One of the places that attract the most attention from those driving through Santa Catarina is the Porto Belo Outlet Premium, on the banks of BR-101. Whether on a day trip from Florianópolis or on the way to Magic Island, this gigantic cluster arouses curiosity due to its proposal to offer famous brands at a great price.
I confess that, even though I live less than an hour away, I only went to see the establishment recently. Accustomed to the "cheap” from Brazil (which tends to be quite expensive), I always assumed that the prices would be bad and there would be few product options.
I decided to stop at the place one day when I was returning from Ilhota, and I was so surprised by what I found that, for a few minutes, I wondered if I was in the United States, rs. It was such a positive experience that I decided to answer the main question that almost everyone has: is it worth it same visit the Porto Belo Premium Outlet?
Directions
There is no public transport that runs between Florianópolis and the outlet.. The quickest and most practical way to get there is by driving, and the journey takes around 45 minutes when the traffic is good.
If you are thinking about renting a car, I recommend getting a quote with Rentcars. The company offers a best price guarantee, and you can even pay in installments and pick up the car directly at the airport, if you are arriving on the island by plane.
If your base is Balneário Camboriú, you can even get to the Premium Outlet by bus, taking line 52/1 Itajaí / Porto Belo and then 779 Porto Belo / Tijucas. Even so, the total travel time is two and a half hours, and by car it takes less than thirty minutes. You can also guarantee the best prices with Rentcars and collect your car in Balneário!
Another option, which passes through the most famous hotels in BC, is the Porto Belo Outlet Premium By Bus, a bus service offered by Brava Tur. The cost of the trip is R$30 round trip, and you need to make a reservation in advance on the official website.
Structure of Porto Belo Outlet Premium
The structure was the part that surprised me the most. Looking from the outside you can see that there are countless open corridors, very similar to the ones main outlets in the United States.
Inside, however, you can see that the architecture and details are even more beautiful than American standards.. I was impressed with how clean it was, new and modern, and even the bathrooms leave something to be desired.
On the day of my visit it was raining, and even though it was open it wasn't a problem as most of the corridors have a covered part. Furthermore, parking is ample and free, and the place also has a wifi network exclusively for visitors (which works same).
Stores
For those who are used to this type of shopping mall abroad, the size of the place and number of stores will not be anything extraordinary. Many spaces were yet to open, and posters spread throughout the corridors indicated that new stores should arrive in the coming months. o In the next months.
Even so, I thought there were great options and some brands, I confess, I didn't even know were sold in Brazil. The best, in my opinion, are the following:
- Asics
- Chilli beans
- electrolux
- Fila
- Guess
- La Bella Mafia
- Levi's
- O'Neil
- Planet Girls
- Polishop
- Polo US
- TNG
- Tommy Hilfiger
You can check the full list on the outlet's website.
The one that impressed me the most was Asics. The structure of the store is the same as those found in the United States, and the prices were also good (I'll show you).
Food
The place has a closed food court, with air conditioning and numerous gastronomic options. There's pizza, Italian cuisine, hot dogs, barbecue, buffet lines a kilo and even a Bob's and a Subway.
In other corridors there is also a Chopp da Brahma, a pie house and even a steakhouse pizzeria called Hawaii BBQ, with all-you-can-eat meat and pizza.
Porto Belo Outlet Premium Prices
Now the part that really interest: What are the prices in stores?
As I mentioned, I expected to get there and find products with 10% off or something similar. It never crossed my mind to find great deals, so you can't imagine my shock when I walked past the shop windows.
An Electrolux dishwasher, for example, was priced at R$5899,90 for R$4399,90. I looked for the same model (LF14X) on the internet and the cheapest I found was R$4799,90. The store had a super full stock and I saw several discounts of 20% or more.
At Asics I found t-shirts for R$89,90 and several sneakers starting at R$229. These prices are lower than in physical stores, but I found similar prices at Netshoes. However, there was a promotion going on on several items, so the prices were even better. I confess that I didn't write down exactly what the discount was, but I thought that overall, even without it, it was worth it, as it was possible to try everything. They had many models and numbers.
At Levi's, t-shirts start at R$59 and pants start at R$129, in addition to 30% off on the models that were on the shelves. Men's leather sneakers for R$249, same price as in stores.
Now the store that I thought had the best discounts was GUESS. T-shirts for R$59,90 including three pieces, shorts and even dresses for R$69,90! The accessories, however, I thought were not worth it, and I saw several bags for R$499 (I found the same model on sale at Dafiti for R$479, but the original price was R$599).
So… Is the outlet worth visiting?
Answering the initial question, I would say that SIMs.. If you're in the mood for shopping and have a good budget, you can certainly find some bargains, such as sneakers from Asics and clothes from GUESS, Beagle (another one with a great price), La Bella Mafia and Levi's.
Even those who want to buy things for the home will have fun, with a Polishop, The Outlet Home and even an Electrolux. There are also several men's and children's fashion options, as well as a beachwear store or two (if this is your focus, I recommend Ilhota).
It's worth it to have the experience of visiting a Brazilian outlet that really looks like Americans. I recommend it and intend to return again. 🙂
And you, have you visited Porto Belo Outlet Premium? Do you know of other cool outlets here in Santa Catarina or Brazil? How was the experience? Tell me in the comments!
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