Florianopolis, Brazil

I will be in Brazil all of February 2006, had originally planned to see a few places with a Brazil Air Pass from Varig, but am now thinking to just go to one place, i.e. Florianopolis.

If anyone can offer advice from their experience in the Southern region, it would be appreciated.

I flew to Floripa last December and had a wonderful time, but didn't stay around the city much. We flew into Floripa and went straight to Brava. We spent 3 days in Brava and then drove to Praia do Rosa. We generally bypassed the city of Floripa itself (maybe someone else can tell me if that was a bad idea), but it seemed like a pretty typical small sized city (had a decent mall, but I wasn't really there to go shopping!)

Brava was only a 30 minute drive from Floripa and very geared towards the younger party scene. The beach had a few hotels but most people seemed like they had rented condos. Praia Do Rosa was by far my favorite destination in Santa Catarina - all the Pousada's were charming and beautiful and the scene was very laid back (also some very nice restaurants, which can be hard to find in small beach areas)

So moral of the story: I can imagine spending a month exploring the area around Floripa but wouldn't recommend spending more than a few days in the actual city. There are some gorgeous beaches within a 1-2 hour drive with lots to do (I went sand surfing, it was great!). Booking a pousada can be difficult, as most require a bank transfer prior to your stay and I think you need a brazilian account to do that (not sure on the details as I did not handle that portion of the trip). If you go to Rosa, I'd recommend the Bucanero. Hope I helped a little!

DFW is right on. Floripa is not worth it, spend time at the many small towns and visit the different beaches...

Only spend a month in Floripa if you plan on shelling out about $500 or more for a rental car for the month. February is crowded due to Carnival and summer visitors from all over South America.

DONT DUE A VARIG AIR PASS. they have very few routes currently. Buy the TAM air pass instead.

Thanks for those good tips !

Yes, a rental car sounds pricey,
but might actually be worthwhile.....
Cost is about the same as an airpass
(no longer a good idea on RG -
any *A pass option yet? I think not !
Does the TAM pass work with a UA flight into Brazil?).

I like to get to know one area for a longer term
rather than bouncing around to a new city every week
as I have done on previous trips.

Thanks again. ^ :-: ^

After some consideration,
the rental car idea is sounding better!

Anybody have any experience
renting a car for multi-weeks in Southern Brazil?
Local companies OK,
or pay for the international names?

Thanks in advance.

How was your visit? Any tips? I never see much info on this area, even in guidebooks. Thanks.

My experience with Avis is Brazil is that there's a *huge* price difference between airport and downtown stations, being the latter cheaper.

Floripa, or Florianopils, is a great beach town in South Brazil. I spent 2 weeks there over new year's eve 2006/2007.

My recommendation: you need to rent a car so as to explore the many gorgeous beaches nearby. Try to drive from Floripa to Bal. Camboriu through the coast, you will pass through one beach more beautiful than the other. In Florianopolis alone you will have many beaches to explore which will keep you busy for one month.

But a car is absolutely necessary!

My favourite beach in Florianopolis is PRAIA MOLE, around the Lagoa da Conceicao.

Rgs,

ps: beware: the Argentinians flock to Florianopolis, crowding the city during the summer months. If you want to stay away from them, avoid PRAIA DOS INGLESES!

I've also read this several times. So I was wondering why are there so few nonstops from Buenos Aires? I only see Sat/Sun nonstops on Aerolineas Argentinas next Feb. Pluna claims to fly to FLN, but I don't see any. So it sounds like most everyone connects to TAM or GOL in Brazil to reach FLN. Is that right? I was hoping to minimize travel time, but think I'm out of luck. Thanks.

They don't fly, they drive.

Oh. That is some drive, about the same distance as New York City to Atlanta or Paris to Budapest.

Yep, they are the so-called "budget" travelers. That's why the locals don't really welcome them.

I've also read this several times. So I was wondering why are there so few nonstops from Buenos Aires?

As mentioned, many of them drive and others take charter flights (from December to March there were 300 charter flights operating EZE-FLN alone. This makes it more than 3 daily flights on the route!).

I've also read this several times. So I was wondering why are there so few nonstops from Buenos Aires?

Indeed, there are also regular flights on Sat/Sun by AR and TAM. In addition, GOL operates a daily flight.

Also consider that many fly to POA (which has 3 daily flights from EZE) and then take a 8h bus to FLN - this because many tourist dont stay in Floripa, but in one of the beaches along the coast from Florianopolis to POA/Porto Alegre.

Rgs,

Thanks. I'm aware of Sat/Sun flights but do not see GOL operating EZE-FLN at all. You must mean flights connecting to FLN.

Thanks for mentioning the charter flights. I forgot about that possibility.