LUXURY ACCOMMODATION BUZIOS

"Searching for the best accommodation in Brazil? Jonathan and his family share their experiences of Insolito - a boutique hotel in Buzios..."

The true adventure began as we headed straight out of Rio on the amazingly long, 13km Rio-Niteroi toll bridge. Although the topography en route to our luxury accommodation in Buzios was scrubby and uneventful, we were so in need of a nap and so enchanted by the natural beauty and charming hotel that awaited us that all irritation just melted away. It was well worth the odyssey!

The Insolito Boutique Hotel is a cool, chic, well run but unpretentious hotel that we fell in love with on arrival. The rustic looking, rust-coloured property with a thatched roof is laid out over several tiers, etched into a hill overlooking a gorgeous beach, Praia de Ferradura.

The wide stone terrace wraps around a richly cobalt blue freshwater pool, with crisply modern cream day beds and benches for waterfront lounging; bright red lanterns hang in established trees and the room balconies are dotted up and down the hill. A smaller, more secluded salt water, kidney shaped pool is nearer the water for those who want to tuck away on their own and you can have massages on a waterfront deck. So it’s a really idyllic setting of calm ocean, leafy green garden and touches of turquoise and blue.

The sophisticated French owner, Emanuelle Meeus de Clermont-Tonnerre (you have to love that name!), has put her heart and soul into the boutique hotel - along with a flair for quirky interiors. Each of the twelve rooms, at various heights on the hill, is a little design gem. The look is white, fresh and minimalist-on-sea -but each suite has decorative elements that set it apart and expresses some aspect of Brazilian culture.

They are named after native operas, plays, music, art naïf and history. The ‘moda’ has colourful Brazilian textiles; the ‘outeiro da gloria’ a wall of painted tiles that looks like antique china come to life; the ‘pau-brasil’ brings a stylized version of nature indoors, with Tuta’s ateliê fabric imprinted with giant palm leaves and a delicate feature sculpture of oversized twig; indigenous feather headdresses are embroidered on the pillows in ‘oca’. The almost sculptural 1950s modernist chairs, scattered throughout the hotel in cherry red, purple and cream leather, add even more visual power.

You get into the groove straight away: we were really happy to be back in our comfort zone. It’s usually hard to pick the best hotel room from a website, but had selected our suite well ahead with reservations some months before. Our suite was called Fotografia & Literatura. A beautiful room in black and white colours with lovely stained timber floor boards. The view from our suite was fantastic. The suite was a lovely size. Big, plenty of room to move around and store our growing suitcases ! The bathroom although not big functioned well. The bathroom tiles are small black mosaic pieces that give a lovely feel to this light bathroom.

Our luxurious suite had a beautiful spa bath out on the balcony. Although we never used it, some people may love to sit in the bath with a glass of champagne and not move from this little piece of heaven.

POOL POSITION Because all of Buzios is right there for you to survey, lounging by the pool is an activity in itself at the Insolito - you become part of the scenery. We really nested on the deck, drinking in the beauty of the water views and relaxing with books. There’s a cute bar and the waiters are really attentive without being on top of you; they bought us amazing passionfruit caiprahinas at the pool that transported us even further from home…

The vibe totally changes according to the rhythm of the other guests. When we had the pool to ourselves the intimacy, along with the small scale and standout furniture pieces, makes the Insolito feels more like a private luxury villa - which is what it originally was.

Of course sometimes being on your own lacks atmosphere, and we love encountering fellow travelers. So we enjoyed the way the scene could totally change within hours when the deck was teeming with people. We partied with young wedding guests who clearly loved having a sexy place to hang out with friends only 2 hours from Rio. We met plenty of interesting characters, like a renowned French winegrower who was organizing a special Degustation meal at the hotel at a long, communal table - for the pure epicurean pleasure of matching his wines with the Franco-Brazilian cuisine.

There are complimentary transfers for the 6-minute car ride into town and the hotel will come and pick you up at any restaurant after dinner. We really found the Insolito accommodating and keen to please. When we asked for an alternative to the small pick up car to take us back to Rio at the end of our stay, the luxury hotel switched over to its own Land Rover which made the journey a lot more bearable to the way we arrived. Looking back, they have everything in a luxury hotel that makes us smile - warm staff, good food, a lovely owner and a magical environment.

Join Jonathan Said and his family on their luxury travel journeys as they share their best restaurants experiences and luxury hotels and resorts holidays around the world. The comprehensive travel tips and ideas include some of the most popular things to see and do at each destination including a local shopping guide, photos, video, music and much more.