Rio South East (Brazil)

Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro conjures sexy images of scantily clad men and women – tanned skin glistening from a day lounging on the beach drinking cocktails. Also look to Rio for culture and history, and of course the music of the samba that makes everyone dance.

Go for: Beaches, Festivals, B&B, Squares, Streets & Urban Spaces, City Apartments

14 experiences: Rio Carnival, Copacabana, Ipanema Penthouse, La Maison, Ipanema. 9 more »

Belo Horizonte

"Planning a church has proven an involved problem for contemporary architects. The general tendency is to go back to the old, well worn forms, because of some strange inhibition created by the subject itself. The Pampulha Church, however, had,...

Go for: Churches & Abbeys, Contemporary Architecture

1 experience: Church of St Francis.

Angra dos Reis

Not just one beach, but a whole area comprising 365 islands and more than 2000 beaches. Great for sailing as well as diving and windsurfing, there are beaches here for secluded picnic-ing as well as watersports, with loads of cultural attractions...

Go for: Beaches

1 experience: Beaches of Angra dos Reis.

Cabo Frio

There are a couple of good kite spots just out of Rio (well about an hours drive). Cabo Frio, with a side shore wind and big (up to maybe 4m) waves and Buzios are on the ocean side and for flat water lagoon lovers try Arubinha a long sand bank spit,...

Go for: Kitesurfing

1 experience: Kitesurfing Arubinha and around Rio.

Ouro Preto

'Founded at the end of the 17th century, Ouro Preto (Black Gold) was the focal point of the gold rush and Brazil’s golden age in the 18th century. With the exhaustion of the gold mines in the 19th century, the city’s influence declined but many...

Go for: Historic Cities &Towns

1 experience: Ouro Preto.

São Paulo

'The city of São Paulo is full of surprises. It is no longer seen as a rainy city, full of concrete buildings, where people do nothing but work.In fact, there is the rainy season in the capital of São Paulo, usually in the first three months of the...

Go for: Restaurant

2 experiences: D.O.M., Fasano Hotel.

Ubatuba

Fabulous hideaway midway between Rio and São Paolo combining unspoilt beaches, tropical rainforest and local colourHalf way between Rio de Janeiro and São Paolo there is an exceptional hideaway of some considerable beauty. The tiny fishing village of...

1 experience: Pousada Picinguaba.

Sitio do Lobo

A dreamy tropical island hideaway south of Rio de Janeiro Sitio do Lobo enchanted us. Less than a 2-hour drive from Rio and a short speedboat ride,...

Go for: Small Hotels

Pousada Casas Brancas

Stylish and relaxing boutique hotel in the fashionable coastal town of Armação de Búzios, near Rio de Janeiro A 2½ hour drive northeast from Rio gets...

Go for: Small Hotels

Abracadabra

Laid back, cheap and chic pousada within arms reach of all the best bits of Buzios Perched on a hillside overlooking the main bay of Buzios, the...

Go for: Small Hotels