53 Best Hotels in The South, Brazil

If you're looking for great facilities and convenient location, Plaza Blumenau is your best bet. Rooms have a sober decor, with dark-wood furnishings and bluish carpeting. Some bathroms have whirlpool baths. The Terrace restaurant ($$$) serves international cuisine with an emphasis on things German.

Long one of the city's most sophisticated hotels, the Plaza San Rafael features a lobby and commons clad in white marble and dark-wood paneling, along with comfortable, tastefully furnished rooms painted in light colors. All suites have whirlpool baths whose hot water is supplied by a thermal spring in the basement. The Plaza Grill ($$–$$$) serves international fare. The San Rafael convention center is just across the street.

Immerse yourself in the region's rugged landscapes by staying at this inn on a working gaúcho horse-and-cattle farm: the 1,200-acre Fazenda Baio Ruano. This pousada is a wooden building made with Paraná pine wood. Rooms are no-frills and downright rustic, but beds are comfortable, and there's central heating (rare in these parts). The ample lounge with a fireplace has great views of the surrounding hills covered with native grass meadows and dotted with Paraná pine trees. There are waterfalls and woods in the area; consider exploring them on horseback and perhaps trekking into the canyons beyond.

This charming inn has a homey atmosphere, especially in the rooms with Brazilian-pine floors and wall panels, fireplaces, and colorful, locally made bedspreads. The rates are reasonable and it's in a peaceful location—3 km (2 miles) from the noisy downtown district, with a handful of good restaurants nearby.

On a hill overlooking the sea, this comfortable hotel features spacious, rustic rooms with verandas and lush wicker chairs. Both of its restaurants are highly regarded: Pizzeria do Refúgio ($$) and Estaleiro ($$$), which serves seafood.

This prestigious downtown hotel is synonymous with fine lodging in the region. Its architecture is German Bavarian style—a trademark of Gramado—and the room decor is elegant and sober, with dark-wood furnishings. At the recanto (lounge area) in the evenings guests can experience gaúcho traditions like chimarrão (tea brewed with yerba mate) paired with folkloric rhythms played by local musicians. The location is prime for browsing the myriad shops, cafés, and restaurants of the city.

In a landmark building overlooking the Rua das Flores walkway, Slaviero Slim in downtown Curitiba has large rooms with wood paneling and matching furniture. Beds are king-size, with colorful spreads and cushions that invite you to relax. Rooms in the east wing are smaller and oddly shaped, and elevators there are cramped because of the original building plan. The second-floor Getúlio bar-café is a popular gathering spot for businesspeople.

Not only the nicest accommodations in the region, the Tenondé Park Hotel is a fine hotel by any standards; the large rooms have colonial-style furnishings and arched doorways that echo the design of the mission a few blocks away. The well-trained staff is knowledgeable about the missions and other attractions in the region. The restaurant serves standard Brazilian fare.

This rustic-chic eco-resort offers easy access to the beach and several amenities, with comfortable rooms and villas with grand views of the sea scattered about the property, among palm trees and shrubbery. The poolside restaurant Engenho do Mar offers ecletic fare with emphasis on seafood. Instituto Baleia Franca operates out of reception, organizing land-based guided tours with biologists to see the southern right whale (R$60 per person; June to November). Guided hiking and horseback tours in the nearby Atlantic rain forest as well as surfing classes are also available.

Casa Valduga winery maintains four redbrick houses with large, comfortable rooms overlooking the vineyards. Decor is contemporary, and each room is different. The breakfast is almost a full café colonial, served at the winery near the wine vats. The restaurants ($$$$), which are open to nonguests (reservations essentials), are a touch impersonal, but serve hearty Brazilian-Italian fare, such as cappelletti soup, roasted pork and chicken, and polenta. As unlikely as it may sound, there are no Valduga wines available by the glass.