The Best Villas to Rent for Your Vacation in Brazil

Locations don’t get much more idyllic than this, in tropical Bahia state. Kabru’s rustic-chic, palm-thatch villas sit, nest-like, in lush Atlantic rainforest outside Itacaré village. Historic Ilheús – where Brazil’s modernist master Jorge Amado was born – is on the doorstep; dozens of beaches unravel all around, little sheltered coves embraced by rainforest, long surf-pounded strands backed by wild lagoons and balmy bays of talc-fine sand. Just note that getting here is quite a journey, via Salvador and Ilheús airports and a rental-car drive.

Villas in Brazil aren’t all on the beach – take Ninho Verde, in the forest-covered mountains of Campos do Jordão. In inland São Paulo state, it’s a rare retreat where Brazilians hole-up for winter when temperatures can drop below 20C, lighting log fires and pretending it’s cold. With its gnome-filled gardens, wood-burning stoves and wood-panel interiors, Ninho Verde feels like a Bavarian chalet. But the jungly gardens are tropically lush, and wildlife-photographer owner Alessandro Duarte organizes trips into the surrounding hills to spot rare toucans and hummingbirds.

Vila do Mel is right on the beach in the heart of the Baía de Paranaguá – one of the largest areas of preserved Atlantic coastal rainforest in southern Brazil. Dozens of beach- and mangrove-fringed islands are scattered just offshore, including idyllic, teardrop-shaped Ilha do Mel. Restaurants in Paranaguá town are a 10-minute drive away. Rooms and suites clustered around an orchid-filled swimming pool garden, come in lovingly-crafted, caramel-colored ipê hardwood and whitewash, decorated with hippy art. There’s full, attentive service and breakfast is included.

Not all villas in Brazil are family-friendly, but the Cor de Búzios (in the beach resort of Búzios, three hours’ drive from Rio airport), has room enough for two couples with children in tow. Rooms come in a modern palette of clean whites, distressed woods and polished concrete, decorated with fifties-era posters, surfboards and paddles. There’s a large swimming pool with a sundeck, a big kitchen, lounge and a dining room with a family-sized table. And when you want to cook, supermarkets are just a five-minute drive away.

Jericoacoara is remote. But you’ll forget the long bumpy drive from Fortaleza, or the myriad plane changes, when you see the village’s setting: it’s surrounded by towering dunes pooled with lagoons, on a cape fringed with long, broad beaches. Villa Alegria is on the southern edge of town, looking out towards the national park. The village’s barefoot-chic restaurants and boutiques are a ten-minute walk from here. Rustic-chic rooms come in warm woods, unmanicured stone and polished concrete. There’s a sleek pool and deck and space for six – so bring your mates.

Beach villas in Brazil don’t enjoy locations much better than the Casa do Alto. The boutiques and restaurants of Trancoso village, a favourite resort for celebrities, are a five-minute drive away. Long, sugar-white, palm-shaded Itapororoca beach is on the doorstep. The villa’s open-plan lounge-dining basks under a crafted palm-thatch roof in a lush jungle garden. Rooms in soft creams and polished concretes are decorated with arty indigenous-themed art and Brazilian crafts. There’s a small pool and breakfast is included. Settle in – you’ve arrived.

Vila Campeche sits on one of the most beautiful beaches in Florianópolis, southern Brazil’s surf capital. Rooms sit in a cluster of Portuguese-style cottages painted in warm ochres and yellows, with terracotta-tile roofs, overlooking a lawned garden busy with butterflies and hummingbirds. There’s space for up to four in the simple whitewash and tile interiors, warmed with raw woods and soft woven linens. Villas come with big ofuro jacuzzi baths. Note that check-ins are late, and check-outs are early.

Porto de Pedras beach in Alagoas state takes some persistence to reach – the nearest regional airport is more than two hours’ drive from here, but the setting is idyllic: a seemingly endless, palm-shaded beach trimmed with reef, next to a river where manatees float. Expect a string of low-key shoreside restaurants under the palms. The concrete modernist design of villas at Bahay Tatu stands out here in the heart of nature, and there’s plenty of space and light in the concrete and glass interiors.