Vila Germânica (or German Village) reminded me of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Both are an…read more"events complex" filled with stores, restaurants, and various entertainment options. They also remind me that there are alternatives to seeing the area beyond the local "tourist trap". A German colleague that visited here with me commented that he didn't come half way around the world to expect this. At the same time, it was late November and the place had a nice festive Christmas air to it. Of course, it was summer here, and in a few weeks I'd be in Iceland and get the real deal with dark nights, snow, an amazing children's Christmas concert at Harpa, and the Yule Lads. The complex spreads over what must be several acres and this is where most of the Blumenau Oktoberfest celebrating occurs and in celebration of this area's German Heritage. The architecture of course is German, as are many of the souvenirs you can buy here including beer mugs, handicrafts, and traditional clothing. I opted to walk around, buy some Brazilian soaps for Gayle, have an ice cream, relax, and meet Santa. Things are pretty inexpensive in Brazil, so it's definitely worth a look around. My Earthwatch colleagues pretty much did the same, before we all headed "home" to the nearby Pousada Rio da Prata.

Really good hotel. Beautiful lobby. Room was comfortable, modern and well kept. Cool playground for…read morekids. Unfortunately wasnt able to use the amazing pool due to the terrible rainy weather. Breakfast was pretty good too. Location was reasonably close to downtown. One of my favorite things is that you could park your own car, so you can come and go as you please. Would definitely stay here again.

For last minute Oktoberfest reservations this place came through. It's very affordable at R$180 for…read morea single room and maybe R$40 more for a double. Although the pictures on the website make it look a little more luxurious then reality, it was still quite simple and clean. The staff was friendly and efficient. They were also helpful with calling a cab to get around. Located on the other side of the river, it was only 10-15 minutes away from Vila Germanica. Breakfast buffet was included but had only a couple limited hours in the morning. It included a variety of sweetened juices, coffee, tea bags, a variety of cereal, pastries, meat slices, cheese slices, fresh fruit and cake. The dining room was a lovely windowed patio that let in light and faced the riverside. Rooms had a simple bed, tv, night stands and an open closet near the door with a few hangers. The bathroom was quite small with a tiny window for ventilation and no counter space. The shower and rain worked fine and the no problems with plumbing. Our room faced the riverside on the top floor which was probably the most scenic. Apparently there was a gym next store and a game room which we didn't check out. Maybe next time. Good simple choice for those stopping in for Oktoberfest!

We had two of the Chale (Barracuda and Garoupa) and a regular room (suite Premium) - stayed there…read morewith some of our family. Each Chale is for four people, with two bedrooms/ bathrooms each. Private terraces off of each bedroom as well as a very large terrace off the main living area. Full kitchen with charcoal bbq (churrasqueira). Large sitting area. AMENITIES - one main pool and lounge area, off of the main bar. Tennis courts, snooker/pool table and two indoor jacuzzis. There is also a full restaurant with a complimentary continental breakfast. FOOD - we ordered food (calamari, shrimp, french fries and oysters) and drinks when we first arrived. Average at best and we ended up cancelling our dinner reservation (for 10 people) there after tasting the food. The best part? There are charcoal bbqs (churrasqueiras) in each Chale, so we went to the supermarket (about 25mins drive) and bought a bunch of food and drinks and had a great dinner in the Chale. Highly recommend doing this if you have the option. ROOMS - MOST. STAIRS. EVER. The website says nothing about this. Pictures on the website don't show this. It was seriously challenging. If you have any sort of difficulty with stairs, this is not the place for you. No handrails. Our parents found it extremely difficult and tended to want to just stay in the room because of the amount of and difficulty traversing the stairs to and from the rooms. Even our younger cousins that had a regular room mentioned the absurd amount of stairs. Big thank you to the staff, especially Vicente, for helping us with our luggage and groceries while we were there. Even the restaurant had a ton of stairs to get up to it. Aside from the stairs, the Chale itself was beautiful and spacious, even with a giant spider or two (seriously inspect your room/ bed as they are often inside your accommodation). OVERALL - if you have a Chale where you can cook for yourself and don't mind a serious stairs workout, the rooms and views are spectacular. - Not on the beach (15mins drive) - Access can be tricky if raining as roads are not paved - staff does NOT speak English - There is only one Chale Master (with private jacuzzi) so plan ahead if that is what you want

Cozy little hotel in the heart of Brusque. The hotel staff was very nice, although most spoke…read morePortuguese. I was able to find one younger male at the front desk who spoke English and helped me throughout my trip with translation. I failed to catch his name, but he took my room service order and delivered it the first night I stayed, helped me find a local dinner spot another night, and helped with my payment questions for my stay. As for my room, it was spacious and the bed was super comfy. The shower was nice, although bring your own shampoo and conditioner. The ones they leave you in pouches are pure garbage. Street traffic was noisy, even at 9 floors up, but I think that's common for the area. The breakfast buffet is included and has a lot of options. I would stay here again.

Very good Self-service buffet in Balneario camboriu, with a good mix of quality items…read more They have 3 locations in the city, and all of them have a good quality. The food was very good, with shrimp, fish fillets and meat, and all of them were very good. The price is R$60 per kilo (nov/2015), which is normal for this type of restaurant and the service is good enough. There can be some waiting or lines if you come at the lunch time so plan ahead. They have a good dessert menu with 10 types of traditional Brazilian desserts as well.

There is a wide variety of food here, enough to satisfy the pickiest eaters. I like that you pay…read morefor the plate of food by weight so that you don't overeat like at other buffets. The food is fresh and tastes fine. It's a great no fuss and good value option on Av. Altantica.

Heat does not work, front desk said they don't have anything to do with the heat or AC so...I guess…read moreno heat then. Asked for extra pillows got pillows with no pillow cases gross. Handicapped room shower is not graded right so the bathroom floods and you have to use your feet and towels to swab the water toward the floor drain. Floor is slippery when wet which is not good. Rooms are small and noisy facing the front (McDonalds view). No kettle or coffee in the room. Decent breakfast - update the manager moved us to a different and much better room in the morning.