Traveling to South America, especially Brazil, has become very popular in the last few years. Of course, I am biased speaking about my home country, but there is nothing quite like Brazilian culture.
Luxury travel in Brazil is getting a sustainable upgradeโeco-chic hotels are now offering opulence with a conscience. Think solar-powered beachfront villas, organic tasting menus, and zero-waste suites with design that wows.
I’ve lived abroad for almost three years combined and each time I would long for my tropical weather, mild winters, and unique experiences. Every region will have a new face of Brazil to show you the to top luxury hotels Brazil.
Also, if you want to learn more about traveling in Brazil, later you can read our guide here of places to visit in Brazil. Now, letโs get back into it.
As the largest country in South America, it can be very confusing to decide where to stay. And that’s where I come in! In this article, we will go over all the best luxury hotels in Brazil.
So it won’t matter if your trip leads to Sao Paulo, the world-famous Copacabana Beach, or the Amazon Rainforest; you’ll be in the best place possible.
To help you navigate this article even better, I went ahead and split the best luxury hotels in Brazil by a few key regions for tourism. Let’s go!
Luxury Hotels Brazil: Northeast
1. Hotel Essenza
With most of our best beaches, and consequently, the best luxury hotels in Brazil, being here; it is hard to choose only a couple of them for this article. But there is no way to go wrong with Hotel Essenza.
Travel experts recommend staying here for a private place in front of the paradisiacal beach. Surrounded by palm trees, you can get a room with a private outdoor swimming pool or one with access to the common one.
Your room is always a short walk from the sand and Jericoacoara is the ideal spot for a little activity during your vacation. This part of Cearรก’s coast is famous for practicing outdoor sports, especially water-based ones since the ocean is mostly calm.
Just remember that no matter how great you are, you will still need insurance in case of accidents. Check with your travel agent which is best for Brazil!
2. La Villa Bahia
La Villa Bahia is located inside a colonial mansion in the heart of Salvador’s downtown area. This means you may not have a sprawling structure like other places in this article, but La Villa makes up for it by having a great position in relation to the best locations for tourists. Salvador is a gorgeous city with so much life for us to partake in.
Each room reflects a part of Bahia’s history, with little touches paying homage to the beautiful cultural background of our country. Most people come here to enjoy the Carnaval celebrations since they’re some of our best but that means hotels can sell out fast. In this case, planning ahead will be your best friend!
Luxury Hotels Brazil: Rio de Janeiro
3. Belmond Copacabana Palace
Who hasn’t heard about the iconic Copacabana Palace? I think this is arguably the most iconic 5-star resort in South America and for good reason. With its perfect location, just a short distance from Sugarloaf Mountain, you will be able to live your best Carioca adventure safely. I currently live and work in Rio and trust me, you won’t regret coming here.
Sure, the hotel has an outdoor pool but who would want to stay there when Copacabana Beach is right across the street? Besides a wonderful beach, you can uncover a wealth of activities setting off from Copacabana Palace. Without having to do tons of research on service providers or worry about scams, you just have to ask for rates and availability and get ready to go.
4. Insรณlito Boutique Hotel
Going past Guanabara Bay, reaching what we call the ‘Regiรฃo dos Lagos’, you will find the Insรณlito Boutique Hotel on the sands of Bรบzios beach. With a private strip of beach for guests, along with an outdoor pool. If you are hoping to have relaxing days, this is the perfect place for you to disappear for a while.
Because there are no airports in town, you should fly into Rio Galeรฃo or Santos Dumont and have your front desk help with a private transfer or take advantage of free private parking and drive there.
The Insรณlito gives you an insane experience down to their dining options. You won’t regret trying our traditional seafood! Just always have it on clean restaurants instead of sketchy-looking street tents.
Luxury Hotels Brazil: Sรฃo Paulo
5. Emiliano Hotel
The best way to define the Emiliano Hotel is attention to detail. They know vacationing in a city like Sao Paulo can easily become stressful, so staff works to ensure your accommodation isn’t part of that.
Located in the heart of my favorite Sao Paulo neighborhood, you will be able to go everywhere! You can even take the subway followed by a short bus ride and reach Santos, a two-for-one deal.
Although there doesn’t seem to be an outdoor pool available for all guests, you can book a Cubo Suite for a private indoor pool. I’ve been to the largest city in South America a few times so let me tell you, the best time to come is during the summer months, December to March.
The city comes alive during these weeks, just take care of your belongings and get out there for a good time.
6. Fasano Sรฃo Paulo and Boa Vista Hotel
Fasano is a chain of hotels known for perfectly combining great locations with the luxury only the best hotels can offer. With Hotel Fasano Rio de Janeiro in Rio, these two in Sao Paulo are some of the greatest places for setting your home base. Because Sรฃo Paulo is huge, you will want to plan your days carefully!
As with all major cities, you should be mindful of your belongings and surroundings at all times. When your day ends, Fasano Hotels have a complete structure to welcome you.
They have pools, even if not every building has an outdoor pool, they will have one available for your enjoyment. After a long day of urban exploring, you can order some room service or just head over and get a spa treatment.
Luxury Hotels Brazil: South
7. Ponta dos Ganchos Resort
In case you are looking for the best hotels in Santa Catarina, it will be hard to top Ponta dos Ganchos Resort. Surrounded by the Atlantic Forest on all sides, your experience begins with great news! If you book a minimum of three nights, you get a complimentary extra night on the house! So you will get an entire day to enjoy this charming hotel!
There will probably be more than enough time to go for a game on the tennis court, dive in the outdoor pool, or go snorkeling to observe the marine life. This last one, along with many others you can check out on their website, has limited spots available so book them along with your reservation to avoid missing out on something you want to do.
8. Saint Andrews Castle
Not only is the main building a castle, but the Saint Andrews complex is also the only exclusive house experience in all of Brazil. If you have heard about Gramado and are thinking about making the trek down to Rio Grande do Sul, staying in one of the best hotels helps diminish the toll traveling takes on your body.
Of course, there is an amazing city around to explore but take advantage of your accommodation too. Their indoor pool is heated, perfect for melting your worries away. Revitalize your body in the spa’s hot tub or just take a leisure walk through the gardens with a coffee in hand.
Gramado is perfect for people needing to relax, and whoever wants a sweet treat since it’s famous for the chocolate factories.
Luxury Hotels Brazil: Iguazu Falls
9. Belmond Hotel das Cataratas
Approaching the world’s largest falls, one of seven natural wonders can seem like a daunting task. The Belmond can offer you a unique intimacy with them while not forcing you to give up a stay at one of our best luxury hotels. You can find your adventure spirit with radical water sports or relax by the outdoor swimming pool with a caipirinha, you’ll never need to ask for anything.
International trips don’t have much time for dilly-dallying penciled in the itinerary, so staying at a place that offers early entrance to the Iguazu National Park can be an advantage. Besides having a chance to go on nature-focused tours, the Belmond offers both wine and cachaรงa tastings so you can go back home with some new knowledge.
Luxury Hotels Brazil: Resorts for Ecotourism
10. Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge
Starting with our best hotels for ecotourism, let’s go to one of the most popular destinations in South America for this kind of trip. The Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge was expertly placed on the banks of Rio Negro, close to the homonym national park. Even if your focus ain’t on the hotel itself, amenities go beyond free wifi. You can access an outdoor pool, fitness centre, and the spa’s hot tub easily.
But my absolute favorite thing is that your room rates will include tours and experiences. Anavilhanas booking staff suggests a couple of different lengths for your stay, but they are more than glad to help you figure out what will work best for you. Saving a lot of trouble, along with avoiding chances of getting scammed, staying here is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
11. Caiman Ecological Refuge
Travelers hardly come to the Pantanal region looking for an outdoor pool or fitness centre, we want to find somewhere that works well as a home base for some exploring of this amazing area. An excellent choice, maybe the best, is the Caiman Ecological Refuge. With options to stay at the lodge or rent a private villa for your group, they’re ready to help you with anything.
I think this is one of the best hotels for ecotourism in the Pantanal because Caiman itself offers many activities. I don’t know about you, but not wasting time looking for trustworthy companies makes me happy.
Want to go on a horse ride through native vegetation? Get a canoe for river life observation? Or take an ‘Onรงafรกri’ to look for big cats? Just let the front desk know and it’ll be arranged.
If you started reading this article with no idea where to go in such a huge country, now you may have to start a travel bucket list. Another very important list for your travels is a packing checklist of what to have in your bags. The best luxury hotels Brazil are spread through several types of weather, so you must do some research to have what you need for a smooth experience.
Other than your clothing, tech items, documents, and shoes, there is another essential item for international trips: travel insurance. Never forget to hire one that fits your needs, and plans, for every day you spend abroad. Although Brazil has a unified public health system, you still want to be prepared. Once everything is in place, just come over to have the best time ever!
