I believe this place called to me. I arrived here without any plans by following a dirt road, and I fell in love with the property before even having visited it. At the time, I lived between São Paulo and the fishing village of Picinguaba which is two hours away, on the coast, where we have a second property. This wild region on the edge of the Mata Atlantica forest had always fascinated me. The local culture here has remained extremely strong because it is distanced from the main access roads. Characterised by a simple and balanced way of life, it is like a world from times gone by that no longer exists except in a few miraculous pockets on the planet. I had discovered a Garden of Eden. The location, one hour from one of Brazil's most unspoilt coastlines and two hours from an international airport, also corresponded to my temperament as a great traveller who likes to put down roots in isolated places.
It is an impressive and intimate coffee-era fazenda. The 1840 mansion houses the dining and living rooms. The walls are made of taipa de pilao (a kind of adobe on a bamboo structure which offers great thermal qualities) the floors are made of Amazonian wood with thigh moulded tiles, and the paths are made with granite sourced from the estate. Constructions from this period respected all the sustainable and local standards that are being rediscovered today. The works of art and furniture tell the story of a family home with a great love for detail. Three adjoining buildings house the nine spacious and comfortable rooms and suites. There are ten colonial houses scattered around the seven hundred hectares of the property, as well as various adjoining structures such as the art gallery, the gardens, the indigenous house made into an architect residence by native Amazonians, and the service houses.
The main house was built by a Frenchman from Lyon. São Luiz do Paraitinga, a small colonial town founded nearby in 1769, was a town of French settlers (even though Brazil was a Portuguese colony at the time) and some of the local population still bear French surnames. The original owner's great-great-grandson was still here when we arrived, and he continued to care for this place where he was born until his death at the end of 2021, aged 83. Initially, it was a coffee fazenda typical of the region, built at a time when Brazil produced more than 90% of the world's coffee. Records show that the fazenda quickly switched to polyculture, cultivating all the produce necessary for self-sufficiency which grows naturally in the region. Today, our working farm continues with this mission while also dedicating part of its land to regeneration and reforestation.
The fazenda features lakes, trails, waterfalls, and a collection of architecture and art across the landscape on 700 private hectares of pure nature surrounded by the Mata Atlantica (the Atlantic Rainforest). It is the setting for a timeless immersion in the heart of nature with food produced entirely on site. This experience, in a simple yet sophisticated environment, is often transformative and is tailor-made for each family or group with the discreet guidance of our team. The stay includes all meals under the supervision of a chef who specialises in raw products, and who brings the riches of the farm and those of the Atlantic forest to life. Depending on our guests' wishes, a large number of well-being and adventure activities can be organised including therapeutic massages, yoga, hikes to discover works of land art on the estate, and rafting. The extraordinary kindness of the Brazilian people is part and parcel of an experience that is always deeply joyful. The unique coherence and alchemy of the place certainly makes the trip worth while, as does the possibility of continuing the adventure in our second property on the coast nearby.
As the place is so isolated, there are practically no restaurants nearby. This allows to offer homemade gastronomy, each setting different from the last, in accordance with the seasons and the activities of the day: a picnic by the lake, an aperitif at sunset at the end of a hike, a country lunch on large white tablecloths or a candlelit dinner under the stars. Also on the menu are tastings of natural Brazilian wines and cachaça (a sugar cane alcohol grown on the property) which is distilled in the village and aged in wooden Amazonian barrels. Tastings are accompanied by a variety of cheeses made here on the farm every morning. As for the visual experience, thanks to a number of resident artists over the years, the fazenda has become a place for discovering artwork inscribed in the landscape at certain times of the day, but we cannot reveal too much. Our advice: leave us to guide you!
Guests have access to the entire property. The rooms are close to the main building. Many on-site relaxation activities can be integrated into the seminar: horseback riding, tastings of homemade cachaça and natural Brazilian wine, picnics, swimming in the lake, and tours of the property's land art.
ref 976899
High-level professionals work on site at the fazenda to offer therapeutic massages.
The property has a dedicated yoga space and retreats can be organised on request.
The property has around thirty horses. Rides on the property or in the surrounding area are one of the main activities. Many circuits are available for both beginners and experienced riders. A riding program can be arranged in advance.
On request, we host some of the best chefs in São Paulo who work with the products from our farm.
Our bamboo art gallery hosts exhibitions by Brazilian artists (sometimes in collaboration with galleries from São Paulo) according with our institute's programmes.
We have been hosting artists in residence for ten years. They stay on the property in an independent house and are happy to present their work.
We offer a choice of hikes in the nearby natural park with the possibility of rafting.
When the owner is on site, he is happy to enjoy an aperitif with guests and explain the original concept of the place after a guided tour of the property.
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