Getting There

GOL Flights

The flight from São Paulo (Congonhas) to Porto Alegre cost me:

Flight	129,00 BRL
Taxes	19,62 BRL
Total	148,62 BRL

Strangely enough, booking a flight from São Paulo to Montevideo (via Porto Alegre) costs more than buying separate tickets from São Paulo to Porto Alegre and from Porto Alegre on to Montevideo. I wonder what would happen if you booked both legs for the same day, which would save you 79,42 BRL.

Porto Alegre – Montevideo

Flight	228,66 BRL
Taxes	78,00 BRL
Total	306,66 BRL

São Paulo – Montevideo (book 2 separate flights)

Flights	357,66 BRL
Taxes	97,62 BRL
Total	455,28 BRL

São Paulo – Montevideo (book 1 flight)

Flight	437,08 BRL
Taxes	97,62 BRL
Total	534,70 BRL

I booked my Porto Alegre – Montevideo flight a little later and got it a little cheaper, but these prices were extracted from the GOL online reservation system on the same day!

BTW, the luggage allowance on GOL flights is a generous 23 kg.

Airport Transfer

A metered taxi from the airport to my apartment in Moinho dos Ventos cost me 15 BRL. The ride back to the airport set me back 14 BRL.

Accommodation

Mercure Apartments Porto Alegre Manhattan

I had little information about girl-friendly hotels in Porto Alegre. Since the Mercure hotels in São Paulo were girl-friendly, I figured the same would apply to the Porto Alegre branches. There are 3 Mercure properties in Porto Alegre, all of which are in the Moinho dos Ventos neighborhood. Based on the Internet pictures, I elected to stay at the Mercure Manhattan.

http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhotels/fichehotel/gb/mer/3623/fiche_hotel.shtml

The apartment looked exactly as advertised... without the bubbly.



I made reservations for 2 people (209 BRL / night), but when I checked out, I was only charged the single rate (182 BRL / night). Including taxes, the apartment cost me 193,20 BRL / night. These are the weekday rates. The weekend rates are cheaper.

When I enquired about their guest policy, I was told that:

* You don’t pay extra for guests received during the daytime.
* A charge of 45 BRL (+5% tax) is levied for nighttime visitors.

In practice:

* Three girls visited my apartment during the daytime.
- I waited in the lobby for all of them.
- Mel insisted on checking in.
- The other girls went straight up.
- I wasn’t charged for any of them.

* One girl visited my apartment at night.
- Alessandra wanted to check in, but I told her to get straight in the elevator.
- The elevators are at the front. Reception is at the back.
- I wasn’t charged a visitor fee.

Weather

I only checked the weather forecast for São Paulo before this trip. Daytime temperatures of 26°C (79°F). Nighttime temperatures around 16°C (61°F). No need to pack warm clothing!

In Porto Alegre, it was 8°C (46°F) at night! I wasn’t carrying a jacket, but my thermal underwear came in handy.

Next: 05. Overview & Conclusions