09 April 2026
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In a country as big as this one, first-time travelers often struggle with exactly where to begin. But the best hotels in Brazil provide a handy map. The three major cities — Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Salvador — host just under half of Inspectors’ hotel Keys.
The rest are spread throughout the country’s extraordinary natural places: near beaches that range from underrated to glamorous, under mountains where guests take horseback rides along the rainforest, and in one special case, within the confines of a national park with the largest network of waterfalls in the world. Below, Brazil through the lens of its best accommodations.
Jump to each distinction:
Brazil’s Adventure Scene: Waterfalls and Moonlight Walks
Inspectors distinguished two hotels with their top honor in Brazil this year. At one, Hotel das Cataratas, A Belmond Hotel, rushing water is the ever-present soundtrack. The only hotel actually within the confines of UNESCO’s Iguaçu National Park in Brazil, guests at this historic 1950s-era hotel have exclusive access to the falls after the close of visiting hours, and a host of activities besides: forest walks at the crack of dawn or in the light of the full moon, Jeep rides through the rainforest and speedboat safaris around the network of 275 waterfalls that makes this one of the world’s most spectacular natural sites.
If this is the kind of travel that speaks to you, consider other Key hotels that scratch a similar adventure itch across the country: Fasano Angra dos Reis for hikes and island tours, Botanique for horseback rides under the mountains and Awasi Santa Catarina for snorkeling and kayaking, to name just a few of the activities on each hotel’s long roster.
Major Cities and Beach Destinations
Nine of the 20 Key hotels in Brazil make their home in the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo. While the Key hotels of Rio and Salvador are some of the country’s most historic and stylish, it is in São Paulo, the largest city in South America, where Inspectors distinguish their second Three-Key.
Nominated by Inspectors for the inaugural MICHELIN Architecture & Design Award, the Rosewood São Paulo integrates the forest into its very foundation, wrapped in some 10,000 indigenous trees. More São Paulo standouts, like the Palácio Tangará in the leafy Burle Marx Park and Pulso Hotel Faria Lima with its breezy terraces, are their own little bubbles within the urban sprawl.
When it comes to the beach scene, Brazil’s hoteliers have nearly 5,000 miles of coastline with which to play. In some towns — like Trancoso, with the trendy but laidback Fasano Trancoso — Inspectors identified some of the best places to quietly dabble in a glitzier scene, while other finds are in the kind of under-the-radar surf spots travel writers cannot resist but label hidden gems.
That would make Inspectors’ One-Key Barracuda Hotel & Villas a gem within a gem. A rare luxe spot from which to explore the beach enclave of Itacaré, local guides in the form of hotel staff facilitate surfing, hiking and canoeing. At nearby One-Key Txai Resort, down the coastline, guests watch hatching turtles and take boat trips through protected natural landscapes.
Look to settings like Taíba, Tibau do Sul and Barra de Sao Miguel for more of Inspectors’ favorite hotels along the coast.
THE THREE-KEY HOTELS
An extraordinary stay.
THE TWO KEY HOTELS
An exceptional stay.
THE ONE KEY HOTELS
A very special stay.
Angra dos Reis
Barra de São Miguel
Campos do Jordão
Governador Celso Ramos
Itacaré
Porto Feliz
Trancoso
Rio de Janeiro
Salvador
São Paulo
Taíba
Tibau do Sul
Header image: Fasano Angra dos Reis brings the brand’s ultra-glamorous aesthetic to a lush region a three-hour drive from Rio de Janeiro. © Fasano Angra dos Reis
