RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Café Hotel offers a true immersion in the past. Located between Rio das Flores and Vassouras in Rio de Janeiro State, the venue includes a private steam train to lead visitors from the main gate to the manor.
The inauguration will be in December and the hotel will feature an original collection to take each visitor on a journey into the past.
Despite being located within a farm, this new development will not be a farm hotel. In practice, the difference lies in the activities available. In a farm hotel, there are horseback riding, fishing, and carriage tours, among others. In the Café Hotel, the focus will be on history, which means that tourists will get to know the history of the Café Valley and the Empire.
The immersion occurs upon arrival, with the steam train, moving to gastronomy. The menu was designed based on research by the historian Ana Durão, who discovered foods at the time of the Empire. Guests will be offered contemporary versions of what princes and barons ate at that time.
Omar Peres, owner of the restaurant “A Fiorentina” and of the hotel, stressed the historical significance of the enterprise.
“To retrace the history of Brazil, to keep history alive and conserved is essential. This was the cradle of coffee plantations, very important in Brazil’s economy. We will show a very important furniture collection from the time of the Imperial Family, which means that in addition to learning about history, visitors will also be able to enjoy these items from that time.”
The collection features original items from the Empire period, in order to provide a wealth of details from the historical context of the time. Moreover, even the suites’ names are related to the past: each one was named after a historical figure, such as Dom Pedro I.
“The expectation with the inauguration is the best possible because it is a luxury hotel and there are not many here in the region,” said Omar.