With inflation the way it is everywhere, I am pleasantly surprised to say that for many of the…read moreproducts that I regularly shop for, Carrefour recently has the best prices. Competition in the area for supermarkets has increased, with as many as 4 new supermarkets opening in the last 5 months. Most of these new supermarkets purport to have "wholesale" prices, yet they charge more for most of the items as compared to Carrefour. So I guess I have to give Carrefour credit (and a better rating).

This place is a little bit of everything: they have 5 restaurants, including Johnny Rocket's for…read moreburgers (very good), Vignoli which serves (terrible) pizzas and pastas, IT Asian, which serves sushi, Roccia Bar which serves excellent Brazilian pub-style food at great prices and Cozinha Roccia, which serves upscale Brazilian/French fusion cuisine (and is one of my favorite places for fine dining). They used to have a bakery, but sadly it closed. They also have a shop that sells gourmet foods, a coffee shop, a women's clothing boutique, a health food store and a children's play space. The building above is occupied by apartments, some of which can be rented out through various booking sites. It's located about a block away from one of the nicest beaches in the city, and is also close to many other restaurants and shops. Parking is usually available on-street, but they also have valet parking available, although I've never used it.

C&A was founded in Belgium in 1841 and they have stores pretty much all over the world. It is the…read morelargest chain department store in Brazil, with over 290 stores, even though they only began here in 1976. They sell mostly clothing, but you can find perfume, costume jewelry, watches and accessories too. This particular store is located in the Manaira Shopping Mall. It's pretty large, has a decent selection of styles and sizes and their prices are reasonable. It can be a bit difficult to find someone to help you when you're in the store, but other than that, it's pretty good.

You can find these stores everywhere in Brazil--in every shopping mall in literally every state in…read morethe country. This company dates back to 1929 and today is also the largest online store in Brazil. I'd have to say it's equivalent to a K-Mart (or Woolworth for my older readers), selling low-cost items in a great variety, from housewares, to cosmetics, electronics, electrodomestics, clothing, toys, DVD's, kitchenware, food--you name it, they probably sell it. This particular store is usually well-stocked, if a bit messy, but not surprising, considering the amount of customers that pass through the doors every day. It can be a bit difficult finding someone to help you on the floor, but the store is pretty well laid out, so you can usually find what you're looking for (and if you can't, they probably don't have it). Good prices for Brazil. Stop in if you're in the neighborhood!

Jacauna is a Brazilian furniture store with 40 locations throughout the country. They have a wide…read morevariety of furniture, mostly living room, dining room, outdoor furniture and also some bedroom and kitchen items as well. They have some nice pieces, but generally, the prices seem a bit high for the quality they offer. Jacauna manufactures the furniture they sell, so that's a plus. This particular location is situated on the main road through Cabedelo and is close to many other shops. It's worth taking a look if you're in the market.

Riachuelo is a national department store in Brazil, with over 300 stores and thousands of employees…read morenationwide, selling mostly clothing (their own brands and other brands, including Versace, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld)--men's, women's & children's; housewares, beauty products/perfumes and other stuff. This particular Riachuelo (also known as RCHLO in their commercials and ads) is pretty neat and well-kept. Sales staff here are generally helpful. In all, this is a store worth stopping into when in a mall in Brazil.

This shopping mall is not that large, but has one of the best locations I've ever seen. It's…read morelocated right on the beach in Joao Pessoa, the capital of the Brazilian State of Paraiba. They have a movie theater and a gym that looks right out at the ocean; there are a number of fast-food restaurants (including Pizza Hut, Burger King & Subway) and 2 restaurants with table service (also with views of the ocean). Parking is outdoors and only costs about $1.25 (R$6). They have security at the entrances so safety is not an issue. I come here every once in a while because it's such a beautiful location. If you're in the neighborhood, it's worth checking out.

Riachuelo is a national department store in Brazil, with over 300 stores and thousands of employees…read morenationwide, selling mostly clothing (their own brands and other brands, including Versace, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld)--men's, women's & children's; housewares, beauty products/perfumes and other stuff. This particular Riachuelo (also known as RCHLO in their commercials and ads) is pretty neat and well-kept. Sales staff here are generally helpful. In all, this is a store worth stopping into when in a mall in Brazil.