Brazil is home to around 60% of the Amazon rainforest and boasts some of the best beaches in the world, not to mention its famous carnival culture. But that’s not all – it’s packed with architectural treasures, from tropical modernist homes to contemporary jungle retreats that pay homage to the country’s cultural roots and artistic innovations.

Here are some of our favourite holiday homes for rent in Brazil.

The Catuçaba hideaway in Sāo Paulo, Brazil

4 bedrooms; from $1,000 per night via Off Grid Hideaways
Natural materials and an unfussy, minimalist design typify this Brazilian holiday home by Studio MK27. The practice was asked to create a sleek, single-level dwelling that celebrates the surrounding Serra do Mar landscape without impacting on it, and the timber villa does this skillfully. Its low-lying volume sits below the horizon and on a natural boulder formation. Rooms open onto a huge wraparound terrace which doubles as an outdoor living room. Raftered ceilings, wooden floors and cane shutters cocoon the property and lend it a tropical cabin feel. Take a closer look at the Brazilian property.

Arca shelter in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro

2 bedrooms; £174 per night via Airbnb
Sometimes the most straightforward designs are the best. Case in point? This corrugated shelter in the Atlantic Rainforest, whose galvanised steel exterior belies its warm, timber-lined interiors. The robust structure was hand-built by its architect owner Marko Brajovic in 2015 to withstand the rainforest’s most extreme weather. Arca is inspired by traditional Brazilian Asurini and Médio Xingu houses – though it’s also reminiscent of a giant Anderson shelter, and its vast glazed facade peeks out onto the surrounding trees. Guests can also make use of a private waterfall and explore the Aldeia Rizoma sanctuary, which the Brazilian holiday home is part of. Snoop inside.

Villa Fulo in Bahia, Brazil

4 bedrooms; from $1035 per night via BoutiqueHomes
Tune out at this rustic Brazilian holiday home. For rent in the remote fishing village of Caraiva in Bahia, it has no roads, no wifi and often no electricity. Villa Fulo is one of four Portuguese colonial-style homes that make up the estate, and it is capped by a cross-beamed thatched roof and set around a private swimming pool. Rooms meanwhile have concrete floors, high ceilings, teak surfaces and furniture made from salvaged wood.

Casa Lila in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil

2 bedrooms: $130 per night via BoutiqueHomes
If you value your creature comforts and beach views, Casa Lila might be more up your street. Part of the Casas do Cupe complex, it sits on a stretch of coastline between Muro Alto and Porto Galinhas beaches and is designed by São Paulo-based architect studio MNMA. The freshly completed villa has minimalist interiors, rough-hewn branch slats and palapa roofing. Expect all the mod cons of home, including wifi, cable, a fully equipped kitchen and pool, and a garden complete with tropical palm trees and swinging hammocks.

Chez Georges in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

9 bedrooms; via Design Hotels from around €5723 per night
Musicians can combine work and play at Chez Georges, which has its own recording studio that hooks up to a secret production room beneath the villa’s 15-metre-long swimming pool. Mid-century architect Wladimir Alves de Souza designed the Brazilian holiday home in 1974, complete with a concrete pergola entrance. The house’s modernist bones have been spruced by owners Pierre Bident Moldeva and Olivier Verwilghen, who tapped interior designer Yorick Piette to craft its interiors.