On Location August 2007 – Brazil

It's late and I am tired, but as soon as I board the TAM flight from Heathrow to Sao Paulo, it's as if I'm there already. The atmosphere on the plane oozed 'Brazil': everyone was standing, people chatted loudly and the hostesses were entertaining the small children. I always find the best way to start a trip to a new country is to fly with the national airline - it allows you to get acquainted with the language and the culture of your destination before you land there. This flight was no different.

Landing in Guarulhos International airport I only had time for one quick cafezinho before boarding another flight to Rio de Janeiro, arguably the best place to begin my quest for Brazilian villas as Rio truly embodies the rest of the world's image of Brazil. I was met and driven to Santa Teresa, the city's characteristic old town, which has nothing to do with Ipanema Beach or Copacabana, although they are not far away. Here the villas are either private residences or have already been converted into trendy guesthouses.

From Mama Ruiza, a brand new boutique hotel in Santa Teresa, I drove to Angra dos Reis where I would spend the next few days. The first villa was Ponta do Tangua, owned by Dona Leila who has lived here for forty years. I stayed for four days, sailing out daily on small speedboats and water taxis to visit other homes on surrounding islands. Some of the islands were stunning, all the more so as they were private and with only one property on them - your very own island! A few I selected for the Steppes Villas portfolio along with Ponta do Tangua on the mainland.

The next stop, an incredibly scenic drive later, is Paraty, an incredibly colourful, well preserved Portuguese colonial and Brazilian Imperial town, located on the lush Costa Verde on the Bay of Ilha Grande, which is dotted with many tropical islands. Rising up behind the town are tropical forests, mountains, and waterfalls. Paraty is equidistant from Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, but nevertheless almost a five hour drive from either city. For this reason the wealthy Brazilians who travel here for weekends fly out in helicopters or even small planes. Luckily I was shown around by professionals who can easily organise this type of transfer for Steppes clients.

Apart from visiting a few villas, we were also able to rent a small boat out for the day for 80 Reais (20 GBP), many water bottles and a few caipirinhas included! This is a must when visiting Paraty; it is the only way for one to realise just how special this enormous bay is. There are too many islands for one to count, and many of them have been set up as seafood restaurants only accessible by boat. We had an exquisite grilled vermelho fish on an island called Catimbao. One of the homes for let in the historical centre of the lovely cobble-stoned town even has its own schooner which guests can take out daily, but it is easy to get speedboats for private excursions organised as well. I cried leaving Paraty.

Next stop was Trancoso, the landing point of the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral in Brazil in the year 1500 and later settled by Jesuit priests. It has a picturesque main square called Quadrado and three main beaches. The people in this part of Brazil are different to those in the south, the population is full of African influence, which permeates the culture on these coasts.

Trancoso was another fantastic experience, and such a different one from Angra and Paraty. The villas that I visited here were mostly modern, but tastefully built and decorated. Most of them were spacious and within easy access to the white sandy beaches of the region. As was the case in Paraty, and perhaps unsurprisingly given the owners' attention to detail in selecting furnishings and staff, all the villas I saw were preferable in style and service to the hotels of the region.

The two regions of Brazil which I was able to experience during this trip are both incredibly well suited to those who seek a cultural experience in a colourful tropical setting, off the beaten track. Soon Angra dos Reis, Paraty and Trancoso will be busy with tourism, but at the moment they are still hungry for it.