Brazil’s Hotels Pick Up TripAdvisor’s Travellers Choice Awards

By Georgia Grimond, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A hotel in Santa Catarina, one of Brazil’s southernmost states, has appeared as one of the top 25 luxury hotels in the world. The Ponta dos Ganchos resort in Governador Celso Ramos was voted the eighth best luxury hotel by Trip Advisor in its 2016 Travelers Choice Awards.

It is the second time the hotel has appeared in the list,  this year beating other well-known dream-holiday destinations such as Australia, Indonesia and Spain. Located on a peninsula 50 kilometers from Santa Catarina’s capital, Florianópolis, it was opened in 2001 and has since earned a reputation for being one of the most luxurious and romantic hotels in the country.

With a focus on privacy and service, the resort has 25 bungalows among 80,000 square meters of nature for a maximum of 54 guests, with 130 staff. Bungalows come with the highest level of comfort and views out over the over pristine emerald green sea, as well as Jacuzzis and private pools.

Off the coast is a small island for the hotel’s use where guests can enjoy a private, specially prepared dinner. It offers a range of activities too, from cooking lessons with the chef, to trail walks, tennis class, helicopters rides and cultural tours around Florianópolis, as well encouraging visitors to laze on the idyllic nearby beaches.

TripAdvisor, which is a respected online review site for travelers, collects the millions of reviews it publishes each year to determine which places are its customers’ favorites. Judging on service, quality and value it has recognized over 7,000 properties in 97 countries with its awards over the past fourteen years.

“Travelers considering their next trip can book confidently selecting from these award-winners that have already delighted millions of members of the TripAdvisor community,” said Barbara Messing, the site’s chief marketing officer in a written statement.

Brazil did well in other categories of the awards too. The hotels Ritta Höppner and Estalagem St Hubertus, both in the town of Gramado in Rio Grande de Sul, were voted the tenth and fourteenth best hotels in world respectively.

With 1,077 ratings, 995 of which are “excellent” and none was worse than “very good”, the Rita Höppner won the title of best hotel in Brazil.

Gramado is a small town on the Rota Romântica, or Romantic Route, inland in Brazil’s South. Originally founded by Portuguese it was then settled by Germans and Italians and has a strong European influence, including Swiss-style architecture. Small, pretty and charming it attracts visitors year-round but its particularly popular at Christmas when it has a number of festive events.

For a full list of the TripAdvisor Travelers Awards winners, check here.