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!

I've spent a fair amount of time in Brasil and my choice would be the NE around the area of Natal south and Maceio north. There's clearly a more European feel in the south around Porto Alegre and RS but I prefer the atmosphere of the NE.

Buying property used to be very complicated if you aren't Brazilian and many risks of property being claimed after purchase. Tread carefully if you intend on buying and I'd suggest renting a place for a couple months to determine if you are a good fit.

Balneário Camburiú certainly does. Another beautiful beach near Florianópolis is Itapema, that whole area is beautiful, you can’t go wrong.

Is Florianopolis, Balneario Camboriu, Porto Algere, Gramado and other destinations in the South worth visiting for a short tourist stay ? I am planning to go back to Brazil soon for more exploration because I loved my first trip (especially Rio de Janeiro), and it's hard to decide where to go.

Didn't liked Sao Paulo that much so I will skip it next time. Planning to go back to Rio de Janeiro, add maybe Salvador da Bahia (is the safety in Salvador really worst than in Rio ?), Iguacu, and cannot decide wether going to the North East or the South as a 4th destination...

Thanks for your responses. On tkelvin69's suggestion I'll take a look further north. And certainly, if we decide to proceed in Brazil, we will do our due diligence and lawyer up.

In response to IstKong, we visited Salvador de Bahia and the Costa do Sauipe many years ago (2004). I have never been to Rio so I can't comment on relative security risks. Salvador at that time was a bit edgy but we felt comfortable walking the historic center of the city day and night, taking the normal precautions. Things may have changed since then, for better or for worse.

You may want to read this thoughtful article entitled, "Buying Real Property in Brasil."