I spend 2 months in Floripa in November/December 2010 and I thought Id share some information and experiences with you guys.
When to go
The weather is nice from November to April. In the winter (June to September) it can be pretty chilly, rainy and windy. Around Xmas, NYE and Carnaval it can get really crowded, with up to 1 million people on the island. (in the winter there are about 300k).
I enjoyed November more than December as there are a lot less gringos around and hence a better girl / guy ratio in the clubs. It`s also a lot cheaper, prices really go up towards Xmas and go through the roof between Xmas and NYE.
Where to stay
IMO by far the best place to stay is either in Lagoa de Conceicao or on one of the beaches nearby, Praia Mole, Barra de Lagoa or Praia Joacinha. This way you`ll always be close to the beaches and the main nightlife area.
If you are going for Xmas, NYE or carnaval and you have lots of cash to spend you could consider staying in Jurere.
The girls
The south of Brazil is generally considered to be the area with the hottest girls. There is a lot of variation, you`ll see a lot of white / blond girls (due to the large influx or European immigrants, mostly german and Italian) but there are darker ones as well. There is a fairly large University on the island that attracts a lot of girls from the region. I`ve been to 40+ countries in the world so far and I have to say I`ve never seen such a high concentration of attractive girls as in Floripa. Most of them speak at least basic English. I`ve met quite a few who spoke almost fluent and were well traveled, studied abroad etc. I found them to be very approachable and open to gringos, but don`t expect to be ‘exotic’. In my experience most girls won`t go for ONSs, but by the 3rd date you should be on the field.
Nightlife
There are basically three nightlife areas in Floripa: Centro, Lagoa de Conceicao and Jurere.
Centro is the main town on the Island with about 200k inhabitants. There are plenty of bars around and a bunch of clubs. The most popular one is called ‘El Divino’. It`s not a bad place but the crowd and music really differs from day to day so make sure you check with the locals.
Lagoa de Conceicao is a little village that has a surprising amount of nightlife, probably due to its central location. There are plenty of bars and restaurants on the main street. The bars are all very casual with a lot of tables and not much room to mingle, but as the night progresses you`ll find a lot of people drinking outside on the sidewalk. The crowd mainly consists of locals with a few gringos mixed in.
Just a few minutes away from the main street, towards Centro (which is right behind the mountains) you`ll find a little strip with a few bars that are a little more upscale then the ones on the main street. My favorite one is Nomuro, it has an outside and inside area. There is usually a DJ and it has a good mix between gringos and locals. The girls tend to be above average looking, speak reasonably English and are approachable.
Just a few steps away is imo the best place to go out on the island, Confraria. It is only open on Fridays and Saturdays during the holiday season. I`ve never seen so many hot girls in one place before and the girl/guy ratio is good as well. I used to play ‘spot the ugly chick’ with my friend, they were hard to find. Girls are very approachable, I would say if you`re an average looking guy between 25-35 years old and you put in some effort, you are almost guaranteed to end up making out with (at least) a decent looking girl. The only problem with Confraria is: getting in. There are three lines: one for the Camarotes (VIPs), one for people on a list, and one for the people paying full price. If you`re not on a list, expect to pay between 100 to 150 Real cover charge. (I know, it`s insane). The good news is: there is no line, since almost everyone is on a list. If you`re on a list you might pay 60 to 80 or pay 150 consumacao. I prefer the consumacao. Because I hate waiting in line I show up early (around opening time, 11pm) which gives me 6 hours to drink and brings me close to using up the credit. So how do you get on the list? Ask around, and don`t be shy to ask to be put on a list.
Jurere is on the northern tip of the island. Its pretty much a quiet little village most of the year, but it wakes up halfway December for the holiday season when thousands of rich people come from all over Brazil and SA to celebrate Xmas and NYE. Before Xmas the clubs are only open once every 1 or 2 weeks or so when they`ll have a big party. On those days the other two areas can get really quiet and some places don`t even bother to open up. Café de Musica is right on the beach and generally has early night (6 to midnight) parties. Pacha is a huge club and usually start of after midnight, so you can do both on 1 night if you are in an ambitious mood. There are a few more clubs that I haven`t been 2, but I imagine they are all somewhat similar: beautiful crowd but very expensive.
Ok that`s it for now, if anyone wants more details let me know. I`m probably going back there in April for a few weeks.
When to go
The weather is nice from November to April. In the winter (June to September) it can be pretty chilly, rainy and windy. Around Xmas, NYE and Carnaval it can get really crowded, with up to 1 million people on the island. (in the winter there are about 300k).
I enjoyed November more than December as there are a lot less gringos around and hence a better girl / guy ratio in the clubs. It`s also a lot cheaper, prices really go up towards Xmas and go through the roof between Xmas and NYE.
Where to stay
IMO by far the best place to stay is either in Lagoa de Conceicao or on one of the beaches nearby, Praia Mole, Barra de Lagoa or Praia Joacinha. This way you`ll always be close to the beaches and the main nightlife area.
If you are going for Xmas, NYE or carnaval and you have lots of cash to spend you could consider staying in Jurere.
The girls
The south of Brazil is generally considered to be the area with the hottest girls. There is a lot of variation, you`ll see a lot of white / blond girls (due to the large influx or European immigrants, mostly german and Italian) but there are darker ones as well. There is a fairly large University on the island that attracts a lot of girls from the region. I`ve been to 40+ countries in the world so far and I have to say I`ve never seen such a high concentration of attractive girls as in Floripa. Most of them speak at least basic English. I`ve met quite a few who spoke almost fluent and were well traveled, studied abroad etc. I found them to be very approachable and open to gringos, but don`t expect to be ‘exotic’. In my experience most girls won`t go for ONSs, but by the 3rd date you should be on the field.
Nightlife
There are basically three nightlife areas in Floripa: Centro, Lagoa de Conceicao and Jurere.
Centro is the main town on the Island with about 200k inhabitants. There are plenty of bars around and a bunch of clubs. The most popular one is called ‘El Divino’. It`s not a bad place but the crowd and music really differs from day to day so make sure you check with the locals.
Lagoa de Conceicao is a little village that has a surprising amount of nightlife, probably due to its central location. There are plenty of bars and restaurants on the main street. The bars are all very casual with a lot of tables and not much room to mingle, but as the night progresses you`ll find a lot of people drinking outside on the sidewalk. The crowd mainly consists of locals with a few gringos mixed in.
Just a few minutes away from the main street, towards Centro (which is right behind the mountains) you`ll find a little strip with a few bars that are a little more upscale then the ones on the main street. My favorite one is Nomuro, it has an outside and inside area. There is usually a DJ and it has a good mix between gringos and locals. The girls tend to be above average looking, speak reasonably English and are approachable.
Just a few steps away is imo the best place to go out on the island, Confraria. It is only open on Fridays and Saturdays during the holiday season. I`ve never seen so many hot girls in one place before and the girl/guy ratio is good as well. I used to play ‘spot the ugly chick’ with my friend, they were hard to find. Girls are very approachable, I would say if you`re an average looking guy between 25-35 years old and you put in some effort, you are almost guaranteed to end up making out with (at least) a decent looking girl. The only problem with Confraria is: getting in. There are three lines: one for the Camarotes (VIPs), one for people on a list, and one for the people paying full price. If you`re not on a list, expect to pay between 100 to 150 Real cover charge. (I know, it`s insane). The good news is: there is no line, since almost everyone is on a list. If you`re on a list you might pay 60 to 80 or pay 150 consumacao. I prefer the consumacao. Because I hate waiting in line I show up early (around opening time, 11pm) which gives me 6 hours to drink and brings me close to using up the credit. So how do you get on the list? Ask around, and don`t be shy to ask to be put on a list.
Jurere is on the northern tip of the island. Its pretty much a quiet little village most of the year, but it wakes up halfway December for the holiday season when thousands of rich people come from all over Brazil and SA to celebrate Xmas and NYE. Before Xmas the clubs are only open once every 1 or 2 weeks or so when they`ll have a big party. On those days the other two areas can get really quiet and some places don`t even bother to open up. Café de Musica is right on the beach and generally has early night (6 to midnight) parties. Pacha is a huge club and usually start of after midnight, so you can do both on 1 night if you are in an ambitious mood. There are a few more clubs that I haven`t been 2, but I imagine they are all somewhat similar: beautiful crowd but very expensive.
Ok that`s it for now, if anyone wants more details let me know. I`m probably going back there in April for a few weeks.
