My wife and I are thinking vaguely about buying property on or near the beach in a place with a nicer climate than Toronto's (and yes, that's casting a very wide net!). We have, at times, considered Portugal, Spain, Peru, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil. We speak fluent Spanish but little Portuguese ("Portuñol", as they call it), enough to carry out basic transactions and to read newspapers and the like, but not enough to integrate ourselves socially.

On the recommendation of a friend who visited there, we have recently started looking around Florianópolis, especially the beach communities to the north of the city. I'm finding that real estate is very affordable especially at current exchange rates with the US$ worth north of R$5.

I'd appreciate any comments that other posters may have about this area of Brazil. Ideally we'd be looking to be close to the beach (that's my wife's priority) and in an environment with shops, restaurants, cafes, banks, etc. within easy walking distance (that's my priority). Any recommendations?

This being Brazil, any comments on security in this part of the country? I assume that Florianópolis is more secure than Rio and São Paulo, and probably more secure than BH and coastal cities further north like Salvador and Vitoria?

And recognizing our limited ability to socialize in Portuguese, is there a sizeable expat community (English or Spanish speaking) in Florianópolis? Does the place fill up with Argentines in the summer, for instance?

Thanks in advance!