THE LIVING IS EASY: At Ponta dos Ganchos, guests can relax in their own hot tub if they can bear to leave the balcony
Named after the verdant hills that slope down to the Atlantic Ocean, the Emerald Coast of southern Brazil has been luring visitors for the best part of five centuries. Half of Europe seems to have some historical foothold here, be it in language, architecture, customs or cuisine. The Portuguese were the first to arrive in the 16th century, settling among indigenous Indians as they established a local whaling industry. But by the mid-1800s they had been joined by whole communities of Germans, Italians and Austrians, who came to exploit the vast virgin forestland.
The lasting effect...
