Jaques Gous will be leading Chaka Clients on another escorted Golf Tour in Brazil later this year. First, have a quick look of what he had to say about last years trip below:

Day One

Staying at the Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel the night before, we had breakfast in
this lovely oceanfront 5-star hotel which has just recently been renovated. We
then headed off to Itanhanga Golf Club for our first round of golf. This
beautiful golf club has an 18 hole parkland championship course and an
additional 9 hole course.

I was super impressed with this golf course and would not think twice to play it
again.. Even playing it with a bit of cloud cover and mist, it was like playing golf in the middle of a
tropical jungle. The temperature was still 28 degrees.

Day Two

Check out of the Sheraton Hotel and transfer to Hotel Gran Melia Nacional
which was designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It is now regarded as the latest
benchmark of luxury and comfort in this “Marvellous City”.

We then got transferred to Gavea Golf and Country Club which is in the south
of Rio de Janeiro City. It is widely regarded as one of Brazil’s most prestigious
golf clubs and dates back to 1921. This golf course was epic.

After golf we went dining at Fogo de Chao, an Authentic Brazilian Steakhouse
featuring a wealth of savoury fire roasted meats carved table-side by gaucho
chefs. They also have seasonal salads, fresh vegetables and side dishes with an
award-winning wine list to choose from.

Day Three

We checked out of Gran Melia and got transferred to Sugar Loaf Mountain for
one of the most amazing site seeing days I have ever experienced in my life. We
took the iconic cable cars all the way to the top and the views were to die for.

After leaving Sugar Loaf Mountain we made our way to Corcovado and visited
Christ the Redeemer and standing at 38m high this was an amazing site. All
1145 tons of him is visible from nearly every part of the city.

We left here and made our way back to Copacabana Beach for a bit of lunch
and then visited the world famous Copacabana Palace which was stunning as was the surrounding location.

Towards the end of the day we got transferred to our next hotel,
the Grand Hyatt in the Barra region where the Olympic Course was situated.
The hotel was beautifully located on the sea front and at the back by a lagoon
which via boat from the hotel you could access the Olympic Course.

The Grand Hyatt was my personal favourite in Rio because of location and
quality of rooms. Dining options included a seafront restaurant serving
Brazilian inspired dishes, traditional Japanese restaurant, and an Italian trattoria
restaurant.

Day Four

The next morning we had breakfast and then made our way from the hotel via
boat to the legendary Olympic Golf Course. The 18 hole course has a linksstyle
feel, mostly comparable with the Australian sand-belt and is naturally
integrated in the native vegetation. There was plenty of wildlife present at the
course, including capybaras, caimans and some burrowing owls.

The evening after golf was spent at Vogue Square for dinner and cocktails at
one very snazzy bar. After all this we returned back to the Grand Hyatt for our
last night in Rio.

Day Five

We checked out of Grand Hyatt and were transferred to Santos Dumont
Airport, for our onward journey to Porto Seguro Airport in Bahia. This flight
was one and a half hours long and very comfortable. We had a ten minute drive
from the airport to Portinha, where we had lunch at Rabanete Restaurant. With
large variation of typical national and international dishes, their buffet has more
than 40 hot dishes and all sorts salads, fruit and desserts.

After lunch we left our restaurant and had a 10 minute ferry ride which was a
great experience and with some lovely scenery. We then made our way to Terravista Vilas and arrived there for our check in to our Vilas. Each Vila consisted of four suits and each suit with its own on-suite.

These Vilas are located at the top of a cliff, overlooking beautiful beaches, the
sea and Terravista Golf Course, one of South America’s most spectacular golf
courses. Within ten minutes you are in the historic centre of Trancoso, where
many boutique shops and fine restaurants can be found. We went there for a late afternoon / early evening visit and it was just so ambient and enjoyable at this time.

Sitting on top of a grassy bluff overlooking fantastic beaches, Trancoso
embodies a certain rustic sophistication that captivates style minded travellers. It
is a perfect destination for jet setters who want to get away from it all while still
having access to a few fashionable venues for dining and shopping.

Our evening dinner was in Trancoso at a very beautiful open-air restaurant and
the sight of candlelit Quadrado (the main square) at night was magical.

Day Six

Breakfast in the Vila is followed by a round of golf on Terravista Golf Course.
Designed by American architect Dan Blenkinsop, the course opened in 2004.
The front nine holes are routed through an Atlantic rainforest environment
while the back nine holes are played closer to the coast, with four holes laid out
along the edge of the cliffs. The signature hole is hole 14 and at 150 feet above
the sea level this must have been photographed many times by my travelling companions. From the tee box,
giant sea turtles can be observed swimming in the ocean.

I will end this by saying that this was one of the best experiences of my life and I
will definitely come back to Brazil with a group or two in the near future. This
country has so much to offer and I think our customers will thoroughly enjoy
this adventure. I rate this up there with South Africa and Mauritius and look
forward to showcase the courses, hotels and unbelievable scenery.
Thank you for sending me and allowing me the opportunity to see it all.

After Jacques first tour to Brazil, he simply had to put on another! You can find out more about this years trip by clicking here.

Browse Jacques other upcoming escorted tours by clicking here.