A Gem of an Island: Discovering Brazil's Florianopolis

A Gem of an Island: Discovering Brazil's Florianopolis
Off the coast of southern Brazil's Santa Catarina region sits the 33-mile-long island of Florianópolis, more commonly known in these parts as 'Floripa'. From the mainland, one can get there by boat (a 30-minute ride past tiny, deserted atolls), by car (an hour's drive across bridges), or by helicopter (a five-minute flight that costs about $800). Regardless of the route, making the trip to this subtropical paradise — Brazil's answer to St.-Tropez, Ibiza, and Punta del Este all in one — is worth the effort, if only to experience one of its 42 unspoiled beaches, its big-wave surfing, or its pulsating nightlife. On Floripa's north end is the yacht-filled harbor of Jurerê Internacional, which was developed in the mid-eighties. Popular with Brazilian jet-setters, many of whom own million-dollar homes in its exclusive subdivisions, Jurerê is the place for nonstop partying at beachfront clubs. The area is packed during South America's summer months, from December through March.

The west coast is home to the island's oldest settlements, where daily life goes on as it has for centuries. Here, down cobblestone streets in the neighboring fishing villages of Santo Antônio de Lisboa and Sambaqui, are elegant examples of Azorean architecture, especially the colonial-style church, Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Necessidade, Floripa's oldest, dating from 1750.

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