Weekly hotels top five of five - Brazil

(Celso Pupo)

This week sees the start of the Sao Paulo International Film Festival, the largest film festival in South America.

Over 180,000 attendees are expected to converge on Sao Paulo, a welcome boost for authorities who are trying to position the city as a major South American tourism destination.

The strategy seems to be working - Singapore Airlines recently announced plans to fly to the city in 2011, a move expected to herald the start of similar services between two booming continents.

Although Sao Paulo isn't the most visited destination in Brazil, it remains one of the most popular and receives a good proportion of the steadily growing tourism pie - international tourist arrivals have grown steadily through the decade to reach over 5 million in 2008.

Rio de Janeiro

Luxury hotels dominate the list of Rio's top hotels, with the legendary 216-room 5-star Copacabana Palace in top place.

1 Copacabana Palace
2 Hotel Santa Teresa
3 Arena Copacabana Hote
4 Porto Bay Rio Internacional Hotel
5 Princess Copacabana

Average price of top five $318 - $580 / €229 - €418

Foz do Iguacu

Foz do Iguacu waterfalls is one of the most famous and most visited destinations in Brazil, bordering Argentina. The luxury Hotel das Cataratas was described as "pricey but worth every penny."

1 Hotel das Cataratas
2 Marica B&B
3 Aguas do Iguacu Hotel Centro
4 Mabu Thermas And Resorts
5 Bella Italia Hotel & Events

Average price of top five $162 - $213 / €117 - €154

Sao Paulo

Brazil's capital has a world-class selection of hotels and the top five was comprised of both luxury and four star properties. The Hilton Morumbi pushed the five star Emiliano into second place.

1 Hilton Morumbi Sao Paulo
2 Emiliano Hotel
3 Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo
4 L'Hotel Porto Bay Sao Paulo
5 Fasano Hotel

Average price of top five $397 - $597 / €286 - €431

Florianopolis

Florianopolis is a popular second home destination in the south of the country and offers a good selection of boutique properties.

1 Hotel Butique Quinta das Videiras
2 Fragata Apart Hotel
3 Costa Norte Ingleses Hotel
4 Pousada Penareia
5 Costao do Santinho Resort & Spa

Average price of top five $276 - $510 / €199 - €368

Salvador

Salvador boasts some of the best coastlines in the world and is home to plenty of hotels, with Tripadvisor users voting Hotel Casa do Amarelindo as their favorite.

1 Hotel Casa do Amarelindo
2 Pousada Casa Vila Bela
3 Hotel Studio do Carmo
4 Villa Bahia
5 Aram Yami Hotel

Average price of top five $205 - $397 / €148 - €286

Data is taken from millions of independent reviews and rankings surveyed at TripAdvisor taken on October 13, 2010.

Website: http://www.tripadvisor.com