Where to stay in Florianópolis -
There are many different options for areas to stay in Florianópolis, so a little advice from Go Floripa might help you decide which area suits your needs best.
Business travellers are likely to be based around the city centre or even on the continent. The best business hotels are situated on the Beira Mar Norte road, heading north along the coast from the bridges. The road here is lined with high-rise buildings looking over the North Bay to mainland Santa Catarina and the peninsula Governador Celso Ramos.
Hotels here are ten minutes by taxi from Hercilio Luz Airport 12km to the south and close to the long distance bus station and the Centro Sul Convention Centre. The major chain hotels in this area include Sofitel; Ibis ; Mercure Apartments; Blue Tree Towers; and Othon Classic. Others major city hotels include the Florianópolis Palace, the Bristol Castelmar and Baia Norte Palace Hotels.
The north of the island has more package holiday makers staying in the hotels, resorts and apartments that line the roads close to the calm beaches of Jurerê, Canasvieiras and Cachoeira do Bom Jesus. The area can be reached in around half an hour´s drive from the airport. There are many options for places to stay around the northern coast, which generally attracts families, the elder generation and very well-heeled Brazilians and Argentineans.
The east coast has many different types of accommodation, from the sprawling family and couple orientated-resort of Costão do Santinho on the beach of the same name to places populated by the younger surf crowd from all over the world. With so many places to stay within walking distance of surf beaches such as Brava, Ingleses, Moçambique, Mole and Joaquina, the Atlantic side of the island has everything from small pousadas through apartment hotels to the Praia Mole Eco Village catering to all ages from young families to those who prefer staying on the wilder side of the island.
The remoter parts of the south attract those who prefer to be away from the crowds and more amongst the wonderful natural scenery. As yet there are only smaller family-run pousadas and a few hotels around southern Florianópolis, some in the hills and some having direct access to the beaches, and also a few places for some wild camping.
Floripa doesn´t have many official campsites as such, with many Brazilians not liking to get their hands too dirty with tents, pegs and that kind of nonsense. There are many places to pitch a tent on the island, especially around Lagoa da Conceição, but these tend to be small pousadas with patches of grass next to them rather than the kind of campsites you may be used to in North America, Europe or Australasia. Being convenient for the beaches, the lagoon, the dunes and the liveliest nightlife, the area around Centrinho da Lagoa is full of small pousadas and apartments populated by visitors of any age.