Hotel Fazenda Dona Carolina

The Fazenda Dona Carolina is nestled on a lush green expanse with rolling hills, large old trees, and indigenous Paineira and Camellia flowers. Monkeys and toucans populate the woods. The atmosphere here is quiet. It's an exceedingly nice spot to hike, or to fish or paddle around in a kayak on the lake. The interior spaces are bright and airy, with lots of wood. 

The Fazenda is in the scenic countryside, and it's a nice spot for travelers who want a peaceful, relaxing rural vacation with amenities. The hotel is a 20-minute drive northeast of Itatiba. Billed as the biggest thematic zoo in Latin America, the Zooparque Itatiba is a 25-minute drive south. Located a 20-minute drive east of the hotel, Braganca Paulista has such attractions as the Braganca Paulista Public Gardens, Lake Taboao Park, and Marcelo Stefani Stadium. Sao Paul International Airport is one hour and 20 minutes southeast, and Sao Paulo city center is one hour and 25 minutes south of the hotel. 

The 94 rooms and suites at the Fazenda Dona Carolina are spacious, ranging in size from 375 to 645 square feet. Many have views over the expansive property, lake, and rolling hills. Rooms are upscale but fairly spare in feel, with largely bare white walls with prints or photos and white cotton bedding, some with floral-print throw pillows and decorative throws. Beds are dressed in 300-thread-count Trussardi sheets. Some rooms have a slightly more gracious feel with hardwood floors and armoires, while others are more contemporary, with carpets and wall-mounted TVs. All rooms include in-room safes, minibars, free Wi-Fi, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs with cable channels and pay movies. Rooms do not have coffeemakers. Bathrooms have travertine marble and come with luxury L'Occitane bath products, and bathtubs with showers.

The Fazenda Dona Carolina offers a superb array of property amenities, highlighted by its large, heated outdoor pool. Featuring a freeform shape and a section shaded by trees, the pool has an adjacent deck with a circle-shaped children's pool and hot tub. There's also a poolside bar and frequent live music. The atmosphere around the pool can sometimes get a little hectic, with music and noisy children. The high-quality on-site spa offers massages and beauty treatments (for a fee), as well as stints in the hot tub and dry and wet saunas. A special part of a stay here is horseback riding. The Fazenda has an equestrian center with ring riding, guided trail riding, endurance riding, and carriage rides. Guests can also play tennis on the outdoor tennis court and soccer on the on-site field. The Fazenda also offers bicycle rides, Saturday barbecues, Land Rover rides, tractor rides, fishing on the lake, ziplining over the lake, kayaking on the lake and more. The hotel serves a free farm-style breakfast buffet each morning. It also has a buffet restaurant for lunch and dinner, a piano bar with mountain views, and a casual restaurant with wood oven and barbecue. The hotel  produces its own coffee and cachaca, the rum-like distilled spirit used in caipirinhas, the quintessential Brazilian drink, on-site. The hotel also has free 24-hour valet parking, a helipad, and public computers with Internet access.