Vida Sol e Mar directly overlooks Praia do Rosa and is just 1¼ hours from Florianopolis. The charming and friendly hotel hosts the Right Whale Institute, which promotes the preservation of the Southern species. Between July and October boat trips accompanied by a biologist allow guests to see these leviathans of the deep up close. Other activities available from the hotel include visits to historic Laguna (where dolphins herd shoals towards fishermen’s nets), surfing, windsurfing, horse riding and walks in the Atlantic rainforest.