Arrangements were made with owner Fabio thru Viator. Our guide was Carlos, and the driver was Charlton (whose mother named him after the star of the film Ben Hur).
Fabio communicated promptly and gave us great information as we planned our visit. When our cruise ship was delayed 6 hours, Fabio quickly made adjustments and was ready for our arrival.
Carlos and Charlton were a great team. Carlos is a second-year university student while Charlton is a taxi driver and provided the car. Carlos covered pop culture and the fun beaches, including the best place to get fresh fruit juices — I had an amazing cashew fruit juice, while travel companions had coconut and blends of fruits I suspect you’d have a hard time buying outside Brazil.
When Carlos didn’t know why a park was named after martyrs, he consulted Charlton and conferred in Portuguese for the answer. Charlton knew the best routes to take, and appeared in an instant when we were ready to move. Charlton’s car was clean, comfortable, and nicely air conditioned.
We saw Crocobeach, Varjota, Martyrs Square, the eponymous Fortress, the English Bridge/Pier, the Jose Alencar Theatre, and the Central Market. We were back at the ship in perfect time. What a fantastic day.