It is precisely in this unique context - on the path from the entrance of the national park to the hotel you can encounter jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, anteaters, eagles, toucans, coatis, colorful butterflies - that the Das Cataratas stands.

Built in 1958 and inaugurated by former president Kubitschek and Jorge Schimmelpfeng, it is part of the large Belmond family.

Inspired by the Portuguese colonial style, the structure presents itself to visitors by flaunting a double, very delicate shade: the building is in fact pink, so much so that many here call it Pink Palace; while the porticos and parapets are a brilliant white.

The hotel, located about 15 kilometers from Foz do Iguaçu International Airport, boasts 187 rooms (there are seven categories from Superior to Master suite), all decorated in colonial style with dark rosewood floors, eco-friendly carved furniture, pastel finishes, beds with 300- and 600-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, floral curtains and walls dotted with botanical prints.

Moorish glazed ceramic tiles give the bathrooms a light and attractive air. The crown jewel is the 898-square-foot Cataratas Suite: luxuriously spacious, it boasts two bedrooms and bathrooms, a separate living room and a balcony that provides stunning views of the falls and the tropics.

In addition to the rooms and suites, there is also the inevitable and lush rainforest spa, where rare orchids and bromeliads grow, where organic and sustainable Brazilian products are used for the various treatments. To complete the offer there is a tennis court and a large swimming pool open all year round of over three thousand square meters.

Not only that. To admire nature in all its splendor, the hotel offers various activities, including breathtaking helicopter flights, spectacular boat experiences in the presence of her majesty the waterfalls, the exciting Macuco Safari by motorboat, visits to the exotic bird sanctuary of Parque des Aves, cachaca tastings (have you ever tried the Harmonie Schnaps Extra Premium 16 anos produced in the city of Harmonia in Rio Grande do Sul?), more-nic in the garden, and, a true privilege of the hotel guests, walks along the path of the natural park even before it opens to the public to admire nighttime rainbows and dreamy auroras against the backdrop of the waterfalls.

In 2007, the structure underwent a major restyling project costing a whopping 42 million dollars, carried out by Michel Jouanet, a French architect specializing in hotels and private residences who has numerous projects linked to Belmond under his belt: from the Cipriani in Venice to the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, right up to the Splendido in Portofino.

The hotel, the first and only one in South America to be awarded 5 stars by Forbes, also has a first-rate culinary offering.

At the Ipê Grill, for example, you can savor the tender meat cooked gaucho style or the Bahian moqueqa stew, where seafood is mixed with tropical spices, coconut and coriander.

The Bar Tarobà is the kingdom of cocktails such as the Gralha Picaça that blends cassava liqueur, mandarin juice, lime juice, cashew syrup and dehydrated egg white or the Saíra 7 Cores a mix of Cachaça de Matraga, pineapple juice, lime juice, basil and honey syrup. But the real highlight of Das Cataratas’s restaurant is Y, a temple of creative Brazilian cuisine led by award-winning chef Luis Filipe Souza.

Among the dishes not to be missed are the veal egg with tucupi and cassava foam that pays homage to indigenous food culture (and that almost looks like an art installation photographed on Instagram) and the minimalist shrimp moqueca with crispy rice.