Insolito Boutique Hotel

Insólito is Portuguese for “remarkable” — a confident moniker, considering that this beachfront boutique hotel is just one of many fashionable places to hang your hat in the Brazilian resort escape of Buzios. Sleek decor and a relaxed, intimate vibe? Check. Egyptian cotton, beautiful people dressed in white linen, caipirinhas overlooking the aquamarine bay? Check, check, check.

Still, it’s the specifics that are worth remarking on at Insólito. Perhaps out of consideration for their clientele — primarily Rio-based glitterati in Buzios for a quick getaway — the place is thoroughly contemporary. The area is known for cozy pousadas with a shabby-chic look and a casual B&B atmosphere, but here, it’s all about cutting-edge design, sustainable architecture, and carefully calibrated lighting. In other words, this isn’t the kind of place with sand on the floor — it’s the kind of place where you’ll find wooden sofas that look like museum pieces and carpets made from recycled rubber.

Happily, though, Insólito isn’t overly precious — they’re not above assigning Brazilian-centric themes (the Portuguese voyage to Brazil, the great novelist Jorge Amado, Art Naïf) to each of the twenty guest rooms and suites. The theme never hits you over the head, of course, it’s simply suggested by a wall hanging here, a ceramic pot over there, a hand-painted headboard or a brightly patterned pillow case. Many of the stand-out art objects were produced in low-income communities or by children.

The result is a design scheme that brings warmth and a sense of humor to hotel rooms that are otherwise outfitted with conventional luxury amenities like LCD televisions, iPod docks, private patios, and whirlpool tubs. Outside, several lovely swimming pools face out to the sea (a pair of boats are available for guest use) and a talented chef serves French-Brazilian cuisine to dinner guests dressed, naturally, in white.

How to get there:
Insolito Boutique Hotel is three hours away from Rio de Janeiro. Airport transfers can be organized from Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport or Santos Dumont Airport to Búzios for BRL650 (one way) by car or BRL4,000 (one way) by helicopter. Private car transportation between Búzios and Cabo Frio is also available for BRL200 (one way).