WanderingTrader

Dear Florianopolis: I am NOT impressed

The things said of Florianopolis were nothing short of exceptional. “There is nothing like the beaches on that island” one traveler told me.  Anytime I  googled anything including  awesome and South America there was always one result that appeared continuously.   Awesome + South America =

Yep, Florianopolis.

Considering that I have lived in 5 of the 12 countries in South America I was always curious on what people thought would be the best places to live on the continent? What city was always on every list? Florianopolis.

Barra De Lagoa Florianopolis

A beach called Barra De Lagoa in Florianopolis

I even had the pleasure of meeting a person that lived in Florianopolis for well over 10 years, started a business there, and promptly mentioned it is the Medellin to its Colombia.  Paradise in other words.  While I have been thinking of Medellin in Rio De Janeiro, I knew that my first trip outside of my new home in Brazil would have to include Florianopolis.

Florianopolis is awesome, I get it.

As a traveler, I have learned to not formulate expectations about a specific destination.  There are times when I have to force it mentally and there are other times when it happens spontaneously, see Visiting Madagascar is Asia not Africa.

              • I expected awesome beaches
              • I expected awesome surfing
              • I expected just pure awesome

Everything does have its moments and sadly Florianopolis never had its moment with me.  Alright I’m lying, we had a bit of a moment when I had my spectacular run in with the “policia militar” (Military Police) but that is besides the point.  The excitement of my first trip was overflowing similar when partners meet before a prom or for my international readers, a first date?

Shout out to all my readers in Brazil! Florianopolis was far from pure awesome in my opinion.  It does not merit all the rave reviews of such a unique paradise when you can find the same paradise in many places around the world.

Florianopolis Brazil

Joaquina Beach in Florianopolis

I don’t know if it’s because I have been to the incredible beaches of Madagascar or even the secluded beaches of Colombia, but this is no unique paradise.  This is a nice beach town found anywhere else in Brazil or the United States for that matter.  With prettier women than in United States, sorry ladies.

I had the pleasure of living hours away from one of the best beaches in the United States, Siesta Key in Sarasota, Fl (1.5 hours to be exact).  Guess what? Florianopolis isn’t any different other than the fact that is has the exotic Brazil at the end of it.  The fascination with Florianopolis begins with the expectations of tourists in my opinion.  First impressions last a lifetime and where do most tourists enter Brazil? Let me save you the Google search, Rio De Janeiro.

The beaches of Rio aren’t about physical beauty unless you consider women with natural big butts (keyword natural we aren’t on to you Colombia, wink) as beauty.  The beaches of Rio are about the way of life in one of the largest cities in Latin America.  Rio is the cultural heart of Brazil when it comes to tourism and it is known the world over for its beaches.

Tourists come from the dirty and decaying beach that is Copacabana in Rio to the clean, known around the world for surfing beaches in Florianopolis.  No Contest.  Consider also that Florianopolis is known for having some of the most beautiful woman in Brazil.

Now why wouldn’t everyone rave about Florianopolis?

I don’t know if I am jaded but I had the pleasure of visiting Florianopolis with a Brazilian and she agreed with me so I can’t be that wrong.  Maybe I just like beaches that are bright blue and green and not just regular ocean blue?  Maybe it’s because I want my paradise to look like the beaches in French Polynesia or Fiji?  Maybe it’s because it was just over hyped to begin with.

Sea Turtle in Brazil

The Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center in Barra De Lagoa

Florianopolis is an excellent place for anyone that loves adventure sports, especially surfing.  After I visited Florianopolis I was very disappointed as it was supposed to be one of the highlights of my trip to Brazil.  I want to point out now that is a beautiful place, but not what everyone is ranting and raving about.

I’m not disappointed that I visited the popular island.

I am glad that Florianopolis gave me a catalyst to search for and see the real beautiful beaches of Brazil.  So far on my list is Fernando De Noronha (disputed as the most beautiful), Bonito Mato Grosso Do Sul, Tambaú, Praia Tambaba, Praia de Pirangi do Norte Natal, Jericoara Ceara, Praias Ceara.

Surfers in Florianopolis

Surfers in Florianopolis

I like to travel to places that people don’t visit like the Guiana’s in South America as well as Madagascar & Ethiopia in Africa.  This is my fix, seeing the real unknown, places that are rarely explored.  We all know that Paris is romantic, London is a spectacle, bla bla bla.  When I travel I want to know and share with you the places that aren’t on the tourist trail.  You want off the beaten track?

I was the first travel blogger in South Sudan and the only other that visited Somaliland

In conclusion, Brazil is known for being expensive and if you are going to spend that kind of coin on a great beach I would recommend another location that provides much more.  I call it the Venice of Brazil with a bit of a flare, Paraty.  It’s truly exceptional since it has a little bit of everything.   Florianopolis is beautiful, I don’t want anyone to confuse that, but Florianopolis is not special (only to surfers in my opinion).

The Verdict? If you are a 20 something backpacker that just wants to party and surf, go to Florianopolis.  If you are interested in a bit more like history, hiking, and maybe even the arts, look for more updates.

Wandering Trader at your service

64 Comments

  1. I spent a few days on Floripa myself in August 2011 when I was passing by there on a bike trip through the south and had the exact same feeling. I didn’t think it was all that it was hyped up to be. Nice, no question about that, but overall it hasn’t got that real Brazil feeling. I’m not a surfer, so I can’t judge that side of the story. What struck me the most were the traffic jams, even in the low season. Local people told me that in the summer (Dec – Feb), it gets almost impossible to get anywhere by car and things like electricity and water supply is hardly keeping up with demand. Not really my definition of paradise. Oh, and the women… one guy told me the women in Floripa were the most beautiful he had ever seen. Maybe I was there at the wrong moment (again, it was winter) but I didn’t see any women that could compare to the ones in Rio de Janeiro. (nobody has to agree with me on this one of course. It’s a matter of personal taste 🙂 ). My favorite place was the more deserted south side of the island, where tourism apparently is not (yet) as prevalent as elsewhere on the island.

    1. I really feel sorry for you gringoes that are short of money and come here thinking they will be treated as a King. Get a life. Most of you gringoes do not have enough money to go to better places. Sorry. Do not cry. (remember I am not patriotic and I do not give a shit about Brazil)

  2. You know what? I’ve never heard of Florianopolis before, but then again I’ve never really looked into visiting Brazil. Places that are simply beach destinations appeal very little to me, unless they’re truly spectacular and out of this world. There needs to be a lot of culture to go with the sand and sea.

    Sometimes we are disappointed by popular places and ones that receive rave reviews; when I went to Turkey, everyone went nuts over a place called Gaziantep. I went there, and it was by far the low point of my trip. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

    1. Thats the Best diference of Florianópolis, it is a big City, that you have the nature and the City, you have the Best party and 42 beaches in the same place.

  3. I have to disagree with you. Coming from London and having been involved with the dance music scene, Florianopolis is the electronic music capital of South America. The have a few cubs there, P12 , Green Valley and Warrung which are a match for any super nightclub in the world. The best djs on the planet get flown to these places and play their music to thousands of beautiful girls and boys. The girls in these clubs are approachable, super hot and super friendly. Its an experience that everyone should go and see, if thats what you like.

    Florianopolis also has one of the best hostels in South America -Tucano House. The place is awesome and great to visit during the party season ( November – March) Mixed with the beaches and beautiful scenery its a millionaires paradise. Its who your with and not where you are that counts. Floripa has it all and I met many nice people there.

    1. Have you been to any other places in South America because there are other cities with a much bigger electronic scene. I have been living in South America for almost half my life and I can tell you that there are much better parties than those in Florianopolis. How does a hostel have anything to do with what I wrote about in this article? The only thing you mentioned was the parties which confirms exactly what I mentioned in this article… not once did you mention any of the beaches

      1. Im dj and i live in floripa… its not about ” bigger electronic scene”, its about the quality.
        warung is one of the best clubs in brazil, green valley is the top 3 in the world..
        if u like psychedelic trance or something like that u will hate florianopolis, but if u like techno, deep house etc u will like..

  4. The problem is, I don’t think you visited the best part of the Island. Jurere Internacional is on the north western tip of the Island and is full of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in my life. The beach clubs (P12, Taiko, Cafe De La Musiq) are like ones I’ve never seen before – super lively with amazing music and a fit, attractive crowd. And Yes! The women are approachable! This is not like a Las Vegas pool party where you are liable to get the cold shoulder from a prissy chick with platinum blond hair from Minnesota. And although the plastic surgery numbers are probably the same as Vegas (Brasil is the plastic surgery capital of the world), the women are more genuine and easy going. At night you go to Posh Club or Pacha (the notorious brand of super club originally from Ibiza with an outpost in NYC, among others). I was there right after New Years so maybe it was just my luck. But it turned out to be of my favorite places I’ve ever been. I will be back as soon as possible, probably for Carnival next time.

    Cheers,
    AP

    1. Hey AP thanks for the comments! I def went to the same clubs and while I do agree that the women are beautiful and the parties are great I am still not overly impressed with the place. I have been to many places around the world that look the same and have the same parties and the same beautiful women. I think that you can find the same on the island of Ibiza for example.. the beaches also I wasn’t impressed with. At least Ibiza has better beaches.. it was the whole package that I was expecting and it doesn’t have that. You can find beautiful women and beaches that are much nicer somewhere else in Brazil.. the place isn’t that unique

  5. Marcello,

    Please share those tips of places that you think are nicer and still have some of the features that Floripa is known for.

    1. Dennis.. Paraty is one of them. If you look through my recent posts you will find amazing pics of Lagoa Paraiso near Jericoacoara, Brazil.

      If you want to get just get drunk and surf go to Floripa.. if you want better beaches and a bit more to do def head to Paraty. Lagoa Paraiso blows Floripa’s beach by miles

      1. Dude, I lived in Floripa for over twenty years. I hiked and ran all over the island. If you met the wrong people – drunkards – and went to the wrong places, don’t blame the island. Did you hike – for instance – over the Hill between Joaquina and Mole. I guess you didn’t. On top of that hill I saw one of the most amazing images in my life. You can just sit there and chill out, or go down to an isolated beach all for yourself – no drunkards, no chicks, in case these annoy you too.

  6. Hello everyone, I’ve never been to Brazil before but I heard from other guys that the women in Floripa are the best looking in Brazil. Most are 7’s, 8’s, and 9’s. Very Few 10’s. I heard that this is were all the hot middle class women from Brazil go to vacation. (December to Febuary)

    I heard that even the Middle class Brazilian Women are extremely nice and approachable towards American men.

    Also as well very few foreigners know about this place so there are almost no Americans and few Europeans there as well (meaning less gringos)

    However, lots of people say that most of the women there only speak Portuguese, so not knowing the language will put me at a huge handicap.

    Please can anyone clarify if this is accurate. I love you Brazilian Women…… 😀

  7. Floripa is different from the beaches you find in Rio, it has a different taste. So far, after 2 days spent here me and my boyfriend couldn’t leave to sightseeing and kept looking at this pic we found online.
    Looks like a joke, but psychologically it works so well. Our pousada didn’t have air conditioning, only fans, most of which were broken. So in Floripa if it is hot it is HOT, if it is cold it is COLD.

  8. Hello brodi, i do agree with you in parts and to be honest it is better that some people think like you, as you know Floripa is a island and because all this talk about the City we lost a lot of it’s magic (Florianopolis is known as the magic island or used to be). I leaved in the USA an now in Europe, for the last 10 years i had a chance to visit amazing wonderful places and i agree Floripa isn’t a paradise that you wont find else where, our beaches are only normal beaches beautiful but not extraordinary, anyways unless you go there and manage to find the Magic you will not be impressed, when say magic i mean places like Ilha do Campeche or Santo Antonio de Lisboa, those are some of the places that still have somewhat untached, but fortunally or not most nowdays go there looking for night clubs and stuff like that, i only hope that soon this whole fashion will go away and floripa and it’s people can go back to our real Floripa… Peace and Love to All

  9. How much nonsense spoken here.
    Each place has its charm. Each place has its own peculiarity.
    Maybe being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people will impression the place is horrible. Each has a taste.
    Florianópolis is a wonderful place, but it has its problems like any other city in the world.
    Visit and draw your own conclusions, because each one will have an experience.

  10. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Florianopolis. I would like to read more of your trip reports. Please email me when you have the time. Have you been to South East Asia? If so where did you go and what did you discover.

    cheers,
    James Hill

    1. Definitely let me know if you have any questions in regards to any specific locations James. I have been to South East Asia but only a handful of countries at the moment. Will be going back soon to explore a bit more soon

  11. I’m a day trader from Florianópolis and actually I like to living here. I’m not an experience traveler and can’t talk as a tourist but as a citizen I think it’s nice to live here due to the balance between being a capital and have a lot of nature everywhere. In the long term brazilians start to get tired of the violence and Florianopolis its relatively safe compared to other big cities in Brazil. Anyway… I like your trading style (I have a similar approach in the markets here). Congrats.

  12. I live in Floripa, although not originally from here. I have to say that I adore this place, but it’s different for me since I live here. Honestly, for me, Floripa just has an energy that I love. I have lived in some places in Europe and I would SO much rather live here.
    I didn’t even know until recently that Floripa was THAT popular among foreigners. I’m sorry you didn’t like Floripa that much, but maybe your expectations were just too high, I don’t know where you got the information that it was supposed to be some sort of Fiji paradise. There is a lot to appreciate here, I’m sorry you couldn’t see it. Maybe you didn’t feel the “real Brazil”, but honestly, this place is so much better for me precisely because it is a much much safer place, the population in general has a good economic level, it’s a state capital, but all the while it still has a lot of natural beauty, protected environment, there is still the “little fishermen’s town” aspect in it. It’s not “just” a touristic place, it’s a blooming city. It does have problems like traffic since it has been growing a lot and it’s an island, there’s nowhere to grow to. But it is a very different reality that I don’t have to worry so much about being mugged, I can wear a nice watch around the city with no problem – which you can’t say for many other places in Brazil and abroad, not even in Europe nowadays. On a final note, I would very much wish that tourism here and anywhere else in Brazil were not driven by men rating on women’s looks, that is such a stupid demeaning cliché.

    1. You touched the point. I don’t like hype places, and maybe the problem is when the tourism industry tries to sell Floripa as a trendy place. But fortunately, Floripa is not about this at all. It’s about the beautiful view crossing the bridge, it’s about talking to some wonderful people in the centre market, it’s about the beaches too, it’s about the wonderful lake too, but above all, it’s about respecting the place, and it’s people. It’s about stop looking local woman as objects, but as human beings. So maybe Floripa is for those who knows how to appreciate it.

  13. I’m a 36 old British guy been living here two years now in floripa , I’ve spent 6 years traveling with my ruck sack and visited around 70 countries on every continent, not working, just traveling and here is where I’ve decided to stay for now. Apart from the freezing winters that seem to last forever in my opinion this is the best place to live in Brazil, I have visited by camper van most of the country in search of a good /better place for me to live. I prefer the weather in the north but options are limited, health, work , parties, theatre, beach options , buying consumer goods, education, safety issues etc etc, floripa is more like a nice place in the med of Europe, it’s not tropical but no one ever said it was, it’s not 3rd world Africa like most of Brazil but it’s a safe place by brazilian standards and has a little bit of everything something to do all year. In my opinion the beaches closest to Asia are between Rio and são Paulo, pataty included, angra dos reis and the Serra beaches, this is steamy hot jungle veg hanging and rolling down to the beach and on the prefect days the sea is turquoise, Northern beaches are more like Morocco or Egypt, dry with a tiny bit of shurberry, odd coconut tree and goats eating rubbish. Then the urban beaches of any big cities are generally polluted and where life is cheap and expendable you probably wouldnt want to hang out too long after dark. So if you just want an exotic beach holiday and your not familiar with Latin America my advice is go somewhere else, if you plan to work a 9 to 5 in Brazil and looking for fairer cash go são Paulo or rio, salarys are crap in floripa, if your mega rich or can get by with a foreign income and odd jobs and plan to be here for awhile then the island of floripa and its 90 km from North to South has something for everyone, wether you park your helicopter on your house roof or your yacht has space for it in the north or your a fisherman with a net in the south, a cow boy and lasso on a farm or just want to check out a different beach every day of your 3 week holiday, everything is possible.. Just don’t come in winter and leave the snorkeling gear at home.. But floripa is all right for an xpat and a billion Argentinan tourists

  14. Marcello

    sorry you feel that way Columbia has areas that suck so does brasil so does paris and so does London and so on…..do not be sooo serious chill out take one day at a time see the beauty in people in their spirit love life ….breathe in life,love take in the moment be happy because you really do not have a choice…..you are not a “trump” if you were you would not be blogging your unhappiness….

  15. Hey Marcello, I agree with you that the beaches by itself aren’t unique, what’s cool though is that there are 42 of them so it has nice variety.

    For me, what makes Floripa unique, is the combination of its wide variety of beaches, natural beauty (the hills and the lagoon), nightlife (from huge clubs like Green Valley to small bars and Samba/ Forro parties), the mix of locals and foreigners, activities (surfing, kitesurfing, paddle boarding, sailing, parasailing, hiking, water rafting), the chilled out atmosphere, the pretty girls, the laid back villages (I love Lagoa de Conceicao) and the variety of good restaurants. Also, I like that I can stay in a quiet area within walking distance from the beach but still be within a 30 minute drive from a reasonable sized city.

    None of these things are unique and you can find a better location for every category, but I can’t think of any other place in Brazil (or even in the world) that has such a great combination of everything. If you know of other places in South America (or in the world for that matter) that features all these qualities then I’d love to know about them.

    Finally, I think Floripa is a perfect place to camp out for a while, not so much to visit for a few days or a week. If you just want to chill out on a quiet paradisiacal beach, then Paraty or other places are nicer.

    1. Thanks for the note Jasper. There was so much hype about it when I went that I felt really disappointed after I left. Check out the town of Garopaba.. .very cool place to check out.

      1. Get seriously injured in Garopaba, 2 hours to the nearest hospital. Which is in Florianopolis. I have loved living in Florianopolis for the last 22 years. Before that, 18 years in Hawaii and was born in NY. Its beaches, very low crime, education, nature, infrastructure, safety, technology, really happy local people, big clubs, litterless sidewalks and streets, lakeside restaurants, BMWs, surfing, small fishing villages, shopping centers, crowded beaches, secluded beaches and so much more, all on an island the size of Oahu, Hawaii. I love returning to my “home base” after just several weeks traveling abroad. There really IS a reason why the yearly population has exploded in the last 10 years.

  16. How the people the Floripol? How are they compared to Medillen Columbia ? Where is the fasted internet between the two. How much would you expect to pay for a month of accommodation ? Are the supermarkets of Sainsburys standard ? thx.

    1. Brazilians over are very nice people. People in Floripa are nice just like the people in the rest of the country. I would say that both have comparable internet speeds. Have to pay extra for the reliable and high speed internet though. Medellin is much cheaper than Floripa. I don’t know Sainsburys supermarkets.

  17. Dear,
    You are totally wrong! Florianópolis is an awesome city, unless you went there to find easy women, cheap places and so on. Thinking about the way you evaluate a city, stop writing man, you are done the wrong thing.
    Florianópolis does not intend to have the best beaches of the world, even why millions of people visit there every year and it cause a big damage at the city, including people like you, that comes and leaves the trash.
    There are many different things to do at Florianópolis like extraordinary food, warm and nice people, wonderful landscape, really good parties, a wonderful climate, and so on. If you were looking for the most beautiful of the world, look for another place, we do not need this kind of people like you here. Try Germany, Norway and other countries.
    By the way, where do you live! Why don´t you do not come back there!

  18. “Fernando De Noronha (disputed as the most beautiful)” – Lols. its 400km off the coast of Brasil. Hardly, “Brasilian”.

  19. Your writing is horrible. I learned nothing from this post about florianoplis, other than you do not think it is as pretty as Colombia or Madagascar. Medellin is not that nice by the way, I was just there- unless you like ugly buildings and lots of malls… The mountains surrounding medellin are however, amazingly beautiful,

  20. Hey buddy, I’m really happy to hear that Florianopolis didn’t satisfy your endless lust. Florianopolis is always happy without you on the other hand though.

  21. I studied abroad in Florianopolis the summer of 2014. Lived there for 2 months. And you my friend couldn’t be anymore wrong! You didn’t even talk about lagoinha de leste or any of the key places. I’m disappointed in this review of one of the best places I have ever been to.

  22. Oh, I’m afraid you haven’t visited the right places for the kind of trip you were looking for. At Praia do Santinho (north of the island), hiking and the historical rock arts by “Homens de sambaqui” on the way to “Morro das aranhas”, Moçambique, and the hiking to Navegantes and to the waterfalls…

    For real surfers must go to Praia do Matadeiro, Joaquina and Praia do Santinho but you must know about the moves of the wind to find the best waves like every other surf trip.

  23. Dear traveller,
    I couldn’t disagree more with you. As a local a local i might be a bit of a bias to say that Florianopolis is still the best place to travel in Brazil if you are looking for a marvelous landscape, beautiful people and a cosmopolitan flair.
    I have been to over 79 countries so I take that into account. Floripa can be compared to Seychelles, Mauritious or even Maldives.
    Also, we do have History, we do have a unique azorean colonization proccess that you won’t find anywhere in the world! Our portuguese architecture in St. Antonio de Lisboa neighboorhood sends you straight to Lisbon, with a bonus that you will be at a waterfront.
    I am not a surfer, as most of my friends. You have plenty of choices, from eco trails, decadent gastronomy, over 50 beaches to choose from and some of the best beach clubs in South America if you feel like partying. We have museums (currently hosting a Miro exibithion) and our local folk tales and plenty of places that you must discover! What about the Anhatomirin Island and the portuguese fortresses dating the 1800’s? P-lease my friend. I believe you did not do properly your homework before arriving to the Island of Magic, by the way, do you know why Floripa has this nickname?
    If you ever come back call me so I can wow you and show you some really cool stuff that you will be baffling at 🙂
    And to all the readers: DO consider coming over as well as to Iguazu Falls! 🙂

    1. Do you believe that those people who came from Anglosaxon countries want to know about azorean colonization or portuguese? Give me a break. LOL LOL LOL

  24. I’ve been to Florinopolis Brazil this past summer.I think parts of the island are beautiful. But one side is polluted near the city. I didn’t stay long but it was nice. Loved the sugarcane juice with lime. It felt very safe to me and I’m an Irish American. Surprising the people look American there.Anyways it’s worth visiting but stay away during the summer there. Who wants to be stuck in the heat in traffic.

  25. I appreciate your blog Marcello, it’s a great forum for many voices around all of the different aspects of a place. I adore Brazil and have been a frequent visitor for the last couple of decades. I want to go where the temps aren’t too oppressive in the summer as they can be in Rio, yet where the beaches, villages and shop/ restaurants are nice but not too spendy. Floripa seems like a good solution and is new to me, Does anyone have any suggestions where I might park for 10ish days in the midst of these things and be near public transport to get in and out of the city? I’m not too interested in clubs, mostly local flavor and diverse experiences. Thanks much! Carolyn

  26. I am living in Florianopolis for almost 3 years now after living 2 years in Chile, 3 years in Thailand, Bali, NZ, Croatia, South Africa…
    Floripa definitely a paradise for me.
    I was born and grew up in a beachfront house in the Philippines (23 years), warm and calm water perfect for scuba diving and snorkeling. However after moving to Floripa, i fell inlove and decided to live here permanently and race my kids.
    Floripa indeed missed the scuba diving and snorkeling part and warm water, but i am looking for a safe place, friendly people and tranquil to race a family. The public transportation is good enough.
    Also if you look for a decent job and want to climb the corporate ladder then this is not the place for you. If you work online or retire then this is the place to be.

  27. have you tried to get out of your plan made by poor internet research? Florianópolis has more than surf and beaches, you lost it.

  28. Hi,

    I live in Florianópolis and I travel a lot worldwide. It would be interesting if you told what you did here. Maybe you did not get to know all the good attractions. You said it is not the ideal place for hiking and I cannot agree with you in that point. We DO have spectacular places for hiking and the options are dozens and dozens, like Santinho to Mocambique trail, Lagoa trails, Lagoinha do Leste trail, Naufragados trail, and others. Have you been to all of them? And did you visit Campeche Island? It is an amazing place, especially if you do not like the blue colored sea of most of our beaches. But I don’t see the blue color as a problem. We have a good energy in this island. You can have fun, you have amazing restaurants with great food (not only seafood), we have
    I agree when you say it is not a place of arts. I wish we could have more cultural places and events here. But there are the awesome and well preserved historic places, like Santo Antonio de Lisboa and Ribeirão da Ilha. They are very exotic, cultural and excellent places to spend the day and appreciate the local culture. Even with all my trips, I would not change Floripa for other place. I really feel very well living here. We have problems, of course, but we have life quality, good services, nature and interesting things to do.
    What a pity you did not like Floripa that much, but you are very welcome to come back in the future and know it better.

  29. Hi, Marcello!! 😀

    I see a paradise in Floripa. Not because of its beaches, no! I havent gone to many beaches outside Brazil or even in my country, but I love to appreciate a beach photo, so I think I can talk a little about it. No, Floripa doesnt have all those magical green and blue shades on its water. But Floripa for me is a paradise because of the… city. Let me tell you: I live in Florianopolis. Probably first and last time that I will write the name instead of the nickname of my city, because for me it is Floripa – pretty much easier to say and write and much more intimate. Well, Floripa is not my hometown, actually i have been studying there for 2 years and something. So, on weekends, is quite common for me to go back to my family city. Then, is quite rare for me to go to the beach in Floripa. Still, I love to live here. Because the paradise for me is the city. Is the climate, the atmosphere, the smell. And the diversity. I love that I know that even if I live for my entire life here, there will be always a secret corner in this city for me. Here we can have everything! We can have malls, we can have really urbanized beaches near to beaches where you get there only after some hours of trekking, we can have neighborhoods with people that speak Portuguese, but a Portuguese with an accent really hard to understand, we can find neighborhoods with fishermen that havent gone downtown for the last decades and have no idea of the amount of buildings we have downtown, we can have a lunch at a really simple restaurant from a local serving seafood at a neighborhood with houses that you feel thankful for having the opportunity to see them after centuries of its building, and on the same day we can have a dinner at Avenida Beira Mar with the view of the see, the lights and the cars (yeah, so many cars, me and all the inhabitants of Florianopolis agree with you about the traffic, but let me tell you, with some skills and knowledge about the traffic time you can avoid it). Of course I am just trying to show you some possibilities, Floripa has much more than this. And, my favorite one: you can wake up late, take a bus or a car, and go to Avenida Beira Mar, sit there and just stay there. Just stay.
    Let me tell you: if I go to some party once a year (really that rare) it is a party of my university, so it kind of doesnt have anything to do with “Floripa parties”, and I have no idea of how to surf, and still I love to live here, so please don’t scare people that doesnt like surfing or partying hahahah 😀
    Well, I wrote this because I feel very sad for you, because it seems you didnt feel the real Floripa. This is normal! I love to travel and have already gone to many cities that really disappointed me. But all I want is to really get back there and to try to find out why they are so famous. There must be something! So I thought it would be great for you to hear an oppinion from a local 🙂 Floripa isnt all about beaches, definitely!!

    Ester 🙂

  30. Florianópolis is a beautiful city, with 42 beaches and a lot of differents restaurants, but one problem of the city is the traffic gym, we always get stuck in a long line of cars, a d the people who live in floripa know what I’m say, sorry if my inglish isn’t good because I speak Portuguese, and if you want to visit florianopolis you need to get up early, and you need money because the things are very expensive, and don’t go only for north of the island like jurere international and canasvieiras, go to the south of the island like Ribeirão da Ilha, campeche, matadeiro, morro das pedras, it’s very beautiful, and with you have a kid go to lagoa do Peri, it’s one beautiful lake with lot of attraction a with highlight and calm water! So if you want to go to floripa go now, because the real is very cheap!

  31. Marcelo, where would you live in So. America excluding Brazil, that is not humid or very hot. I like sun but not the sun rays I experienced in Bahia or Fortaleza.. I don’t want lots of gray days either like Sao Paulo or the inevitable crime in Rio (I experienced it, but still like Brazil anyway, just not RJ) ..

    1. Frank I live in Medellin in Colombia, the weather is warm and sunny like spring everyday, for me it is absolutely perfect weather here and not too hot.

  32. Just got back from Floripa and had exactly the same impression. The place is dirty full of graffiti and with s dangerous vive almost everywhere. Packed with dirty hippie backpackers who call themseves surfers. ( Im a surfer from southern california and i can tell you that the waves in this island are far from being good. I’ve travelled a lot around brasil and I can tell you that the infraestructure in floripa is the worst Ive experienced ( even compared with north east area where i found tons of WAY nicer cleaner and authentic places than florianopolis). So yes, HUGE dissapointment, i wouldnt recommend florianopolis to anyone.

    1. Thanks my man, I’m not much of a surfer but I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt the same vibes. So many better places to visit in Brazil @decas

  33. I grew up in LA and lived in Hawaii for 20 years. I’m not a board surfer but I like body surfing and boogie boarding. Does Floripa have good beaches for body surfing? How does the water temperature compare to Hawaii or Southern Cal? Hard to beat Hawaii.

  34. In my opinion, nice things in Floripa are: Beautiful beaches and landscape, delicious seafood, nature and city combined, a nonchalant vibe of the city, bucolic sites, nice people.
    What sucks a lot: Public transportation (buses are very complicated, they all have to go to the main hub), taxis are non-existent in some points, services in summer are poor in general (the city in summer swells with tourists and residents don’t like it.) ,winter is gloomy with lots of drizzles,terrible traffic jam in narrow roads, locals don’t like to be criticized at all (instead of thinking that criticism tells that a lot could be improved to add to this the beautiful island)
    That being said I do think Floripa is one of the most special cities in Brazil.

  35. Haha you got to laugh at the negative comments here. Beauty is and has always been in the eye if the beholder. I don’t personally know the people that comment here but I guess looking at their logic they believe that they are empowered to advise on the best locations in the world. Marcello seems to have a false sense of importance. He feels he is a world traveller who is qualified to pronounce on the merits of all places. The way he puts his argument together immediately has me thinking I don’t think this guy knows what he is talking about. Marcello is bombastic and I would not be likely to go with his opinion about anything let alone Floripa. I think you can have an opinion but understand it is only an opinion and needs to be framed as such. Mauricio I’m sure you must be great fun at parties 😂😂

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