Tastemaker Brian Spaly shares his inside scoop on BRAZIL

Our friend from college, Brian Spaly (founder of the chic, fun and well fitting men's line Bonobos as well as Trunk Club), has us already thinking about planning our New Year's trip to Brazil!  Although we are in the midst of summer fun, now is the perfect time to buy tickets and plan a Christmas/New Year's adventure.

Here are Brian's recommendations:

As we just passed the summer solstice, the days are starting to get shorter again.  While a glorious season of sunshine and warmth lies ahead, savvy travelers know that it's time to plan a trip to South America after our North American summer is over for a little something we like to call daylight arbitrage - a theory that states all of us should do anything we can to get to the southern hemisphere for THEIR longest day of the year.

One of your best options is Brazil.  I love Rio, Sao Paulo, and Florianopolis.  If you can, try to visit all three on your jaunt.

Rio

Start your trip on the right foot by going to the best churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) in the world, Porcao, preferably the Leblon outpost.  On my last trip, we went straight there from the airport (GLG) and had a marvelous meal complemented by many caipirinhas (the Brazilian take on the mojito, made with sugar cane juice and cachaca, a Brazilain liquor).

Stay at the Sheraton in Leblon, which combines the slightly secluded feel of a resort, a nice beach, a great pool and fitness center, and wonderful views.  It's just around the bend and walking distance from Leblon, one of the best neighborhoods in Rio for eating, drinking, and shopping.  The beach bustles with volleyball, foot volley, and scantily clad, gorgeous Brazilians.  Eat everything you can on the beach, but focus on Acai con banane y granol, and fresh coconut water!  Brazilian fashion is cool - they have high import and export tariffs so many of the best brands are only available in Brazil, a refreshing and enjoyable change from the globalization of luxo-brands in most of the rest of the world.  Be sure to visit one of the Osklen shops, and also keep your eyes peeled for Reserva - easily my two fave local labels.

Sao Paulo

Sao Paulo is so vast and wonderful that suggesting a specific place to stay is tough – sort of like Manhattan.  But you should check out Fasano, a hotel with a great lobby bar and resto.

Many people will avoid SP and complain about the traffic, etc.  But it's the Manhattan of Brazil and really worth a few days of good hard partying and exploring. The city is also home to my all-time favorite nightclub, Hollywood, so of course you must fight your way in for a night of fun and debauchery.

Florianopolis (aka Floripa)

This should be the highlight and focus of a sun seeking trip to Brazil.  Floripa is a stunning island off the coast where Brazil's fortunate tend to take in the New Year's holidays.  The best clubs and parties tend to center around Jurere, on the north side, but i suggest staying in Praia Mole, which has the best beaches and great surfing.  From Praia Mole you can cover the distance to the best nightclubs in a cab - it will take 30-45 minutes but we felt it was worth it, and just drank beer the whole way back and forth!  On NYE, there are blowout parties at the best clubs, and I recommend Cafe de la Musique. In 2009, it marked the first time in my life that a NYE party actually exceeded my expectations.  Two world class DJs, a bevy of super models, and more than one bottle of champagne per person made it well worth a short wait in line and the $500 ticket price (we bought these in advance from Manhattan online.  It sounds crazy but it was totally worth it.)   If you want to stay closer to the best parties - including clubs like Taiko and Posh - then you can stay directly in Jurere.  The best way to find a rental there is to book a house through Oasis Collections - www.oasisluxuryrentals.com - an amazing new website that we would have used if we could have back in 2008 but that just launched!  The food all over the island is good but nothing exceptional - we stuck to fresh local seafood and lots of snacks on the beach (again, acai and coconut water).