Very, very rarely in my work as a travel writer have I been asked to plan my dream trip and then write about it.  This was that golden ticket.  Chatting to my genius editor Pamela Goodman at House & Garden about a Brazil feature and as we tossed around endless ideas, she said "You've been there so long, you know it so well, where would you choose to go?"

So after 7 years travelling the length and breadth of Brazil, writing guidebooks and saving not a cent for the love of exploring, I planned my ultimate trip... and took along a friend I'd recently started dating.  Needless to say, by the end, we were madly in love ;)

We started road-tripping from Rio to Reserva de Ibitipoca, set on a nature reserve in the middle of Minas Gerais, riding horses to waterfalls and eating an extravagant amount of pao de queijo. Then it was a few days of caipirinhas and candomblé in Salvador on route to my all-time favourite beach isle of Boipeba, where fishermen still rule and there's not a car in site.  All was organised with the help of my friend Harry Hastings, who runs travel specialist Plan South America and is ever inspiring me with his unquenchable thirst for adventure. 

Whether you seek a romantic retreat, a Robinson crusoe hide-away or an unforgettable family adventure, Boipeba is the place. This is the Brazilian beach you dream of, yet often proves so elusive to find. You can book into my favourite island house here, but shhhh... don't tell anyone!