Issue:
December
2011

Story and photography by Barbara Penny Angelakis

ENCHANTED AND ENCHANTING SANTA CATARINA

On the southeast coast of Brazil is the enchanting state of Santa Catarina. It is a small state - only some 5.8 million inhabitants - but with a big footprint. Blessed with a landscape that extends from the warm sultry beaches bordering the Atlantic Ocean - a much calmer, cleaner and inviting ocean than I recall from my childhood spent on Atlantic shores a continent away and a half century earlier – to the green capped granite mountains reaching 1800 meters into the sky.

Santa Catarina is doubly blessed with warm, friendly people that are eager to meet and greet travelers. It is not unusual for a Santa Catarinian woman that you meet for the first time, to extend a warm embrace or a kiss on the cheek before parting. Here you find a microcosm of ethnic diversity blending native Indian, African, Azorean, and wave upon wave of migrating peoples from various European countries - especially Germany and Italy - into a singular culture.

This beautiful land is an undiscovered treasure and Santa Catarina, as a tourist playground, is briskly moving from a well-kept domestic secret to an international hot-spot. Even more rapid is the upgrade to the infrastructure to support the growing demand for luxury accommodations; be it a high-rise hotel or individual villa nestled in a hillside. For those intent in lazing on silken white sands ground to fine powder by the pounding waves, or of being pampered at one of the many available state-of-the-art spas; dancing the night away or shopping at pre-Euro prices; experimenting with radical sports or exploring natures wonders in mountain or forest; Santa Catarina is the great new destination.

My visit to Santa Catarina began in the capital city of Florianópolis, affectionately referred to by the locals as Floripa. This oceanside town, renowned for its 42 magnificent beaches, is a veritable paradise for beach enthusiasts with miles of pristine white sand expanses awaiting their pleasure. Our resort, Costão Do Santinho was awarded the coveted #1 Resort 3 years running by Viagem & Turismo Magazine. It is a sprawling complex including hotels and secluded hillside villa apartments cascading down to the beach. 75% of the hillside property is designated as an Atlantic forest-reserve, protecting the land from over development and exploitation and providing unlimited opportunity for outdoor activities. Numerous sporting options are available to the guests, plus there is a modern, beautifully appointed and staffed Spa; a state-of-the-art Fitness Center; a medical clinic with a Doctor and nurses on call; a Helicopter pad; an open air Rupestrian (art on the rocks) archaeological site and museum dating back 5000 years; which by the way, gave birth to the mysterious and as yet undeciphered logo of the resort. We stayed in the International Wing with its beautifully designed rooms and interesting architectural details, such as the interior blinds that can be discreetly closed or seductively opened for a clear view from the hydro-massage tub in the bathroom straight past the bedroom/sitting room to the terrace with the beach and water beyond. The immaculate room had all the comforts and electronic features you would expect from a luxury hotel. It was hard to leave the Costão with its infinite palette of sports, leisure, nature, and entertainment activities. (www.costao.com.br)

We loaded the car, crossed the bridge from the Island of Florianópolis, to Greater Florianópolis, to access seaside highway 101 north, towards Balneário Camboriú. Along the way we stopped for lunch at the exclusive adults only Ponta dos Ganchos Resort in the town of Governador Celso Ramas. Named for its location at the “tip of the hook” - the promontory jutting into the ocean - this small, elegant, jewel of a property is at the top of the hill. Each perfectly situated bungalow is oriented towards the sea with outstanding views from inside or outside the suites through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Some suites offer a double sized glass-walled shower with a view. There are 20, soon to be 30, luxurious bungalows each with a secluded sea-view from the hammock strategically hung on its verandah. A few include sauna or Jacuzzi on their spacious privacy-protected deck. The suites are decorator designed with everything arranged for maximum comfort including a flat screen TV that swivels from living area to bedroom, a fireplace for those cool evenings and a wet bar with a fully stocked refrigerator. This all-inclusive resort features gourmet cuisine at your pleasure en-suite or in the open air dinning room with spectacular sea and mountain views. Or for the ultimate dinning experience, one can reserve a private dinner for two at the gazebo on a small island just off the private beach… only one couple each night can be accommodated. Massage treatments are given al fresco, in a fabric- draped tent facing west to catch the sunset over the sea. Ponta dos Ganchos Resort is for those couples seeking privacy and pampering in a truly magnificent setting. You can reach the resort by land, boat, or helicopter. (www.pontadosganchos.com.br)

After enjoying a gastronomically extravagant lunch, we headed down the hill to Balneário Camoriú, the fishing village that is fast becoming a trendy seaside resort. Renowned for its beautiful beaches and unlimited day and nighttime entertainment possibilities, Balneário Camoriú is booming. Its world-class shopping draws big crowds as the REAL (Brazilian dollar) is valued at half the American Dollar. Driving along the crescent shaped avenue facing the water, jam-packed with pricey apartment buildings, serendipitously we came across fishermen pulling in their nets, full with the day’s catch. We stopped to watch the synchronized dance that was required to haul in the heavy nets to the beach. The contrast between what was, and what is becoming, was stunning.

Proceeding on we visited Unipraias Park, a huge entertainment mecca in the heart of the city… well not quite. From the Barra do Sul beach terminal you have to board a cable car to ride an impressive 325 meters (1,050 feet) up to a forest reserve park and nature walk. The ride up had a breathtaking view of the ocean over the trees, but the ride down was even more thrilling as there were large areas unobstructed by trees making one chillingly aware of hanging from thin wires in a tiny gondola in the sky.
(www.camboriu.sc.gov.br)

Further north and a little inland are the towns of Blumenau and Pomerode. This area is called the European Valley and was settled by German immigrants in 1850 and still carries the cultural flavor of its ancestry. One of the most memorable meals I had while in Santa Catarina was a traditional German feast at Mundo Antigo Hotel Farm. Adelar Fischer, owner of Mundo Antigo, is restoring the farm as it was in his grandparent’s time; including employing the organic farming methods they used and resurrecting the water-mill. Accommodations are in modern cabins that are authentic copies of the farmhouse, while the restaurant is in the original building. The farm will eventually be an open-air museum available to the public. Our meal was served family style and consisted of recipes handed down through the generations. Only homegrown animal or vegetable products found their way to the table. Appetizers were a tomato and onion salad, cole-slaw, and boiled beets. Organ-stuffed slow-roasted duck followed with red sausage, white sausage, ham hock, manioc-root (tasting like mashed potato) horseradish sauce, mustard sauce and my favorite, the best sauerkraut ever to pass my lips. The recipe is simple: chop freshly picked cabbage, add salt and vinegar and leave to sour for three weeks, simmer with farm-fresh bacon, and serve with love.

We made a stop at the international award winning Eisenbahn Brewery and watched beer making the old-fashioned way. There is a local joke that the first wave of 17 German immigrants landed on September 2 and by September 3, there was a thriving beer-brewing industry.

We also stopped at Glas Park, a museum and glass blowing factory, where you can watch the craftsmen deftly blow glass right in front of you, and then go into the showroom and purchase their creations.

Back to the coast and the Plaza Itapema Resort and Spa. (www.plazahotels.com.br) Brazil is known for its beautiful people and from the state-of-the-art spas we visited, I can understand why. The “Brain Spa” is more then state-of-the-art, it is a total facility dedicated to providing the latest technological products and services. On-staff are highly trained doctors, nutritionists, body trainers, estheticians, spiritual, and massage therapists. The one caveat is language. If you speak Spanish, Italian, German, or of course Portuguese, no problem; but if you are limited to English you may need some assistance from the front desk. The hotel is in the process of a major renovation but the resort has a perfectly manicured golf course on the property and one of the prettiest beaches around.

So, now you have traveled with me in Santa Catarina and experienced vicariously the beautiful beaches and the beautiful people; the spectacular vistas and thrilling rides; the wonderful food and the people dedicated to keeping their cultural traditions alive.

Santa Catarina: here the dollar is still almighty, Americans are not ugly, tap water is potable, and the streets are safe.

© June 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.