Brazil (São Paulo State)
Ilhabele
Without a shadow of a doubt, Ilhabela is one of the most beautiful spots on the coast between Santos and Rio, though it’s best avoided during the crowded summer tourist season. Of volcanic origin, the island’s startling mountainous scenery rises to 1370m and is covered in dense, tropical foliage. Its dozens of waterfalls, beautiful beaches and azure seas have contributed to its popularity; old or new, most of the buildings are in simple Portuguese colonial styles, as far removed from brash Guarujá as you can get. 
The island is a haunt of São Paulo’s rich who maintain large and discreetly located homes on the coast, many with mooring facilities for luxury yachts or with helicopter landing pads. The hotels are expensive and are often fully booked, so many people choose to stay in São Sebastião instead – not a bad idea, since transport connections are good. Ferries (24 hours a day; pedestrians free, cars $3) depart from São Sebastião’s waterfront every half an hour and the crossing takes about twenty minutes. If you’re driving, be prepared for a long queue for the ferry during the summer unless you book in advance (tel 0800-555-510). The ferry is met by a bus, which goes to Vila Ilhabela at the northwestern end of the island.

VILA ILHABELA
Almost all of the island’s 6000 inhabitants live along the sheltered western shore, with the small village of VILA ILHABELA the only population centre. A few kilometres before you enter the village, look out on the right-hand side of the road for the grand eighteenth-century main house of the Fazenda Engenho d’Agua. This was one of the largest sugar plantations on the island, famous for its high-quality cachaça. Today there’s virtually no agricultural production on the island, its economy completely geared to tourism. On the outskirts of the village at Rua Bartolomeu de Gusmão 140, there’s a tourist office (daily 9am–6pm; tel 012/472-1091) which produces a very detailed map.

The village has a few pretty colonial buildings, and is dominated by the Igreja Matriz, a little church completed in 1806. Apart from the church, there’s little to the village apart from a branch of Bradesco bank (with an ATM), a few grocery stores, some excellent snack bars and boutiques selling overpriced T-shirts and yachting gear. In the evenings, people congregate on the pier, catching swordfish with remarkable ease.

Around the island
Getting around the island can be a problem as the only bus route is along the island’s western shore north as far as the lighthouse at Ponta das Canas and south to Porto do Frade – the limits in both directions of good-quality roads. The beaches along this mainland-facing shore are small, but pleasant enough, and are popular with windsurfers; the water’s calm but of questionable cleanliness. Far more attractive are the small beaches in the coves along the northern coast, such as the Praia do Jabaquara, but access is generally difficult, involving clambering down steep trails hidden from view from the road. It’s along this stretch of coast that some of the island’s most exclusive villas are located, and their owners have an interest in making sure the road remains in a poor condition and that the beaches are difficult to reach. The road is also poor along the southern shore, where some of the best beaches are located: after the road ends at Borifos, it’s a two-hour walk along an inland trail to the tiny fishing hamlet at Praia do Bonete, with a couple of other fine beaches just beyond. Along the way you’ll pass an impressive waterfall, the Cachoeira do Late, beneath which a natural pool has formed.

The east coast beaches of the Baia de Castelhanos, 25km across the island via a steep mountain road often washed out by heavy rain, have the most surf and are considered by many to be the island’s most beautiful. They are linked to one another by cliff-top trails. Seven kilometres along the road, stop at the Jardim Tropical (daily 9am–6pm; $2, including insect repellent) for a drink and a refreshing shower under a waterfall or a dip in a natural pool. To get any further east, a jeep is essential; they are available for hire at Locatudo, Av. Princesa Isabel 1634, Praia do Perequê, near the ferry landing (tel 012/472-2468; $65 per day).

Practicalities
Throughout the year the island is extremely expensive, and in the summer it can be difficult to find a place to stay – reservations are essential. In Vila Ilhabela the cheapest place to stay is the Hotel Costa Azul (tel 012/472-1365; $35–50), just to the north of the main commercial area and next to the yacht club at Rua Francisco Gomes da Silva Prado 71. For the price, the hotel provides very basic accommodation, though it’s extremely friendly. A little more expensive, more comfortable and with a large, pleasant garden leading down to the beach is the Hotel da Praia (tel 012/472-1218; $35–50), located at Av. Pedro Paulo de Moraes 578 on the southern outskirts of the village. 

Nearby on the same street, at no. 151, is the Hotel Ilhabela (tel 012/272-1083; $70–90), completely devoid of character but with large rooms and a good-sized pool. Much prettier, at no. 720, is the Pousada dos Hibiscos (tel 012/472-1375; $35–50), also with a pool. Further south at Saco do Capela, the Porto Pousada (tel 012/472-2255; $90–125) has beautiful rooms with verandas, lush tropical gardens and a pool, while the Pousada d’Ajuda (tel 012/472-042; $35–50) offers more basic accommodation. Near the ferry landing at Praia do Perequê there are a number of hotels, the cheapest of which is the Hotel Rafimar (tel 012/472-1539; $35–50), small but with a pool, while the Hotel Perequê (tel 012/472-1813; $35–50) is simple but attractive.

Ilhabela has several campsites including the Camping Clube de Ilhabela (tel 012/472-9147) at Praia do Perequê and, south of the ferry landing, Camping Porto Seguro (tel 012/472-9147) at Praia Grande. In general, camping on beaches is strictly forbidden, but no one cares if you camp on the virtually uninhabited eastern side of the island.

Eating, like everything else on Ilhabela, is expensive. Restaurants come and go rapidly, but most are concentrated in and just south of Vila Ilhabela and at Praia do Perequê. When it’s time to move on, you can take the twice-daily bus to São Paulo from near the pier in the main village of Vila Ilhabela, or from São Sebastião there are buses in both directions along the mainland coast.