Few hotels anywhere on earth share a fence with a UNESCO World Heritage Site quite so literally as Hotel das Cataratas, the only property permitted to sit within the boundaries of Iguaçu National Park on the Brazilian side of the falls. The building dates to 1958, designed in a Portuguese colonial Revival style — terracotta-tiled rooflines, white-rendered facades, and a clocktower anchoring the main wing — set within 1.7 kilometers of private forest that separates the 193-room complex from the wider park. Belmond assumed management in 2006 and undertook a careful restoration that preserved the building's mid-century colonial character while lifting the interior quality to match the extraordinary setting visible from the aerial: a low, spreading compound of red-roofed pavilions arranged around lawns and a circular tiled pool, the horseshoe arc of the falls thundering just beyond the treeline. Inside, the interiors carry the warm materialism of Brazilian colonial tradition — wide-plank hardwood floors in rich ipe and cumaru tones, exposed timber roof trusses with dark stained beams, cane-back chairs, and carved mahogany headboards with foliate detailing. The bar is decorated with hand-illustrated bird-cage motifs referencing the park's extraordinary avifauna, while bolster cushions in bold coral-and-teal botanical prints inject colour without disrupting the room's period confidence. Guest rooms balance linen-toned walls and navy-piped bedding with pendant globe lanterns and louvered French doors opening to forest-facing verandas — a register closer to a well-kept colonial manor than a managed resort.

25min drive from Foz do Iguaçu airport (IGU)

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