In Twilight Breaking Dawn, Edward and Bella venture to Brazil to honeymoon on the isle of Esme, which doesn’t actually exist. Where they actually went was Paraty, Brazil, a colonial town and blossoming vacation retreat halfway in between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Specifically, they went to a beachfront house in Saco do Mamanguá, a tropical fjord, which even you too can rent.

The six bedroom house, also called Casa em Paraty, is owned by a São Paulo food importer, who vacations there with his family on occasion, though the rest of the year it is open to rent for around $4,000 per night. Anagtu, a Brazilian tour operator that specializes in villa rentals in select destinations such as Paraty where the abundance of fully staffed glamorous vacation homes often are often more desirable than top hotels. The 11,000-square-foot house sits between two small hills and is completely secluded in a small bay. Designed by Brazilian architects Bernardes + Jacobsen, best known for imaginative tropical-modern houses, Casa em Paraty weaves the indoors with the out, by featuring skylights as well as palm and banana trees sprouting from planters set into the floor. Like a traditional Brazilian fishing hut, the home is framed by eucalyptus posts and beams that gives it the feel of a tree house. Decorators were keen to include tropical chic hewn wood pieces from South America and Bali and floor tiles made by Francisco Brennand, a renowned sculptor and ceramic artist based near Recife. Access to the house is exclusively by boat or helicopter (yes, there’s a heli-pad).

Shooting for Twilight Breaking Dawn also took place at a waterfall in Taquari. Paraty tour operators are cashing in on the movie’s success and now offering guided tours of shooting locations.

Nicholas Gill (470 Posts)

Writer and photographer Nicholas Gill is the editor/publisher of New World Review. He lives in Lima, Peru and Brooklyn, New York. His work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, CondeNast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Afar, and Penthouse. Visit his personal website (nicholas-gill.com) for more information.