Awasi Santa Catarina

Awasi Santa Catarina sits on a private peninsula on Brazil’s southern coast, where Atlantic Rainforest slopes toward the calm bays of the Santa Catarina coastline. Eight villas built from reforested wood step down toward forest or water, each with its own terrace and a dedicated guide and 4×4 waiting from the moment you arrive. The main lodge holds a restaurant working with local ingredients, a spa, and a pool. The structure here is deliberate: your days take shape around your own interests and pace, not a fixed program.

LOCATION

The lodge occupies a private peninsula at Governador Celso Ramos, roughly an hour’s drive from Florianópolis. Atlantic Rainforest covers much of the surrounding land, and the calm waters of North Bay lie close by. Secluded enough to feel genuinely private, accessible enough that getting here doesn’t become the trip.

YOUR ROOM

The eight villas are built into the forest using reforested wood, with green roofs and natural ventilation keeping each space connected to its surroundings. Interiors combine warm natural materials with quiet comfort, and every villa has a private terrace facing the forest or the water. Our preferred option is a pool villa: a private plunge pool extends the outdoor living space, giving you somewhere to decompress between time on the water and time in the rainforest. The layout suits couples who want privacy from arrival to departure — no shared spaces you didn’t choose, no schedule you didn’t set.

WHO IT SUITS

Awasi Santa Catarina welcomes guests aged 14 and above, making it well suited to older families, couples, and small groups. The pace is private and unhurried, with each day shaped around personal interests rather than a fixed itinerary — which works well for anyone who wants genuine flexibility and room to move at their own rhythm. For honeymoons or meaningful occasions, the team can arrange a private dinner on a nearby island or a couple’s treatment at the spa. The setting carries much of the atmosphere on its own, but there’s room to mark a moment when it calls for it.

WHY WE LIKE IT

The guide and 4×4 aren’t optional extras: they’re assigned to each villa from arrival. No coordinating with a front desk, no waiting to see what’s available. Guests can follow their own rhythm, change course mid-morning, or ask their guide to take them somewhere that wasn’t in any plan. In a setting as varied as Santa Catarina’s coast and rainforest, that kind of latitude changes what a stay can actually be — less itinerary, more instinct.

SUSTAINABILITY

Awasi protects 145 hectares of Atlantic Rainforest near Iguazú National Park and a further 200 hectares of native woodland in Patagonia. Guests are welcome to visit both areas and take part in conservation work, including reintroduction programs for native species. At Santa Catarina, the villas are built from reforested wood with solar panels, green roofs, and cross ventilation designed in from the start. More than 10,000 native trees have been planted on-site to date — actively expanding local biodiversity, not just offsetting the lodge’s presence within it.