Florianopolis: Surf Beaches, the Lagoon Social Scene, Azorean Villages, and the Island Lifestyle
Florianopolis, the island capital of Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil, combines the finest surf beaches in the south of the country with the social scene of Lagoa da Conceicao, the luxury beach club culture of Jurere Internacional, and the preserved Azorean fishing village heritage of the island's western coast.
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Joaquina and Mole: The Surf Beaches
Joaquina Beach on the Atlantic-facing eastern coast of Florianopolis Island, exposed to the consistent South Atlantic swell and the strong southwesterly winds, is the premier surf beach of the south of Brazil and the venue for the national surf championship. Praia Mole, immediately north of Joaquina, offers a party beach character with beach bars and the alternative lifestyle community that has established itself in the beachside dunes, combining surf culture with the LGBT beach social scene.
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Lagoa da Conceicao: The Lagoon Village
Lagoa da Conceicao, the central lagoon of Florianopolis Island connected to the ocean by a navigable channel, is the social center of the island with a concentration of restaurants, bars, and the night club scene in the commercial strip beside the lagoon. The combination of the lagoon water sports, the sandboard dunes on the Atlantic side, and the restaurant social scene make Lagoa da Conceicao the most cosmopolitan neighborhood on the island.
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Jurere Internacional: The Luxury Coast
Jurere Internacional on the northern coast of Florianopolis, the most expensive beach real estate in Brazil south of Rio de Janeiro, is where the Brazilian upper class builds second homes and where the summer season brings the yacht fleet and the luxury hotel guests who fill the beach club tables from December to February. The beach club culture of Jurere, with its electronic music and its international fashion brands, is the aspirational Brazilian beach lifestyle expressed at its most expensive.
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Santo Antonio de Lisboa: The Azorean Village
Santo Antonio de Lisboa on the western coast of Florianopolis, facing the continental side of the island across the Baia Norte, is the best-preserved of the Azorean Portuguese fishing villages that the 18th-century Azorean colonists established on the island. The waterfront of oyster-farming boats, the simple colonial church, and the restaurants specializing in Azorean-influenced seafood give Santo Antonio a character completely different from the Atlantic-facing surf beaches.
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North Island: Praia Brava and Lagoinha do Leste
The northern extremity of the island around Praia Brava provides the most intense surf environment of all the Florianopolis beaches, with a left-breaking wave of significant power that draws experienced surfers from throughout southern Brazil. Lagoinha do Leste at the southern tip of the island, accessible only by trail on foot or by boat, is the most pristine and least developed of the Florianopolis beaches, a perfect half-moon of white sand enclosed by Atlantic forest-covered hills.
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The Bridge and the Continent: Greater Florianopolis
The Ponte Hercilio Luz suspension bridge built in 1926, for decades the longest suspension bridge in South America, connects the island to the continental Florianopolis and is the architectural icon of the city; the bridge was closed to vehicles in 1990 for structural repair and restoration and reopened as a pedestrian and tourist attraction. The continental Florianopolis contains the bus terminal, the administrative center, and the densely populated working-class neighborhoods that contrast with the island beach resort character.