Finding Her Brazilian Groove

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

By VICTORIA GOMELSKY

Published: November 7, 2004

RAZILIANS love their beaches as much as Russians love their banyas and the English love their
pubs. That's why, in Brazil, the quest for the perfect stretch of sand is a national obsession.
Conventional wisdom says that Ipanema is the mother of all beach parties; the bossa nova classic proves
it. The shores around Salvador in the northeast boast postcard-perfect views and a rich Afro-Brazilian
heritage. The cognoscenti flock to the sands of Búzios, made famous by Brigitte Bardot.
But my vote goes to the coast of Santa Catarina state, some 400 miles down the coast from Rio de
Janeiro, where the beaches offer world-class surfing breaks and a bohemian vibe - think Hawaii, circa
1983 - that make this Brazil's up-and-coming region. Argentine tourists, Carnaval revelers and wave-
riders have been going there since the early 1990's to escape the manic scene typically associated with
Rio de Janeiro and Salvador.
The region's best-known port of call is the state capital, Florianópolis. It is the gateway to Ilha de Santa
Catarina, nicknamed Floripa, where descendants of Azorean fishermen are making way for Brazilian
models and international playboys, solidifying the island's reputation as the hippest year-round beach
scene in South America.
Santa Catarina, settled in the 19th century by German and Italian farmers, is one of the country's
wealthiest states. Some purists dismiss it as a European outpost with no real claim on the Brazilian soul.
With the help of three girlfriends in March, fresh from a bitter New York winter, I was determined to
prove them wrong. The plan was to spend a few warm-up days in Rio, fly south to Florianópolis and rent
a car to circumnavigate Floripa clockwise starting at Canasvieiras, a resort town on the north coast.
This was my third trip to Brazil, but I was relying on Anna, our resident Brazilophile, to negotiate the
itinerary, including the six days we had allotted for Santa Catarina. Besides, every time I felt tongue-tied,
my brain automatically trotted out Spanish pleasantries. Gracias, not obrigada. ¿Qué pasa? rather than the
ubiquitous Brazilian greeting, tudo bom? (how are you?)
Within minutes of our arrival, we realized the congested town is Santa Catarina's answer to Cancún: so
many T-shirt shops, so little time. The concentration of Internet cafes, beer gardens and strolling retirees
wasn't quite what we'd expected.
We joined the masses at the beach in front of our hotel the next morning and watched an endless parade
of vendors. A cart loaded with all the ingredients to make a caipirinha, the Brazilian national drink, rolled
by, hippy-hoppy music (as its called here in the land of the endless vowel) blasting from its tinny
speakers. Not far behind, a grandmotherly woman in a white headscarf pushed a portable grill. We were
instantly drawn to the smell of her choripan, a tasty, salted Argentine sausage served in a bun.
The revelry extended into the shallow water offshore, where hilarious passengers filled a banana boat.
Had we traveled to the island to party the days and nights away, such sights might have quickened our
heartbeats. Barra da Lagoa, a fishing community on the shores of Lagoa da Conceição, a large inland
lake, promised salvation. We piled into our rental car and headed to the island's east coast, a 45-minute,
30-mile drive along small country roads.
In the 16th century, Floripa was a strategic Spanish settlement for the transfer of gold and silver from
Peru to Europe. By 1675, the Portuguese wrested control, setting the stage for immigrants from the
Azores who arrived in the 18th century. Today, their descendants still ply the warm waters of the lake in
brightly painted boats, searching for grouper and shrimp. This was more like it.
After settling into a rustic guesthouse, or pousada, on Praia Mole (praia is the Portuguese word for
beach), about a 10-minute drive past Barra da Lagoa, we couldn't resist trying out Floripa's most bizarre
sport: surfing on the island's Sahara-like dunes.

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times

The 40-something surfer manning the rental shack introduced himself as Carlos. He generously offered to
carry my melon-colored snowboard up the steep dune. A cloud of fine white sand made sticky by the
tropical air swirled around as I schlepped behind him. When we reached the top, he said he had a
guesthouse across the road and suggested joining him for a drink after this. I pretended not to understand
his slang-filled Portuguese.
For a moment, I admired the contrast between the blinding white dune and the black clouds barreling
down on neighboring Praia da Joaquina, home to Brazil's best-known surfing competition. They gave the
afternoon a sultry, electrified feel. So did the tanned, nose-ringed Adonis next to me, preparing to sail
down the precipice. He wouldn't have looked out of place in Oahu or Vail.
Rather than carving my way down the dune, I chickened out and used the snowboard as a toboggan.
Carlos looked disappointed when I waved goodbye from the bottom.
That night, his all-too-obvious wedding ring prompted a conversation among our group of four about
Brazilian marriage over litchi martinis and mango mojitos at the Fusion Bar and Restaurant, an airy
lounge situated on a hilltop overlooking the Lagoa da Conceição.
At 1 a.m., we moved to yet another of Floripa's burgeoning hot spots, Confraria das Artes, a bar that
doubles as an art and furniture emporium. Opened just four months earlier, it attracted foreign D.J.'s and
well-heeled Brazilians from Rio and São Paulo. There had even been a Gisele sighting. (But, alas, no
Leo.)
As we pulled into the parking lot, a steady beat of progressive house music wafted from the entryway. A
long-legged hostess in a ruffled pink miniskirt led us inside a courtyard. Stylish Brazilians slouched in
funky vintage chairs upholstered in gemstone colors: aquamarine, garnet, pink tourmaline. The antique
furniture, including the stained wooden coffee tables and ornate floor lamps that filled the bar, was for
sale.
After a round of caipiroskas, the milder, vodka-infused version of the national drink, we decided to tweak
our itinerary. Instead of having our Brazilian friend Roberto Srivastava drive to Floripa to meet us for our
final three days of vacation, we would drive down the coast to meet him. Since February, he had been
surfing in Praia do Rosa, a seaside town on the Santa Catarina mainland an hour south of Floripa. Popular
during summer and winter, when southern right whales breed offshore, the crescent-shaped beach was
recently voted one of the country's top 10 by a Brazilian magazine.
The next morning we set off from Praia Mole down BR-101, a bit nervous after learning that the road had
been christened Brazil's death highway. The number of trucks passing us on the two-lane blacktop
explained why.
Hippies discovered Praia do Rosa in the 1970's. Slowly, word of mouth brought surfers and tourists from
Argentina and southern Brazil. The town still lacks paved roads, but many upscale pousadas have opened,
along with restaurants serving coastal fish and pan-Asian cuisine.
Fazenda Verde seemed the best-situated property, its cabanas looking out over the ocean, with easy
access to the waves. We dropped off our luggage and hurried to the beach bar, where Roberto was
waiting for us along with his friend Gabriela. "Welcome to the beach of my life!" Roberto screamed.
He was about 10 shades darker than the last time I had seen him.
David, the resort's surfing instructor, introduced himself."If you're interested, I can teach you how to
surf," he said.
Fazenda Verde offered horseback riding and yoga, but if we really wanted to get a feel for the place,
David's offer was the ticket.
The next day's beginners lesson in the freshwater lagoon proved both exhausting and exhilarating.
Nothing prepared me for the session in the surf: I have never eaten so much sand. When I dragged my
long board out of the water, a lineup of tan and toned locals stared my way.
At home, I might have felt self-conscious about my less-than-graceful water gymnastics. Instead, I finally
understood why Brazilians place so much importance on their relationship with the beach:
In a country known as much for its lusty approach to life as its poverty and crime-ridden favelas, the
beach is the great equalizer. All that matters is how confidently you strut the sand in your swimsuit.
Soon it was time for our farewell dinner at Lua Marinha, an out-of-the-way bamboo restaurant famous for
fresh seafood: bowls of giant spiced prawns straight from nearby Ibiraquera Lake.
Back at the table, the conversation had turned to bikinis. Gabriela and Roberto wanted to know if we felt
comfortable in our newly purchased itsy-bitsy swatches of lycra, hand-sewn and decorated in pastel
Pucci-like swirls.
"Tudo bom?'' Gabriela asked as I devoured my last giant prawn. Yes, everything was fine.
How else could I explain that after three visits to Brazil, I had finally found my groove in Santa Catarina?
That walking the shores of Floripa and Praia do Rosa in my locals-only bikini, I had discovered Brazilian
style as well as soul? That nothing cures a winter chill better than a romp in the sand?
Tudo bom.
The in season on Ilha de Santa Catarina, popularly called Floripa, begins in late November and peaks at
Carnaval in February, when accommodations can be tight. Easter is the traditional end of the summer
season.
The east coast beaches attract surfers and scene-sters; north coast beaches are lined with apartment-hotels
and resorts that appeal to families. For information in English try
www.santa-catarina.net/cities/floripa.htm, or contact the Brazilian Tourism Office, 36 West 44th Street,
New York, N.Y, 10036; (212) 997-3360, fax (212) 997-3363; www.embratur.gov.br/en.
Getting There
Numerous airlines fly from New York to Rio de Janeiro. A search through Orbitz.com found a round-trip
fare of $696 from Kennedy Airport to Rio de Janeiro on Varig Brazilian Airlines leaving Nov. 30 for a
seven-day trip. Varig listed a fare of $397 from Rio to Florianópolis.
Where to Stay
ILHA DE SANTA CATARINA
The Palace Praia Residence, Avenida das Naçoes 01, Praça República do Líbano, Praia de Canasvieiras;
(55-48) 266-4111, fax (55-48) 266-4647, www.palacepraia.com.br, is a modern 60-room hotel and
apartment building fronting the main beach in Canasvieiras. Don't overlook its rooftop whirlpool.
Doubles start at about $70, at 3 reals to the dollar.
A sports complex, spa and numerous recreational facilities for children make the sprawling and
sophisticated Costão do Santinho Resort and Spa, Estrada Vereador Onildo Lemos 2505, Praia do
Santinho; (55-48) 261-1000, fax (55-48) 261-1200, www.costao.com.br, attractive for families. There are
695 apartments, 14 villas and a hotel. Doubles in the villas start at $187 and go to $585 for a four-room
apartment. Other rooms start at $338 for a double. All rates include two meals a day.
PRAIA DO ROSA
The beach is footsteps away at Fazenda Verde, Estrada Geral da Praia do Rosa; phone and fax (55-48)
355-7272, www.fazendaverdedorosa.com.br. An eco-resort with 3 restaurants, a pool and bar, it has 8
studios, 11 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom cottages. A two-bedroom chalet costs $100; double rooms
are $34 to $75.
The sleek Pousada Solar Mirador, Estrada Geral da Praia do Rosa; phone and fax (55-48) 355-6144,
www.solarmirador.com.br, has a commanding view of the beach from its hilltop perch. The 12 suites,
with balconies, hammocks and breakfast, range between $116 and $144 in the high season.
Where to Eat and Drink
ILHA DE SANTA CATARINA
The swanky D.J. lounge/art emporium Confraria das Artes, (55-48) 232-8512, is in downtown Praia da
Joaquina. A round of mojitos for four and a slice of chocolate cake cost $22. Lunch and dinner served;
closed Monday.
Praia Moles Fusion Bar and Restaurant, (55-48) 232-1797, has an excellent view of Floripa's inland
lake to go with tasty tropical cocktails. A dinner for two of figs covered in gorgonzola, shrimp risotto,
pistachio-encrusted salmon and four martini and mojito cocktails, cost $52.
PRAIA DO ROSA
Fazenda Verde has various oceanfront casual dining options. The Tigre Asiático Restaurant, (55-48)
355-7045, has a lovely bamboo-filled setting and the area's most extensive pan-Asian menu, featuring
Malaysian, Japanese and Thai cuisines. Dinner for four was $84, including a bottle of Argentine malbec.
Open daily from 6 p.m.
Way off the beaten track, Lua Marinha, (55-48) 354-0543, is Praia do Rosa's most romantic dining
option. Communal bowls of prawns and oysters for six, including a round of sangria-style drinks, cost
$60. Open Wednesday to Sunday nights.
VICTORIA GOMELSKY is a magazine editor.

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