Paraty is a small 17th-century colonial port on a stunning stretch of jungle-clad coastline equidistant between Rio and Sao Paulo. It was a booming port in its heyday enjoying the very definition of a sugar rush, as Brazil’s main port for sugar export under Portuguese colonial rule.

However the arrival of other, more accessible ports, led to the decline of the town and it remained virtually cut off until the middle of the 20th century and, in a sense, became frozen in time.

The historic town has rightly been designated a National Historic Monument; the narrow streets paved with giant cobblestones were designed to protect the town from pirate raids.

The beauty of Paraty is that it has something for everyone: immaculately renovated colonial architecture, fabulous shopping for ceramics and other local handicrafts, and a fantastic coastline and islands for beach life – and in the evenings some fabulous restaurants and bars with a lively buzzing atmosphere.