Florianopolis, BR- Who's been? What to do?

[Napoleon]

I'm heading out soon to Florianopolis for a couple of weeks. Who's been? What is there to do there?

I'll be eating sushi & surfing. I know that for sure. I also bought 2 meters of terry cloth for a blanket on the way there and a beach towel for 1 to 2 once I'm there. Other than that, it's all up in the air.

All tips, suggestions, and stories, are welcome.

 

[jb5]

I visited in December and enjoyed it despite constant rain. Here's a recent article from the New York Times with some thoughts:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/travel/11party.html

 

[Bill]

I stayed at the Hostel on the beach that's famous for surfing. It was a pretty wild time. Florianopolis is actually a couple distinct cities combined. There's a bridge between the two halves. One side is a large island and that's where you stay to go surfing. The downtown is also quite interesting but nothing special.
If you like surfing then the place I stayed at would be ideal. Can't remember the name of course but it's a famous surfer Hostel that doesn't advertise. If you do stay there though, make sure to put valuables in the safe as petty crime is rampant.

 

[Napoleon]

jb5- A friend had that article posted on his Facebook page a couple of weeks ago. I'll probably be able to do some of those things, but I think it is aimed at the NYC traveler who is going to stay in a nice hotel and find that spending 60% of a normal night out in NYC is a "bargain". I'm sure it is, but I'm in a different tax bracket.


Thanks Bill, good to know on the crime stuff. When you say "Surf Hostel that doesn't advertise", does that mean that it isn't available through Hostelworld? Also, I'm planning on taking my laptop. Are there lockers at that hostel?

Bells Company has dorms from R$42

Is that it? Or is it some place else? Which beach?

I already have a place for the first 4 nights, so I can find a place to move to after I get to the island.

gracias

 

[Sleuth]

We've been here for 2 weeks now and are getting more and more familiar with the island. Each beach and area definitely has its own personailty. The south is more laid back, Praia Mole is the surfer beach, and the north has much more of a scene (Juere Internacional).

There's tons of seafood, but prices at restaurants tend to be more expensive than BsAs. You can definitely find good deals on hostels, beer, etc. though.

This may be the surfer hostel - http://www.backpackersfloripa.com/
Looked like a nice place from the outside.

Oh yeah, Portuguese is much different than Spanish - they do not sound similar to us beginning Spanish speakers at least,