30 Best Hotels in The Amazon, Brazil

Tucked away among the islands of the Ananvilhanas Archipelago on the Rio Negro, this luxury resort is unparalleled in its sophistication, combining beautiful cabins with superior guiding and expectional food. Guests are greeted upon arrival with a fresh fruit juice in the elegant, thatched-roofed living area. The cocktail bar, comfortable sofas, and pool table make this area a hub for mingling. All rooms are elegantly furnished with comfortable beds, air-conditioning, mini-refrigerators stocked with drinks, and porches strung with hammocks. The fantastic buffet offers regional delicacies as well as fresh fish and tasty salads. Guests are given personalized itineraries upon arrival, all of which are undertaken in speedboats that jet off from the hotel's charming pier and are led by expert bilingual guides. Classic experiences include visiting pink dolphins and hiking through the forest to visiting local villages. Exploring the surrounding igarapés ( tributary rivers) is a highlight. Feel like playing hooky? Sit back by the lovely infinity pool, surrounded by trees and with views over the Rio Negro. There is a minimum stay of two nights. Prices for a two-night/three-day all-inclusive stay (excluding alcohol) start at R$2,100 per person.

A short walk from town directly on a white-sand beach, Beloalter has spacious rooms and swimming pool, making it one of the more sophisticated places to stay. Higher prices get you a better view or even a room in a tree house. The restaurant ($$) specializes in fish, but has a good variety of other dishes, including a great galinha a caipira, a whole roast chicken with endless sides. Its distance from town can prove a blessing at weekends, when it can get noisy.

As a guest in this small, antiques-filled farmhouse, you're privy to wonderful hospitality in a simple and rustic setting, and homestyle meals prepared with farm-fresh ingredients. Fazenda Carmo has fascinating activities like early-morning canoe trips in search of howler monkeys, horseback rides through wildlife-rich pastures, and muddy jeep rides to an archaeological site. You can watch the farmhands herd the water buffalo and even ride on one. Powered by a generator, electricity is not constant and there is no air-conditioning. The fazenda can accommodate eight to 10 people, and stays are part of a package that includes meals, an English-speaking guide, and transportation to and from Camará (a 90-minute trip via van and boat). If you speak Portuguese, call the Fazenda directly and you may get a better price.

On the shores of Lake Acajatuba, this family-owned resort consists of charming wooden rooms built on stilts above the jungle floor. Owners Germano Alvarado and Fabiola Carrazzone do everything from greeting the guests with fruit juice to taking them on the various tours. Germano, who hails from Peru, personally takes guests on boat trips to see baby alligators and riverside communities, while Fabiola is in charge of the tasty meals served thrice daily. All rooms have screened windows, an electric fan, and their own bathrooms. Packages include a boat trip to see caimans at night, a visit to local riverside communities, and guided jungle hikes. Avoid booking trips during the dry season from September through January when the waterways dry up and temperatures soar.

This sustainable floating lodge, set in the middle of a tributary, offers the only way for visitors to explore the Mamirauá Reserve, led by biologists in tandem with local guides from the communities. The result is a special Amazon experiences. Rustic cabins are simple but spacious, with porches and hammocks overlooking the water. Activities include sunrise boat trips, jungle treks, fishing trips, and visits to a local community. While some tours are done in groups, you will also be allocated a private guide to take you exploring by canoe. The flood season (April–July) is the best time to spot wildlife, as animals seek shelter in the canopies of submerged trees and wait for the water to go down. Visitors are also given the chance to interact with researchers from different programs during panels and trips to floating stations. The lodge aims to be fully run by the local communities by 2020. Inquire about special packages, including jaguar tracking expeditions, bird-watching, and photography excursions.

Twenty rustic floating cabins make up this remote lodge, one of the oldest in the Amazon, located within 337 hectares of its own reserve on Juma Lake. Highlights include great home-cooking, excellent English-speaking guides, and reliable monkey- and bird-watching. Various packages include visits to riverside communities, nature hikes through the jungle, and piranha fishing. The minimum stay is two nights and the package includes transportation to and from Manaus. Only half of the 20 rooms come with private bathrooms, and can be booked as triple or quadruples. Due to its remoteness, energy is powered by a generator and runs only from 6 pm to 6 am. The journey time from Manaus is 3–4 hours, divided between minivan and speedboat.

Proximity to Manaus (45 minutes) and decent rooms (complete wiith air-conditioning and hot water) make this a good option for travelers short on time or seeking a certain level of creature comforts. Experiences can be booked as a package or arranged separately upon arrival, and include visits to monkeys in rehabilitation, hikes with a naturalist guide on 10 km (6 miles) of trails through several habitat types with enormous trees, and dips in streams and natural pools. Those looking to relax can take advantage of the the white-sand beach that lines the lodge during the dry season. All transfers are included.

Built on a steel barge, moored mid–Rio Negro, the art deco facade of this floating hotel feels incongruous with the surroundings, even if modern rooms come with air-conditiong and hot water. Explore the region by day, and at night return to a buffet dinner and live entertainment. Packages include airport or hotel pickup and drop-off in Manaus.

Just up from the riverbank right on the square, Belas Praias is in a great location if you want to be where the action is. Rooms are modern, clean, and have lots of wood. Request one with a view of the bay and beaches.

Although rooms are simply decorated, you'll feel like you're staying in a friend's house at this popular and cozy bed-and-breakfast, set in a lemon-yellow house in a quiet residential area. Even though it's a 15-minute taxi from the main tourist sights, Chez les Rois is near several good restaurants and shopping malls. The rooms are spread across two floors and offer comfortable beds, free Wi-Fi, and hot showers. Don't miss the delicious breakfast that's served around the pool. The helpful staff will gladly call a taxi to the Centro for you or advise you on booking local trips.

Clean and spacious rooms here even have phones, which aren't easy to come by in this area. It's conveniently located in Centro, and the staff is friendly.

This four-star hotel has sleek but understated rooms, with all the amenities one would want. Golden Tulip Belém is in the Umarizal district of Belém, which has many restaurants and nightclubs. A small rooftop pool and gym give guests the chance to unwind.

Located in the industrial area of Manaus, this hotel has bright and cheerful rooms and excellent service. Gray granite floors and large glass walls give the hotel's lobby a sleek and modern feel. Many foreign tourists stay here either on their way in or out of jungle tours.

Garishly pink and supported by towering Roman columns, there's nothing else in town that looks like the Hotel Atalanta. Inside you'll find stained-glass windows, small pink columns, and cozy rooms.

Just off the beach, this place has more amenities than any other in town; breezy, spacious public areas, a wet bar, and waterslides help you keep cool. The restaurant specializes in shrimp and crab, but serves lots of fish and other dishes.

At this popular beachside hotel, wood-and-brick chalets with red-tile roofs accommodate as many as five people. Similarly designed apartments, which house up to three people, are more economical for singles and couples. The pool is configured in the shape of a clover. Be sure to make reservations—the hotel is very popular on weekends.

This hotel on Praça da República is starting to look a bit tired, but the rooms remain comfortable, the staff friendly, and the breakfast buffet tasty and substantial. Executive rooms have the nicest views as well as access to a lounge, a meeting area, and complimentary food and drink. Additonal facitlites include 24-hour room service, a swimming pool, pool-bar, gym, travel agency, and small souvenir shop.

This hotel is well suited to business travelers thanks to its reasonable rates and downtown location. Stained-glass windows and soft leather couches welcome you in an attractive lobby, where there is free Internet. Rooms on the 12th floor are nicer and more modern than those on other floors, yet you often need to pay an additonal cost.

Right above Maçarico Beach, this hotel has the best location in town: You can look down the length of the beach from the pool. It's a 10-minute walk from the light tower.

Partially obscured by palm trees, this three-story, white, colonial-style hotel is on well-manicured grounds, and comes with many amenities, including hard-to-find wireless Internet in the rooms.

In the Cidade Alta and a little out of the way, the small chalets at Panorama I are quiet and private. A 100-yard walk takes you to an impressive overlook. The restaurant ($) is rated by locals as the best in town.

The highlight of this slightly shabby, 20-story hotel is the spectacular infinity pool that overlooks the Rio Negro. Its rooms are decorated in a contemporary fashion, and the hotel boasts two restaurants, a pool-side bar, a gym, a convenience store, jewelry shop, business center, and lobby bar. Ask for a higher room with spectacular views of the river.

This pousada offers lovely gardens, clean, simple rooms, friendly staff, and good food for a reasonable price. The Boto is three minutes from the beach and has camping and hammock space. It rents motorcycles and bicycles—perfect for tooling around the island. The hotel also plans trips.

Nothing in Manaus can match the majesty of this grand, if dated, resort hotel, located 20 km (12 miles) northwest of downtown. It overlooks the Rio Negro, with a short path to the beach. Hotel Tropical has a mini-zoo, sports facilities, two pools, and even its own dock. The restaurant is a reliable choice for dinners of regional and international fare.