Pousada Santa Clara

The delightfully secluded and relaxed Pousada Santa Clara, buried in verdant, flower-flecked foliage, is a labour of love for its American owners who live on-site and will welcome you into their home. The guestrooms, relaxation areas and excellent restaurant are linked by paths punctuated with rippling fountains and surrounded on all sides by exuberant greenery – the feel is almost of being ensconced within a beautiful tropical jungle.

The simple rooms are individually decorated with cheerful colours and seaside motifs, and many have shady porches to provide a relaxing spot for whiling away a lazy afternoon in a hammock. Though there are few frills there is charm and character in bucket loads.

While the pousada is not directly on the ocean front, Boipeba's idyllic palm-fringed beach is a stone's throw away as are a number of laid-back beach bars where you can watch the sun set at the water's edge with an ice-cold caipirinha. Also nearby is the village of Velha Boipeba – very much an authentic and unspoilt Brazilian island town – and there are forest trails to explore, leading to mile upon mile of white-sand beaches beyond.