The Best Hotels to Book in Brazil for Every Traveler

Set atop Rio’s charming hilltop neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, MGallery offers stunning views of the Guanabara Bay below, where you can find attractions like the Rio de Janeiro Museum of Modern Art and Flamengo Park. The hotel’s restaurant, Térèze, was worthy enough for a Michelin Guide recommendation due to its contemporary Brazilian cuisine, and the Bar dos Descasados is a pool lounge with a panoramic view and delicious Brazilian drinks.

Busy executives can land their helicopters on the Emiliano’s rooftop, while the rest of us can make the short drive from the airport. Just meters from the beach and in the middle of crescent-shaped Copacabana, the Emiliano Rio has endless amenities, from the rooftop pool to the rainforest-like restaurant, making it one of the very best places to stay in Brazil. In this lively neighbourhood, locals and visitors are out and about around the clock.

Trendy Botafogo rings around its namesake half-moon bay, giving you all the action of underground bars and avant-garde bistros right by the shoreline. The Yoo2 Rio de Janeiro’s rooms – featuring wallpapered ceilings, tiled floors and neon lights – give way to incredible views of Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer. If that’s not enough, the hotel organizes bike tours, guided runs and street art walks to help you get beneath the skin of the city.

No, it’s not a capsized cruise ship – it’s the Hotel Unique, designed by Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake. Spanning half a city block, this work of modern art is topped only by the sight of the sunset from the terrace’s Skye Bar. Spend at least one afternoon in the Ibirapuera Park, just a few minutes from the hotel, and get lost in one of the biggest, most popular parks in Latin America.

Find a sanctuary of your own at Toca da Coruja, not far from the white dunes, hidden coves and thick vegetation that runs along the Santuário Ecológico de Pipa on Brazil’s eastern coastline. From your own canopy bed to the jungle canopy outside, a trip to this protected Atlantic Forest land feels like a respite from the real world. Our tip? Learn to surf at Praia da Pipa – you might even spot the dolphins that regularly frequent the area.

Farther down the coast from Porto Seguro, Trancoso, once a sleepy fishing village, is now an ecofriendly paradise. Set among lush tropical gardens, Pousada Capim Santo (Lemongrass Hotel) invites nature into every one of its rooms with wide open louvered doors and hammocks hung on the patio. The restaurant at this Brazilian hotel serves local food, largely sourcing fresh-caught seafood off the coast.

Backpackers who want to get the most bang for their buck should check out Lobo Urban Stay, a guesthouse in São Paulo’s traditionally exclusive Jardins neighborhood. It’s just blocks from Paulista Avenue, the city’s busy shopping street, and not far from the São Paulo Museum of Art. Getting around the city is a breeze, as Lobo is only a six-minute walk from the Consolação metro station.

Framed floral prints and exposed brick walls create a cozy climate at Pousada Ziláh, a 1934 mansion built on a quiet, tree-lined street in the Higienópolis neighborhood, away from the Paulista Avenue chaos. Pop into one of the chic cafés nearby for a quick cappuccino, or fill up on lunch before you go; if you’re planning on going to São Paolo’s Football Museum a few streets over, you’ll spend all day learning why the sport is so popular in Brazil today.

Nature lovers will feel at home at Botanique Hotel and Spa, located along the Mantiqueira Mountain ridge near Campos do Jordão in Southeastern Brazil. While the hotel does have activities like yoga classes, mountain biking and horseback riding, part of the appeal is not doing much at all, whether that’s sipping on your morning coffee from the balcony or stocking the wood-burning fireplace that will keep your room warm during the chilly mountain nights.