STAY

Set within a century-old mansion on a hillside overlooking the historic center of Rio, Santa Teresa Hotel RJ-MGallery is a stylish boutique property surrounded by a well-tended garden, where frangipani and morning glory flourish in glorious profusion. I recommend booking a Deluxe Serenity with Balcony or a spacious Design Loft Suite.

DINE

Botafogo, between Copacabana and Centro, is full of excellent restaurants and cocktail bars. The neighborhood looks dilapidated and is suspiciously devoid of pedestrians. But behind the crumbling walls of nondescript buildings, you’ll find some of the city’s best eateries, including Michelin one-star Oteque, one of Rio’s most sought-after dining experiences. The restaurant is fun, creative and irreverent, serving a tasting menu that highlights Brazilian flavors and ingredients.

EXPLORE

Visit the galleries and shops around your hotel, or take a taxi to stroll along the promenade from Copacabana to Ipanema, stopping for refreshments at the many beachside kiosks serving food and drinks. About an hour from the city center, Sítio Roberto Burle Marx comprises around 100 acres of tropical plants and the home and studio of Roberto Burle Marx, a Brazilian landscape architect born in 1909.

STAY

Amid idyllic tropical gardens in the quiet seaside town of Trancoso, Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa encompasses 16 one- to three-bedroom houses. The recommended Estúdio lodging has wide-plank hardwood floors, a four-poster bed draped in mosquito netting, a small kitchen, sinks handcarved from tree trunks and an entire side that opens onto a private patio.

DINE

Trancoso’s quadrado is lined with shops and restaurants. Flô is one of the most elegant dining establishments in town, where soft bossa nova music and lanterns strung from tree branches set the scene for romantic dinners. Start your meal with appetizers like ceviche with tiger’s milk or burrata with arugula pesto before moving on to mains such as local fish fillet baked in a cashew crust and served atop a plantain purée or Angus steak with mushroom risotto.

EXPLORE

At the hotel’s gym, capoeira and yoga classes are offered. The ocean is a 10-minute walk away down a steep hill. There, you’ll find the hotel’s beach club, where you can relax on sunbeds and order lunch and cocktails. The Travel Office can arrange fishing and surfing excursions, as well as trips to the town of Caraíva, accessible only by boat.

STAY

Amid decrepit buildings on the outskirts of the historic center, the Fasano Salvador is the city’s most luxurious hotel. Housed in a former newspaper office, the property’s vintage touches fit with the brand’s midcentury-modern aesthetic. The 70 rooms feature parquet floors and leather furniture, and some have views of the bay.

DINE

Inventive Brazilian cuisine takes center stage at Manga, one of the city’s fine-dining hot spots. Dishes on the creative tasting menu blend Indigenous, European and African influences. Whimsical presentations, like the whole fried fish served dangling from a hook, create a fun and interactive experience without being too gimmicky. This restaurant alone makes the trip to Salvador worthwhile.

EXPLORE

Though the hotel is in a somewhat charmless part of town, it’s a five-minute walk to the Pelourinho district, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nearby, art galleries, museums and restaurants reveal Salvador’s vibrant Afro-Brazilian culture. Spend an hour or two at the Casa do Carnaval, located in the historic center of Salvador. It offers an immersive look into the cultural phenomenon, presenting interactive exhibits, audio-visual displays and costume galleries. Housed in a colonial-era building in the Pelourinho district, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro showcases the religious, artistic and cultural heritage of African people in Brazil. The highlight of the museum is a room lined with larger-than-life wooden reliefs depicting the orixás, deities linked to natural forces and spiritual concepts. The 27 panels, created in 1968 by artist Carybé, cover all four walls.

STAY

The elegant colonial-style Hotel des Cataratas, a Belmond Hotel, is set within Iguaçu National Park, a short stroll from the spectacular falls of the Iguaçu River. As the only hotel in the park, this property allows its guests privileged access to the falls in the evening and at dawn. Request a Deluxe Falls View Room, which features hardwood floors and dark wood furnishings. Or consider extending your trip to the Argentine side of the falls for a stay at the intimate Awasi. 

DINE

Dining options include the Belmond’s Itaipu Restaurant for Brazilian-international-fusion dishes and informal Ipê Restaurant, which sits next to the outdoor pool. 

EXPLORE

The Iguaçu Falls in Brazil are often compared with Niagara and Victoria falls, but arguably, they are more spectacular than either, being taller than the former and wider than the latter. Located where the Iguaçu River tumbles off the Paraná Plateau, they form a boundary between Brazil and Argentina and are surrounded by a national park that contains spectacular birds, such as toucans and harpy eagles, and mammals, including tapirs, ocelots and even jaguars. Guided nature walks and birding outings, wine and cachaça tasting sessions, helicopter tours, jungle treks and speedboat trips to the base of the falls can be arranged. 

STAY

Awasi Santa Catarina, formerly the Ponta dos Ganchos hotel, is a secluded resort set on a private wooded peninsula overlooking a quiet bay. The hotel’s 25 bungalows vary considerably in size and degree of opulence. Split-level bungalows provide comfortable bedrooms with balconies and downstairs living rooms. Some of the other more lavish lodgings are augmented by heated lap pools, dry saunas and whirlpools. 

DINE

The hotel's restaurant overlooks the water and offers delicious seafood dishes. Private dinners can be arranged on a small island linked by a causeway. 

EXPLORE

Amenities include a tennis court, a cinema, an indoor pool and a gym, plus oceanside spa pavilions. Though boat trips, helicopter rides, guided hikes and surfing classes can be arranged, this is primarily a peaceful place in which to do nothing much except read and gaze at the sea.

STAY

The glamorous Palácio Tangará is tucked within a lush, tropical 27-acre park designed by landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, 10 miles southwest of the São Paulo city center. The 141 guest accommodations feature a contemporary décor and walls lined with black-and-white photography. Some of the rooms are augmented by separate living areas with pull-out sofas, spacious dining rooms and private garden terraces.

DINE

Overseen by celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the hotel’s signature restaurant, Tangará Jean-Georges, serves French- and Asian-inflected Brazilian cuisine. An informal indoor-outdoor patio dining option offers classic Mediterranean dishes with local influences. In Jardins, the Michelin two-star D.O.M., where chef Alex Atala serves contemporary Brazilian cuisine, is widely regarded as one of the best restaurants in South America.

EXPLORE

Design lovers should plan a visit to the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, designed by architect Lina Bo Bardi. The Travel Office can also arrange a guided tour of her glass villa, Casa de Vidro, to experience her minimalist modernism in a more intimate setting. At the hotel, relax before your flight home with a massage at the Lancôme spa or a few laps in the heated swimming pool.