In the 17th century a French naval officer named Daniel de la Touche de la Ravardihre founded the city and named it after Saint Louis, in honor of King Louis XIII of France. Although it is the only city originally established by France, the Portuguese captured Sao Luis and then the Dutch followed, but it was the Portuguese that made a lasting impression making São Luis the most Portuguese city in the land of Brazil.
To the west of Sao Luis is the São Marcos Bay, to the east is the São José Bay, and to the north is the Atlantic Ocean, so in essence Sao Luis is all but an Island. São Luis is considered the main seaport of Maranhao and another state: Piaui. It principally produces and then exports, corn, cassava, rice, sugar, cotton, lumber, animal skins and hides, balsam, castor oil, and a kind of palm oil called babassu.They also have a flourishing industry of factories producing hammocks, chemicals, and metallurgical goods plus cacao processing plants, cotton mills, a rum distillery and sugar refineries.
The city itself, is dotted with delightful historic structures that are currently being restored. The Historical Center is the main allure of Sao Luis. The city has over 3,500 colonial buildings dating from 17th to the 18th Centuries, all these are dotted throughout Portimho, Desterro, and Praia Grande. The Historical center is a sort of open air museum overflowing with beautiful architectural wonders, details, and elements where in streets are covered in balconies, narrow side streets, corners and stones that seem to invite visitors to wander around and marvel in the history, culture and the past of Sao Luis.
It is a good thing that these buildings are now being rehabilitated, because the ancient building used to be left alone to fall into disrepair, rot and eventually be destroyed. It is so fortunate that the Government saw the importance of such memorable glimpses of the past that the structures are now being restored into cultural spaces, bars, inns, and museums.
São Luis is the capital of the Maranhão. It is has the most remarkable folkloric expressions and crafts that beckons people from all over the world. Diagonally from the channel are the structural designs of Alcântara, the river Tocantins, Chapada das Mesas, Delta do Parnaiba and the Lencois Maranheses national parks, so you won’t run out of places to go to when you’re in Sao Luis.
The Ceprama bazaar place will give you a wide array of crafts to choose from. Maranhão has such fascinating boats, and if you explore a bit more you will find out that Brazil possesses diverse building techniques specifically for boats.
Sao Luis’ cuisine is a result of Black and Portuguese cultures, with just a hint of Brazilian Indian called farinha de mandioca mixed in. Sao Luis has a lot of mangrove, rivers and an extensive coast. Its no wonder, the diet locally is made up of fish and sea food and of course the ever present rice.
The diversity isn’t only in the cuisine but also in the region’s religious preferences, music and artistical manifestations. In fact Sao Luis is noted as the reggae capital of Brazil. The most animated time is during festivities from May to June. Festivals like Tambor de Criuola , Tambor de Mina São Gonçalo dances, São João and Divino Espírito Santo are sure to delight and pique the interest of anyone.
The weather in Sao Luis is humid and incredibly hot so water therapy is advisable. The city itself is not friendly to people walking around in high heels, so wear cool cotton clothing, wear hats and sunglasses too. what’s more the crossing between Alcantara and Sao Luis can get a bit rough so do it when the climate is nice, during January to July.
São Luis Experience For The British
Brazil is very well known for its carnivals, and Sao Luis is no exception. It is an eruption of brightly colored feathers, white toothed smiles booty shaking, and partying all night long. In the midst of all the carnival chaos are the British laughing and enjoying with the Brazilians, dressed in cool tropical clothes and sporting a nice tan- most of whom will probably choose to purchase a second home in Sao Luis.
Potential buyers usually head to the larger cities of Brazil, like Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, and Salvador. Yet, Sao Luis is slowly making itself distinguishable. Today, Sao Luis is being inundated with residential resort communities, golf courses, plastic surgery get aways, and spas.
A flight from London to Sao Luis will take up to 9 hours, and costs around £400. Despite this, Britons are making a sabbatical and going to Sao Luis, which shows that the pull of Sao Luis is truly irresistible. It’s probably the low cost of living, and affordable real estate prices that is making Britons stand up and notice Sao Luis.
Lately property prices in Sao Luis and the whole of Brazil are showing tremendous growth rates of up to 20% annually. As a matter of fact, some areas in Brazil are even projected to have at least 1000% growth in as little as five years. Plus, the Brazilian government is also campaigning to increase holiday makers traffic, by using the lure of the 2014 World Cup to held all across the country.
Brazil is fast becoming a lot like the property boom of Spain around 20 years ago. A tad reasonably priced than Spain or the Caribbean, Brazil is now becoming the place to be and the place to invest.
However, there is no well established British community in Sao Luis. This is due to the fact that Sao Luis is fairly new to the property market race and is yet to make itself prominently known. This is not deterrence because there are already British people living in Sao Luis who keep blogs and websites updated.
There are a few things to consider before packing your bags and moving to Sao Luis, the language is predominantly Portuguese and English is rarely spoken. This is a City that is not fully “modernized” so don’t expect too much. The amenities are already fairly comfortable but don’t expect high-tech unless you’re bringing it yourself.