Unique Garden Hotel & Spa

What’s in a name? Well, in this case, Unique Garden pretty much covers it; the centerpiece of this country retreat, located within a state park fifty kilometers from São Paulo, is its garden — actually acre upon acre of gardens, managed by a team of agronomists and gardeners. If you’re an expert, you’ll be impressed by the collection of rare and exotic flowers — and if not, hey, pretty gardens.

The accommodations come in a couple of flavors. The Villa Contemporânea is a set of hilltop villas, designed in a modernist style by Ruy Ohtake — all clean lines, rakish angles, and indigenous stone and wood. The Mediterrânea is more traditional, fourteen villas around a garden square, with white rattan furniture and interiors in soft pastels and whites. And the Chalé das Flores is something of a presidential suite, a self-contained residence complete with kitchen, solarium, and hydromassage tub.

Plant life figures into the concept of Unique Garden’s spa as well, which incorporates phytotherapy and vinotherapy treatments among more traditional offerings. Local organic produce features in the cuisine at Chez Victor and Relais Jardin, and if you’re in a generous mood even the wine cellar and cigar bar can be tied back in to the garden theme — or, more realistically, just enjoyed for their own sake.

How to get there:
Unique Garden is located 55km (1h) from the center of Sao Paulo.