Altos de Garopaba – executive summary

Altos de Garopaba
Table of Contents
Altos de Garopaba – executive summary .................................................................................................................................................................3
Why invest in the south of Brazil, and Santa Catarina?.............................................................................................................................................5
Why invest south of Florianopolis?............................................................................................................................................................................6
Garopaba and Paulo Lopes.......................................................................................................................................................................................7
The real estate & tourism market..............................................................................................................................................................................9
Location and access................................................................................................................................................................................................12
Comparison of the old vs new access roads to Garopaba......................................................................................................................................13
Altos de Garopaba – executive summary
Altos de Garopaba is a 27 hectare (67 acre) cluster of hillside development land in the South of Brazil, with spectacular sea views and surrounded by extraordinary
nature - and by a number of virgin surfing beaches like Guarda do Embau, Siriu, Silveira and Praia do Rosa.
It lies some 30 miles south of Florianopolis, the booming capital of the safe and affluent state of Santa Catarina, with
a population of over 1 million. Its international airport features a dozen connections per day with São Paulo (1h.),
another dozen with Rio de Janeiro (1h40); plus direct flights from many major cities like Porto Alegre, Curitiba, and
even Buenos Aires. Santa Catarina has been voted best state for tourism in Brazil for 4 consecutive years!
This land is set to experience important value gains because of a) the almost completed BR-101 tollway, which links
Florianopolis to the south coast and b) the soon to be paved GRP-010 road which passes in front of the estate - and
will define the natural expansion path of Garopaba.
Illustration 1: Views to the north from the estate
In spite of its countryside setting, the property lies largely within the urban zone of Garopaba and allows for over
50,000 m² of construction. Electricity is already connected and the property has a public access road as well as various (unpaved) internal roads.
While 70-80% of the land is cleared, the beautiful native forest around the small creeks on the land has been carefully maintained, respecting all environmental rules
as well as the beauty of the nature. Altitude ranges from roughly 150 to 220 meters, and as the property is located just over a mile from the sea, this guarantees
dramatic sea views from all over the estate.
Garopaba, some 5 miles further south via a scenic drive through the dunes and lakes of Siriu, is a charming and well
organized tourism village, known for its world-class surfing beaches (Guarda do Embau, Silveira, Ferrugem, Rosa)
and whale watching. A growing community of expats choose Garopaba for its ‘zen’ feeling and quality of life, and it’s
common to hear English, German, Italian and other languages on any given day.
This combination of an excellent location, stunning views, beautiful nature, and infrastructure makes this land an
excellent option for residential or hospitality development; not to mention the upside that can be expected from the
roads under construction.
Illustration 2: The views east, to Siriu beach and its island
Altos de Garopaba
Views from the main entrance road to the north-west; over the 'Lagoa do Coração” and the Tabuleiro Mountain Park. In the distance, Florianopolis island.
Why invest in the south of Brazil, and Santa Catarina?
While the tropical north-east often gets more media attention abroad, it is the richer south half of Brazil that produces 80% of the Brazilian GDP.
It enjoys a milder but still sub-tropical climate (Santa Catarina lies only 28° from the equator) and a hard working, well educated population of largely German, Italian,
and Japanese descent. Its GDP per capita is up to 3 times higher that of the north-east, and it includes most of the major power centers of Brazil – with large cities
like São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, and Porto Alegre.
Compared to the other states in this region, Santa Catarina is exceptionally blessed with beautiful beaches and nature.
But also, with an excellent infrastructure that includes 3 international airports (Florianopolis, Navegantes, and Joinville) and and some of the largest ports of Brazil,
like Itajai, São Francisco do Sul, Imbituba, and Paranagua (just across the state border).
Its high quality of living is reflected by the “human development index”, one of the highest in Brazil, with good education, health, and public services – and excellent
safety records. And of course, by tourism... In terms of international visitors, Florianopolis is the third most visited city of Brazil, after Rio and São Paulo; and it has
been voted ‘best state for tourism’ for 4 consecutive years by the leading travel magazine ‘Viagem’.
In tourism, Santa Catarina has a first-class reputation. The Ponta dos Ganchos resort is the only Brazilian hotel in the Robb Report “100 most luxurious resorts in the
world”. Luxury hotel brand Txai is involved in a resort being developed north of Florianopolis; while ‘starchitect’ Arthur Casas signed the luxury residential resort Villa
do Cedro just south of Florianopolis. In Florianopolis itself, Costao do Santinho has been voted best beach resort for 5 consecutive years.
As a result of all this, Santa Catarina is already enjoying the effects of the Brazilian real estate boom – with strong demand and prices. Luxury beachfront apartments
in skyscraper cities like Balneario Camboriu, in spite of their ‘mass market’ appeal, fetch prices up to $1-2 million, and beachfront villas in more high end
developments like Jurere International are easily sold for even more - mostly to Brazilian buyers.
Links with info on the region:
Resorts and development:
Ponta dos Ganchos Resort
Tourism and lifestyle:
Yacht day (video)
Txai Ganchos
Villa do Cedro (video)
Costao do Santinho (resort and golf)
Highest skyscraper in Brazil - Balneario Camboriu (video)
Press on Florianopolis:
The city that represents the future of Brazil
Why invest south of Florianopolis?
Until recently, access to the south coast was much more difficult than to the north coast. The road south was narrow, potholed and dangerous; with frequent
accidents and huge traffic jams. Yet the brand new BR101-south tollway has provided a much needed growth path for the region. Both Palhoça and Imbituba – the
first two cities south of Florianopolis – are now the fastest growing towns in all of Santa Catarina. Palhoça is exploding – all industrial and residential demand that
cannot fit on the congested island comes here, together with universities and major shopping malls. Imbituba is benefiting from huge investments in its port and the
growth of logistical centres around it. Located halfway between those growth poles, the villages of Garopaba and Paulo Lopes are poised to experience exceptional
growth.
On top of this, the difficult access in past decades has also had a beneficial side effect: it has preserved the area from the massive high rise development seen in the
cities up north; and instead, the region has remained exceptionally virgin and beautiful. Moreover, the environmental protection plan of the Tabuleiro state park limits
development on most beaches all the way down to Garopaba. (In fact, the first spot on the map that allows for high end development is probably the very land
presented here.) Still, Garopaba's natural assets have always been so rich that it has long developed into a charming tourist village.
To be complete, one should also mention that Garopaba is the first worthwhile beach village for visitors from the large and affluent city of Porto Alegre (pop. 1.4
million). The new BR-101 has already reduced the driving time from Porto Alegre from 5 to 3.5 hours and offers another stimulus for semi-residential tourism.
Illustration 3: The brand new BR101, near Paulo Lopes
Map: The region around Florianopolis.
On the north side, Balneario Camboriu, the furthest but also the most
developed mass tourism city; Bombinhas and Celso Ramos.
On the south side, Paulo Lopes and Garopaba.
Garopaba and Paulo Lopes
Garopaba is a charming, well organized village with a zoning plan that only allows for low-rise construction (ground floor +1). Outside the village, it features over 20
km of gorgeous beaches with different characteristics. On most of those beaches construction is either forbidden or very limited, as they are either protected by the
APA of the Tabuleiro (on the north side) or the APA of the ‘Baleia Franca’ that protects the whales (on the south side). With so much of its dunes, beaches, and
lakes protected, and with the support of an environmentally sensitive population, it is also an excellent ecological and sports destination.
Illustration 4: the famous surf beach of Guarda de Embau, next, Gamboa beach, and in the distance, the hills
of Altos de Garopaba. Behind the hills, one already sees the sands and dunes of Siriu beach.
On top of world-class surf, windsurf, and kitesurf on the many lakes, Garopaba offers excellent hiking, biking and horse riding options; and it’s also famous for whalewatching - from June to November, whales come to the beaches around Garopaba to hibernate and nurse their baby-whales close to the beaches. Sp
The city centre offers good tourist infrastructure with a varied choice of restaurants and shops, a few dozen small and family-run hotels, and excellent supermarkets,
a medical centre, public and private schools, gyms etc. Free buses take students to the universities of Florianopolis and Tubarão.
Over the past 5 years, the infrastructure has been steadily growing in terms of quantity as well as quality. Although tourism is heavily concentrated around the
holiday seasons, this infrastructure has made Garopaba a good option for residential tourism as well as permanent residence. Many residents are semi-permanent,
running their business in Florianopolis, Porto Alegre or Curitiba while spending weekends and holidays in Garopaba.
Paulo Lopes is a small rural community with less than 5000 inhabitants. As much of the Embau/Gamboa beachfront is privately owned (it has been bought by the
Gerdau (steel) family a few years ago) and the village is way inland, it has not much of a name in tourism. However, if rumors are true, the Gerdau family has great
plans for the area. But both the recent conversion from state park to an environmental protection area, and the sudden submission of a new and ambitious master
plan certainly point in the right direction.
Altos de Garopaba
Views to the north from the top of the hill; overlooking the beach of Guarda do Embau, Florianopolis, and half a dozen other islands.
The real estate & tourism market
Santa Catarina has a very strong real estate market, on the island around Florianopolis as well as on the continental coast. The more exclusive areas are among the
most expensive markets in Brazil, with price levels close to those of the most sought after areas of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
That goes not only for the capital, Florianopolis, itself. Exclusive areas outside of town, like Jurere International, fetch home prices of $1 to $2 million, even on very
small plots; and their beach clubs (P12, Café de la Musique, El Divino) are among the most elitist in Brazil.
Several luxury resorts in the state, like Txai Ganchos and Villa do Cedro also offer bungalows and homes with resort facilities. In spite of their remote locations, they
also fetch prices from $1million upwards.
And even mass-tourism cities like Balneario Camboriu are very expensive – with most new beachfront apartments well over $1 million.
In Garopaba, different areas cater to different markets.
Close to the centre, middle class areas, like ‘Jardim Panoramico’, most homes (without views) are in the $200k+ range;
for relatively simple construction on plots of around 400m². On Vigia beach, at the far end of the bay, more expensive
homes with sea views typically fetch from $500-800k. But for larger plots, one has to go to neighbouring Silveira beach,
where hilltop homes on 2000m² easily cost $1 million because of the exclusivity of low-density environment. Many of
those homes are second homes for Brazilians from cities like Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Florianopolis.
Environmental restrictions however limit further growth of Silveira, and the area around Siriu is probably the only one with
the potential to become the 'new Silveira'.
Illustration 5: A home in Vigia
Further away from the village, Ferrugem caters to a younger surf & party crowd; while the famous waves of praia do
Rosa attracts both an upmarket, romantic and nature-loving market as well as surfers from all over the world.
Links on the real estate market in Santa Catarina:
Tourism in Garopaba:
Villa do Cedro (luxury residential resort between Florianopolis and Garopaba)
Jurere International (development just north of Florianopolis)
Garopaba Internacional (gated community in Garopaba, a few miles inland)
Whale watching in Garopaba (video)
Hotel Quinta do Bucanero
Hotel Solar Mirador
Hotel Hospedaria das Brisas
WCT world surf tournament Imbituba beach - Billabong pro WT2010
Altos de Garopaba
One of the views east from the estate – Atlantic Rain forest in contrast with the beach of Siriu and the island
Images of Garopaba
Whale watching – from boats or just the beach
World class surfing on several beaches
Dune surfing on the 30m high dunes of Siriu
Horse riding on the beach and in the hills
Walks by the beach, dunes, hills, or lakes
Surfing on Praia do Rosa
Romantic pousadas on Praia do Rosa
Kitesurfing on the many shallow lakes
Location and access
This estate lies on a hilltop, with altitudes from 150 to 220 meters above sea level, featuring panoramic views to the ocean and the Tabuleiro mountain park.
It is located 35 miles south of Florianopolis, via the four-lane BR-101 tollway, the exit of Paulo Lopes, and the scenic road that connects Paulo Lopes to the beaches
of Gamboa, Siriu and Garopaba.
This scenic road, GRP-010, shaves no less than 20 km off the trip from Florianopolis to Garopaba itself, reducing the distance between Paulo Lopes and Garopaba
from 36 to 16 km. It is currently mostly unpaved, but both plans ánd the budget for pavement have been approved by the government. This will make the access to
Florianopolis as well as Garopaba even faster and more convenient, and will definitely increase the market value of the property over the next few years.
At the highest point of this road (alt. 150 m), many tourists spontaneously stop to appreciate the spectacular views, which stretch over dozens of miles of beach, all
the way up to Florianopolis. And exactly here starts the access road of the estate, which takes those in the know another 100 meters higher - creating even more
spectacular views high up the hill.
The wet plains north of this scenic road, including the heart-shaped “lagoa do coração”, as well as the first 500m from the sea, are protected by the environmental
protection plan (APA) of the Tabuleiro state park.
As a result, the views to the north – stretching dozens of miles along the coast, over the famous surfing beach of Guarda do Embau all the way to Florianopolis and
the other islands around it – are untakeable and fully preserved. Most of the beachfront land here has been bought by the powerful Gerdau (steel) family, and rumor
is that they will develop a very high end resort area taking into account the restrictions of the environmental protection plans.
This also means that this estate is the first and closest piece of development land south of Florianopolis. With the highway duplication almost finished, the 35 miles
from the Florianopolis’ city limits (and the major 'Continente Park' shopping mall) to the Paulo Lopes exit now take less than 30 minutes by car.
Key distances from the estate:
Google Maps route:
. to the urban limits of Florianopolis (Palhoça) 42.0 km
. to the university of Santa Catarina (Unisul) 46.6 km
. to the largest mall of Santa Catarina (Continente Park) 48km
. to the main street of Florianopolis (Beira Mar) 60.2 km
. to the urban limits of Garopaba 7.9 km
. to the main street of Garopaba 9.8 km
. to the international airport of Florianopolis, 70.5 km
. to Curitiba 346 km
. to Porto Alegre 416 km
. to São Paulo 740 km
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Illustration 6: The Lagoa do Coração and Tabuleiro Mountain
park,as seen from the main entrance road. In the distance,
Florianopolis island.
Comparison of the old vs new access roads to Garopaba
On the left, the map shows how to date, travelers continue southwards on the BR101 for about 20 km, only to ‘return’ north to Garopaba via the SC-434. A boring
detour, far from the beaches, and missing most of the beautiful scenery around Garopaba.
On the right, one sees how the pavement of the GRP-010 will dramatically improve the access to Garopaba – and pass by the estate (indicated by the small round
dot).The GRP-010 - today a scenic but unpaved road, is scheduled to receive hard pavement over the next 2 years. Travellers will be able to take exit 253 from
Paulo Lopes to shave off 20km off the trip to Garopaba. Obviously, the GRP-010 will become the natural axis of expansion. Closer to Florianopolis, and closer to the
beach, it is bound to grow more than the isolated beaches on the south. which are not interconnected and can be accessed via the SC-434 only, i.e. with
considerable detours inland.