50 MAY 2017 / TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM
/ beyond/THREE STAYS
FAZENDA CATUÇABA
Rusticity is its own sort of luxury at Fazenda
Catuçaba, which dispenses with traditional
service and modern conveniences (say goodbye
to Internet, TV and mobile reception) in favor of
more soul-satisfying immersion in nature.
Arriving at this mid-19th-century
farmstead just over 160 kilometers from São
Paulo, I was treated as an old friend who’d come
to stay awhile: warmly welcomed (with fresh-
squeezed juice), escorted to one of five simple
but elegant blue-and-white cottages (some with
fireplaces, all with mountain views), provided a
menu of activities (hiking, rock climbing, rain-
forest tours, milking the cows), informed ofdinnertime (8:30 p.m.) and then left to my own
devices. The food, much of which comes from
the Fazenda’s organic gardens, is
unpretentious, flavorful, vegetable-centric and
delivered without fanfare, accompanied by
French w ines. The sta ff is loca l, a nd t hey’l l
happily help you if you need them—sometimes
the service is downright exceptional, like when
they whipped up and served me a lavish mid-
hike picnic in the woods.
This level of serenity and independence may
not be for everyone, but it’s a true escape for,
say, honeymooners or anyone who could use
some forced relaxation and time unplugged.
The real world has rarely felt so far away as it
does in the rhythms of life here: a steamy hike
followed by a dip in a cool lake, a trek on
horseback through magnificent mountain
terrain, a cold glass of Alsatian white at sunset,
and, at the end of the day, retiring to a
spacious, minimalist room with a king-size
bed and soaking tub. Catuçaba is about
connecting—with nature, with friends, with
yourself. Eventually, sans smartphone and
Netflix, in your wooden chaise longue
encircled by emerald hills and crowing
roosters, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
catucaba.com; doubles from R$2,990. >>FROM LEFT: The
patio at Fazenda
Catuçaba;
harvesting
vegetables from
the property’s
garden.