SANTA TERESA HOTEL IN RIO : The only Brazilian hotel in the Condé Nast Hot List 2009
Creeper-covered mansions, verdant gardens and unparalleled views of the city draw local artists and svelte Europeans to quaint Santa Teresa, Rio's bohemian-chic hilltop 'village'. Three years ago, French-born François Delort bought a near-derelict colonial mansion here and has now transformed it into one of Rio's most elegant hotels. A magisterial lobby of pink-washed stone, full of Brazilian art, leads to 44 ample rooms, each artfully decorated with a sparse, masculine hand that favours tropical woods, silk drapes and shutters.
Chef Damien Montecer brings a Gallic touch to African, Asian and Mediterranean recipes in the rustic, candlelit restaurant. The colonnaded bar is lit by Marrakech-style lamps that glow faintly in the steamy Rio night; patrons sip on Caipirinhas, listening to the beat of 1970s Brazilian film music.