With its quaint architecture and cobbled streets, Armação dos Búzios, popularly known as Búzios, combines an old-world village charm with a sophisticated offering of boutiques, restaurants, and spas. Once a simple fishing village, it grew to its status as an upscale and fashionable tourist destination after French actress Brigitte Bardot visited with her Brazilian boyfriend in the early ‘60s. Situated on a jutting peninsula roughly two hours from Rio de Janeiro, Búzios’s west beaches offer clear, calm waters and gorgeous views, while the east side facing the open ocean draws water-sports enthusiasts from far and wide.