When I arrived in Ilha Grande, I had already been in Rio de Janeiro for two weeks, and this blissful island provides the perfect chilled-out getaway from that crazy/beautiful city.

We took the bus from Rio to the town of Angra dos Reis, a journey which took around three hours. After a great deal of fuss trying to find a cashpoint (vital as there are none on Ilha Grande itself) we found we had missed the afternoon ferry, but hitched a ride on a fishing boat. Although we were slightly unnerved by the skull and crossbones flag and the driver's incessant smoking of pot, the presence of a couple of Brazilian tourists reassured us against the likelihood of being robbed at sea. The boat bounced along the gentle waves for just over two hours, and we were able to appreciate the scale of this enormous island, most of which is designated as a nature reserve and out of bounds to tourists.

As the time passed, the sky grew darker and darker until it was almost pitch black. What with our pot-smoking sea captain and all, I did start to worry that we might be floating around there all night!

My fears were allayed when we spotted the lights of Ilha Grande's only real town, and the hub for what classes as 'activity' on the island.

As we scrambled to shore we were greeted by a sea of eager young faces, all keen to offer us shelter for the night in their parents' guest houses. As we were already booked into a hostel, however, we made a way up the sandy paths, past huge blue crabs, to our accomodation.

Five days on Ilha Grande was the perfect amount of time - there is not much to do except trek through the hilly jungle to some glorious beaches (Lopes Mendes is a two-mile scramble, but widely regarded as the best beach in Brazil), take in some subdued nightlife in the evenings, and perhaps take a boat trip or two.

Before it became a tropical paradise for beach bums and nature lovers, Ilha Grande served first as a leper colony and more recently as a prison for some of Brazil's most dangerous criminals. It is only in recent years that it has begun to emerge as a serious tourist destination, and as such the beautiful island is largely unspoilt. No cars are allowed here, and its status as a nature reserve means there are extremely tight restrictions on what can be built here. A good thing too - gorgeous Lopes Mendes beach would be ruined if shops and bars were to spring up on the sands, currently a handful of locals selling cold drinks from ice buckets provide all the refreshment you could need.

As we were about to begin a five-month stint working in a hostel in Rio, this was a great chance to relax before we made our way back to the big smoke. My one tip would be - bring a torch. Power cuts were common at night and when the lights go you cannot see your hand in front of your face!