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, fine restaurants, villas and hotels. The town, once a simple fishing village, 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 relaxing views, while the east side facing the open ocean draws water-sports enthusiasts from far and wide.