One of my very favorite parts of traveling the world involves discovering exceptional locations, properties, and brands that are unique, distinctive, rich in history – and unfamiliar to those from my part of the world. During my recent travels to South America, I became acquainted with one such brand – Fasano.
Children playing at the popular tourist spot known as “La Mano de Punta del Este,” Brava Beach in … [+] Uruguay, Punta del Este.
Getty Images
Little-known in the United States, Fasano is, nevertheless, a familiar name among the well-heeled in Brazil and its neighboring countries. Based in Sao Paulo, Fasano Group operates 10 boutique properties, including 8 in its home country. However, the roots of the company – and the Fasano Family – are in the restaurant business. In 1902, Vittorio Fasano arrived to Brazil from Milan, and opened the family’s first restaurant in Sao Paulo. The Fasano Restaurant brand thrived and expanded through multiple generations – for more than a century, in fact – until Rogerio Fasano opened the flagship Fasano Sao Paulo Hotel in 2003.
On the way to the Fasano Punta del Este, guests drive over the very unusual Puente Leonel Viera … [+] Bridge in La Barra.
getty
Fasano’s initial foray outside Brazil came in 2010 with the opening of Fasano Punta del Este – and this is where I recently got my first taste of the brand. Set in a secluded location in the Uruguayan countryside, roughly midway between the bustling nightlife of Punta del Este and the uber-cool shabby chic beach town Jose Ignacio, the Fasano provides a much different experience. Yes, golf, horseback riding, and an excellent gym and Kid’s Club provide plenty to do, and the beautiful beaches of the Uruguayan coast are just a short drive away, but what makes this resort special are not its available activities, but its serenity, tranquility, and natural beauty.
The Locanda building designed by award-winning Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld at the Fasano Punta … [+] del Este.
Fasano
The Fasano is laid out over an enormous 1,210 acre property, with the hotel set up in a way to maximize views of its beautiful ranch-style landscape. Its architecture is striking, bold, and edgy, with its various buildings featuring stone, woods, concrete, and glass in sharp geometric lines. The architectural style is contemporary, but the materials seem to blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings.
The view from the main Locanda building over the vast 1,210 acre Fasano Punte del Este resort.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
Designed by award-winning Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld, the majority of the hotel’s rooms are located in 32 individual private bungalows spread across the property, each featuring a living room and floor-to-ceiling windows that make guests feel they are immersed in the countryside. Each bungalow is tastefully and uniquely decorated in a rustic style with vintage furniture from the region.
The individual bungalows at the Fasano give guests privacy and the feeling of their own home away … [+] from home.
Fasano
The interiors at the Fasano Punte del Este blend modern sophistication with rustic sensibility.
Fasano
The mix of glass and native stone are architectural elements seen throughout the Fasano Punta del … [+] Este.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
A newer main building, called the Locanda Building, houses the hotel’s 10 remaining rooms, along with a library, bar, solarium, and swimming pool. While smaller than the bungalow suites, these rooms are nevertheless spacious, exquisitely decorated, and offer more elevated views of the property and the rolling hills of the region.
The bridge at the Fasano Punta del Este.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
The Fasano Punta del Este blends modern architecture with its natural surroundings.
Fasano
The Fasano’s spa is also housed in its own separate building, providing perhaps the most serene spot in the entire resort. Your massage experience begins with a selection from various aromatherapies, and is likely to end at the spa’s quiet indoor pool – either taking a dip or just relaxing while staring out over the pool at the lush green vista.
The spa at the Fasano Punta del Este.
Fasano
Dining options at the Fasano include the property’s fine-dining namesake restaurant in the main building, but we enjoyed the charm of the more casual Las Piedras restaurant, located in yet another building that included a gorgeous library, clothing store, and a patio set up with a traditional Uruguayan barbecue. One whiff of the smokey aroma of the asado, and we were hooked. Along with, of course, the restaurant’s barbecue options, highlights at Las Piedras included their beef carpaccio and dulce de leche dessert.
Fasano Punta del Este offers five-star cuisine which pays homage to its South American roots.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
Fasano branded wine at their restaurant Las Piedras.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
The Fasano Punta del Este is a great place to recharge and relax, and a great base from which to visit Punta for those preferring to avoid the more crowded areas closer to the coast. My second taste of Fasano, however, involved a completely different type of property…
A member of the Unidos da Tijuca samba school performs during the first night of the Carnival parade … [+] at the Marques de Sapucai Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro early on February 12, 2024.
AFP via Getty Images
If at all possible, try to visit Rio – at least once in your life – during Carnival, an annual festival like no other in the world. During the week of Carnival an estimated 2 million people per day hit the streets of the city to sing, dance, and revel in the most revered of Brazilian cultural customs. The festivities culminate with the top samba schools in the city competing in nighttime parades in the half-mile long Sambadrome, with much of the country tuning in to watch on television. The floats, the costumes, the music, and the thousands of performers come together to create a spectacle that is so overwhelming it is difficult to describe.
Members of Salgueiro dance during the samba school’s parade group A at Rio de Janeiro’s carnival.
LatinContent via Getty Images
Especially during Carnival, out of town visitors will want to select lodging that is well-located, safe, and that provides true refuge from the madhouse that is Rio during this period. The Fasano Rio de Janiero is the city’s hippest hotel, a place to see and be seen not only during Carnival, but throughout the year. Located on a busy corner along Rio’s trendy (and very crowded) Ipanema Beach, the Fasano is at the center of the city’s action, and so it is no wonder that the boutique hotel (with just 89 rooms) is a magnet for international celebrities coming to visit Rio. But the hotel is safe, secure, and very discreet – both when it comes to its dealings with guests and to its exterior look. Inside, the Phillipe Starck-designed property is understated, but stylish, sophisticated, and a little bit playful.
The interior of a suite at the Fasano Rio.
Bruno Fioravanti
The best view of Ipanema Beach is from the rooftop of the Fasano Rio.
Erica Wertheim Zohar
The crowning glory of the hotel is, without question, its rooftop infinity pool – providing unparalleled views over Ipanema and Leblon towards Two Brothers Mountain. Accessible only to hotel guests, there may be no better place in Rio to take in a sunset while sipping a Brazilian Caipirinha.
My visit to Rio for Carnival had me staying on a boat, and so I did not have the opportunity to stay at the Fasano this time around. But I certainly saw enough to know that when I return, the Fasano is where I will want to stay.
The rooftop pool at the Fasano Rio.
Bruno Fioravanti
While Fasano remains relatively unknown in the U.S., do not expect the brand to remain under the radar in America for long. In addition to their Fifth Avenue property in New York City (which is a member’s club rather than a traditional hotel), plans are in the works for more Fasano properties stateside – starting with a Fasano Hotel + Residences project in Miami to be again designed by Isay Weinfeld. Brazil’s coolest hotel brand coming to America’s hottest city? Sounds like a winning combination.
Source link : https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericawertheimzohar/2024/04/30/from-punta-del-este-to-rioa-look-inside-south-americas-trendiest-hotels/
Author :
Publish date : 2024-04-30 03:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
