The Nas Rocas hotel, where Mick Jagger and Bono stayed, returns as a private island club in Búzios, Brazil

Closed in 2002, Nas Rocas, the legendary Búzios hotel where Bono, Mick Jagger and Gianni Agnelli stayed, is being reborn on its island in stages, starting with a private club. Brazilian group Resid Club & Hotels announced the inauguration of Nas Rocas Club on Ilha Rasa on 6 October 2026. A hotel of around forty keys and ten villas are due to follow, for an investment of about 200 million reais according to the group, or nearly 32 million euros.

☰Contents

1. The island where Bono and Mick Jagger stayed
2. A club capped at 500 members
3. What’s on Alex Atala’s menu?
4. A 40-key hotel, according to the group
5. 85% of the island left unbuilt
6. How do you reach Ilha Rasa?

The island where Bono and Mick Jagger stayed

Nas Rocas was created in the 1980s by Umberto Modiano on Ilha Rasa, 700 metres from the mainland. The group presents it as Brazil’s first five-star hotel; Bono, Mick Jagger and the Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, head of Fiat, all stayed there. The hotel closed in 2002, and the 120,000 m² island has been waiting for a second life ever since.

A club capped at 500 members

The first of the project’s five phases, two of which are already complete, Nas Rocas Club is aiming for 500 members at most. Admission is by application, reviewed by a committee. There are two tiers: Nas Rocas Club, with twelve guest invitations a year, and Nas Rocas Club Bardot, with priority access, reserved areas and thirty-six invitations a year.

A first series of 150 memberships, launched in May 2025 at 150,000 reais, has sold out, and 30 more were offered before the opening. According to the group, a new series of 50 memberships is now available at 300,000 reais, or about 48,000 euros. “Contemporary luxury is increasingly about access, community and rarity,” says Paulo Henrique Barbosa, chief executive of Resid Club & Hotels.

What’s on Alex Atala’s menu?

The restaurant and the bar, Resid Bar Nas Rocas, serve a menu created by Brazilian chef Alex Atala, a partner in the group and founder of the D.O.M. restaurant in São Paulo. It focuses on fish, seafood and local produce, sourced from fishermen in the area.

A 40-key hotel, according to the group

According to the group, the hotel will have 40 units bookable without membership, with club members keeping priority. No opening date has been announced for the hotel itself, and its trading name has yet to be revealed. Ten villas aimed at investors complete the project: seven are reportedly already sold, the first handovers are expected in late 2027, and owners will be able to place them in the hotel’s rental programme. The whole development would be completed in 2030 according to the press release, or in 2031 according to statements from the group.

85% of the island left unbuilt

The project required three years of permits, environmental and planning, followed by eighteen months of works. According to the group, around 85% of the island, or 100,700 m², will remain free of new construction, and the built footprint will fall to about 5% of the surface area, compared with 6.02% for the former hotel. The company also claims around 97% less construction waste, an unaudited figure.

The team brings together architect Octavio Raja Gabaglia, landscape designer Alex Hanazaki and creative director Claudia Ribeiro Bernstein. The pools, cabanas and tennis and beach tennis courts published by the club are renders for now.

How do you reach Ilha Rasa?

The island is reachable only by sea: on opening day, guests set off from the Continental Lounge in Búzios. The official website lists water sports, a pool, courts, a spa and a helipad. Founded in 2023 in São Paulo, Resid Club & Hotels is also preparing Céu Azul, in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago.

To extend your trip to Brazil, see the Dior Spa at the Copacabana Palace in Rio and the 22 Brazilian hotels awarded MICHELIN Keys. And to understand the trend, read our investigation into the private clubs that are reinventing luxury hospitality.