Visit Florianopolis

Florianópolis is the hottest beach resort in South America right now – a playground for Gisele and the gang. So why haven’t we heard of it? Dominic Sutcliffe finds out.

Excellent article in The Guardian on Florianopolis, after reading it, you won’t be able to resist.

Ms Bündchen comes from the neighbouring state of Rio Grande do Sul, but since she was unleashed on the world Santa Catarina has been gripped by model mania. As with Rio Grande do Sul, and unlike the rest of Brazil, the interior was settled by German and Polish farmers in the early 19th century, and over the generations their DNA has mixed with Portuguese and Brazilian blood to produce that distinctive dusky, dark blonde look. There are now five international model agencies in Floripa alone.

The hippest hangout of all remains the Confraria das Artes back in Lagoa, opened in 2002 by textile designer Rico Grunfeld, another São Paulo transplant. “When I first came here, there was nothing except kitschy discos,” he says. “I knew from visiting Paris, London and Miami that what this town needed was a lounge!” So, with somewhat bemusing logic, he created a sprawling nightclub with its own clothing boutique and four indoor-outdoor spaces decorated with vintage furniture, clocks, antique cameras and oil paintings – all of which are for sale along with the cocktails.

The Time also devotes a very sunny article on Florianopolis:

…If all this makes Santa Catarina sound a little contrived, it’s saved by the absence of mass tourism. Even with the region’s glorious climate and natural beauty, there are surprisingly few of the chain hotels, tour groups or crowded beaches that can be common up north. Life in the south is an altogether calmer experience. People here work hard, but take relaxation even more seriously.

No wonder, then, that Santa Catarina’s state capital, Florianópolis, is regularly voted best for quality of life in the country. The accolade attracts a steady flow of fashionable Paulistas (São Paulo is only an hour’s flight away), young surfers and families coming to while away their weekends at the wide sandy beaches nearby. Style and glamour are in the city’s DNA — its most famous son and daughter are tennis player Gustavo Kuerten and supermodel Gisele Bündchen. But one of the most popular hangouts is not some swanky rooftop hotel restaurant; it’s a stand-and-be-served bar in the busy fish market, known simply by its stall number: Box 32…

Excellent article on Florianopolis in the San Diego Union Tribune:

Floripa has a high standard of living (very first world), yet it maintains a low-key island charm. Florianopolis is one of the wealthiest cities per capita in Brazil with a strong public sector employment base and a thriving business district. Although it only takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive from the northern to the southern tip of the island, it is quite diverse.

To Westerners, Florianopolis is relatively unknown, an undiscovered island paradise ideal for families, honeymooners, coastal adventurers, surfers, sun-worshipping beachgoers or party lovers. The Brazilian press has consistently voted Floripa as having the best quality of life in Brazil over the past decade.

About 95 percent of the tourists who visit there are from South America (primarily Brazilians but also Argentinians, Chileans, Uruguayans), with only a small fraction coming from Europe and North America. The demographics of visitors may help explain the authenticity of the local culture, unquestionably part of the charm of Floripa. But this little island has begun to get some international attention.