My husband and I stayed three nights at the Villabella Villagio Pousada in mid-November. We booked via email with the owner and she was very helpful with this process. Finding the pousada was really easy. Directional signs are posted all over the island. We just had to head towards the North of the Island and then Praia Brava and the pousada was right at the top of the hill. By the way, Florianopolis is a place where having a car is a necessity. This was our first stay in a Pousada and we were pleasantly surprised. Driving around, from the outside, poussadas look to be pretty hit or miss. This one had beautifully manicured grounds, and very clean and comfortable rooms.

We stayed in the Praia Brava building which I would highly recommend. We requested a second floor room and I would recommend this as well. The view of Praia Brava was beautiful. I’m not sure that the views in other parts of the pousada were as nice as ours. Many other areas were blocked by vegetation. The grounds were beautiful and were covered by trees and flowering plants. It was incredibly quiet in the area and led to a really relaxing stay.

The room was a sufficient size with a comfortable bed, a small tv and a small refrigerator. The bathrooms were very small with a stall-type shower, but they were clean and there was enough counter space to set out toiletries. The only seating on the porch was the hammock. Be sure to check how secure they are before you try them out. Ours broke on my husband. It would have been nice if there had been a couple lounging chairs on the balcony so we could have enjoyed our view.

The main house was very welcoming. It immediately had a peaceful and calm atmosphere. The welcome desk is on the first floor with the computer room and breakfast area on the second. The pool was small, but there were several chairs for lounging and there was also a small hot tub. Unfortunately the weather was cool and rainy while we were there so we didn’t get to take advantage of the area.

The breakfast at the pousada was very good. Each morning there was a large selection of fruit, breads and meats. There was also a rotating variety of pastries and desserts. The pousada had an Italian/European theme. We had tiramisu and apple strudel along with typical Brazilian sweets like lime torta. There is a lunch spot next to the hotel, but we did not try it. We had great beach snacks and drinks at the Kioske do Pirata on Praia Brava. Plenty of dinner options are a short 5-10min drive back into town. We had Camarao na Moranga (shrimp and cheese baked in a pumpkin) at Antonio’s at Cachoeira do Bom Jesus and Camarao Sequencia (sequence of shrimp) at Ocean House on Ponta dos Canas. Also, if you are out exploring the island stop at Praia Mole and enjoy some stuffed crab (siri) at the Tropical Bar.

One thing that I do want to mention is the location of the pousada in relation to the area beaches. We were slightly disappointed. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. We knew we would not be right on the beach, but the website makes it seem like the beach is a short walk. We had the impression that we might just have to walk on a trail down the hill. This isn’t the case at all. The only way down to Praia Brava is on the road which has no sidewalks. In addition, it is an incredibly steep hill. We made the hike down and up it once and didn’t want to do it again. We drove the rest of the time and did find plenty of parking at the beach. I don’t think there would be any way to comfortably walk to the other beaches (Lagoinha and Ponta dos Canas). You would have to walk on winding roads to get here as well. This became a minor thing for us, so it really didn’t affect our stay or how we felt about the location. It was so quiet and peaceful with such a great view that we didn’t mind driving to the beach.

Overall, we would rate this poussada as one of the best places to stay in this area of the island. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but we didn’t see any lodging that could compare at least by outward appearances. We felt the Villabella Villaggio was a beautiful, peaceful and friendly place to stay. If we head back to Florianopolis and decide on Praia Brava we would choose it again.