Pousada Villabella Villaggio — Hotel in Região Geográfica Imediata de Florianópolis

We stayed 11 nights at this hotel. Owners Ivonne and Italo treat each guest like a member of their family: gracious, warm, caring, helpful. Rooms are lovely and very clean. Ask for a room with an ocean view: it costs a bit more but the view of the ocean is spectacular and worth the extra money. Nice balcony with a hammock. Grounds, gardens and pool are lovely and well maintained by Ademar and Alexandre. Wonderful breakfast buffet each morning (staff knew I liked pao de queijo -- cheese puffs -- and made them special for me!). ||||Echoing comments from a previous reviewer: you definitely need to rent a car in Florianopolis if you want to explore the island and its numerous beaches, get to restaurants, etc. We rented from Inova at the airport -- very pleasant agent, Juliana. The Pousada is located at the top of a steep hill, so you will be glad to have a car.||||Next door to the Pousada is a very nice restaurant, Marinheiro's, where we ate 3 times. Simple, delicious seafood, good service, great view of Praia Brava. On Praia Brava, we had the best-ever caipirinha drink at the Quiosque do Pirata, and enjoyed drinking coconut water from a kiosk on the beach. Drove about 20 minutes to the quaint, lovely neighboring villages of Sambaqui and Santo Antonio de Lisboa. In Sambaqui, we ate lunch at Santo Mar, overlooking the water, and enjoyed a fabulous Camarao na Moranga (shrimp baked in a pumpkin) -- waiter Antonio was gracious and spoke several languages fluently; he made us feel very welcome. In Santo Antonio, we sat on a deck on the beach at Marisqueira Sintra and enjoyed a great, simple shrimp dish sauteed in white wine, garlic and touch of mustard.||||Some advice/suggestions: if you go to Florianopolis (called Floripa by the locals), it would be good to have a basic knowledge of Portuguese (you can also get by with basic Spanish). Go to the nearby town of Canasvieras and take one of the fun pirate ships for a nice, scenic afternoon boat ride. Drive to Lagoa da Conceicao and take one of the little boats for a 45-minute scenic boat ride to a little village where you can climb up to a pretty little waterfall (cachoeira) and eat lunch at any of the numerous lakeside restaurants --...

My husband and I along with my parents and friends just came back from a trip to Floripa (July 15-20, 2013). It was our first time staying at Villabella Villagio and we were extremely pleased! Ítalo and Ivone are the best hosts. They truly understand what it takes to make guests feel welcomed and they have trained their staff to do the same. Everything about VV is in the details. Tastefully decorated rooms, beautiful grounds and wonderful food. The breakfast was simply amazing. Several varieties of home made cakes, breads and jams, fresh fruit juices and tropical fruits, etc. Shelly, the breakfast manager, served us hot from the oven cheese bread (pão de queijo) every morning. She was the best! We were generously upgraded to an ocean view room and that made the stay even more special. The sunrise view from our varanda was breathtaking! Just two comments for those who are planning a trip. The beach (Praia Brava) is beautiful but you need to take your car down there unless you are willing to hike a VERY steep hill back to the B&B. Also, the wifi only works in the lounge/reception/breakfast room area. They tell you that in their site and it is a good thing since it really encourages you to enjoy the views and those you are with. Ítalo and Ivone, we miss you! Thank you for an awesome stay! We can't wait to come back!||Will and Simone||Raleigh, North...

We arrived at VV late in the dark and fell asleep exhausted after a long day of travel without taking in our surroundings. We awoke the following morning, perched on a breezy mountainside, our double doored, hammocked and flowered private patio overlooking Praia Brava through the lush, well manicured gardens. Ask for a room looking north over the beach. We enjoyed an excellent breakfast under vine-covered pergolas by the pool while listening to Verdi. The owners are opera fans. The main house built by Italo/owner Italian architect, is a multilevel, airy log and beam construction with a treehouse feel that fits perfectly into the mountainside. Ivone his wife was busy writing a book on Italian art history. Praia Brava is a quite condo community beach without much action, however the beaches just several miles to the east and west are hopping. The pousada has stunning views but be prepared to navigate the steep hill to get you there. This is a very unique and serene...