and others I can't remember the names of) were such sweet souls, brimming with enthusiasm to show you the next surprise around the corner - nothing was too much hassle. It was a constant struggle of wanting to sit and enjoy every spot serenely, to soak it up, but not wanting to waste a moment as you knew more and more surprises awaited you the more you explored. ||||Yoga/Spa: 9am yoga class every morning in the converted wooden barn - perfect music, perfect instruction. Wild toucans flew in each morning to the yoga barn, perching on furniture to watch us humans stretch as they did stretches of their own. Was I in a dream? The massage I took one evening was one of the best I've ever experienced. Never even had time to use the pool sized outdoor jacuzzi which I regret.||||People: This for me was the icing on the cake. I'd never received such authentic true hospitality from an entire community - not talking staff, but talking an entire community. You feel taken into this magic land by them and fully welcomed. Portuguese is the norm, of course, you are in remote Brazil - but the language barrier is never really made much of an issue as everyone understands a smile and what it is to be in this magical place. ||||Ibitipoca takes you back to the root of what is important in life - what truly makes people happy - clean abundant nature well cared for, fresh air, healthy quality food from the earth, moving your body and being aware of it, treating people with respect, dignity and kindness - sharing. ||||One of the most magical places on earth. You'll understand once you have been there. ||||Thank you Renato and your entire community, may others follow your example.
