Hotels and Pousadas in Bahia

Sunset, a light pink and tangerine orange sky over the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.  You are reclined poolside on a lounge chair. The not-so-distant crashing of ocean waves blends well with the sounds of Brazilian lounge music playing just within range. A plush white and blue stripped beach towel under your tanning body is comfortably nuzzled. 

You reach over to the end table for an ice-cold tropical drink. A cornucopia of fruits and colors with just enough alcohol. You think, yeah this is it. Keep them coming. You say to yourself, I've worked hard all year. Given to charities. Taken care of home and family. Then poolside bartender brings another one of those drinks or maybe two...this tropical bliss is marvelous. 

When planning your trip to Bahia, Brazil, just as important as the destination, is the place to stay. Some folks want to run around, see everything and touch everybody. They are perfectly comfortable sleeping in a cardboard box on the beach. However, this post is for those of you who enjoy amenities or even dream of amenities.  

I have a colleague and friend who once said, I don't stay in anything less than a 4-star hotel. I said, so when did you win the lottery? Aren't you working for the same nonprofit and have the same bills I have? She said yes, however, I love amenities and I look for discounted rates on hotels. 

The places I show you on my post, I purchased by discount on travel websites. From my experience, it is best to save money on the airfare and transportation to Bahia and spend more on the accommodations. The currency exchange rate is favorable for your purchases in Brazil, so you receive more for your money. I say, go for it!  

If you are frequently traveling in the United States, especially for business, you become accustomed to certain amenities.  A pool, a gym, Wi-Fi, morning coffee and a business center. You also expect the room sizes and bathrooms to be roomy. All of those items can be found in Bahia.  The size of bedrooms and bathrooms, however, can vary greatly. 

Personally, I choose the pool first, then the size of room. Why the pool first? On weekends, the beach can be very crowded, or the surf maybe too strong or the bars too noisy. The hotel pool is usually more secure and quieter. As a writer, I enjoy early mornings by the pool to gather my thoughts, make plans, then enjoy the Brazilian sights and sounds when other guests arrive. 

My first time traveling to Salvador, Bahia10 years ago, I stayed at a 4-star French hotel in the Salvador barrio of Rio Vermelho. A quick scan on Google maps showed me the ATMs, restaurants, bars, bookstores, music stores, within walking distance of the hotel. The hotel featured an amazing buffet breakfast. Great I am here on my own. I don't speak Portugues. I can at least have one good meal a day guaranteed in the hotel. The other meals I could figure out by walking around. The best part was the infinity pool which overlooked the ocean. 

The best amenity is direct access to the beach. This was not the public beach, with bars and many people. This was private, beautiful with powerful waves crashing against the rocks! 

On my exploratory walks of the neighborhood, I found the public beaches were just a few blocks away. My Brazilian drummer friend said when walking around, be careful. Growing up in Philadelphia, I learned many things about the streets, coming and going. I shouldn't walk alone late night nor ask for directions from strangers on the street in very bad Portugues. The hotel staff spoke some English and I used Google maps. I explored new places during the middle of the day, two to three blocks at a time, until I had a 10 to 15 block perimeter.

Many years ago, Rio Vermelho had active fishing shanty dock. Afro Brazilian fishermen (pescadors) arrived very early morning, catch fish and sell them fresh at the docks. Anthony Bourdain visited and highlighted this particular fishing dock on his show and ate with the fisherman. As I was exploring, I took this picture of a fisherman repairing his net. 

  

Today, this way of life in the shanty fishing docks are gone. The City of Salvador converted the area into an upscale restaurant and bar hub prior to hosting the World Cup. In my tours of Rio Vermelho, I make sure to show visitors the area of the fisherman and their influences.  

Pousadas are much smaller than major hotel chain or luxury hotels. The amenities are very similar to hotels in a more intimate setting. Some are converted houses, farms or converted buildings. They have a front desk, room service, Wi-Fi, pools and in most cases, breakfast.  The bedrooms and bathrooms are smaller than hotels. You can find pousadas anywhere, in the city, suburbs and rural areas in Bahia. If you prefer a hip urban neighborhood with colorful buildings and restaurants, try a pousada the barrio of San Antoinio in Salvador. 

We visited a famous town of Cachoeira, Bahia. Cachoeira is located 2.5 hours west, inside the state of Bahia.  It is a gorgeous river valley with many artisans and Afro Brazilian cultural events. 

We stayed at a pousada that was a converted monastery. If you attended Catholic school like me, this place was very beautiful yet a little creepy. The wooden floors creaked as you walked in the hallway and went up the stairs.  Probably to alert the nuns someone is sneaking around at night. The rooms are clean, minimal and extremely quiet. I am serious, no noise, nada. Needless to say, I had a very peaceful sleep. There is an old-world charm with the tolling of the church bells next door. 

 

A Bahia breakfast (cafe da manha) has more offerings than a continental breakfast. Fresh fruit, juice, coffee, bread, cereal, cold cuts, cheeses, pastries, cakes, scrambled eggs, yucca, and sausage.  One major cultural culinary difference, no pancakes nor waffles, however there are crepes at the French hotel. 

Baixio is a very small-beach town, 3-hour drive north of Salvador. It is a community on the Litoral Norte under major re-development. Europeans are heavily investing in building new condominium complexes near and on the beach.  There is a Spanish 4-star luxury hotel resort with a spa. Potential buyers stay at the hotel as they are surveying land, purchasing homes, while enjoying the beach. The realtor's office with the models of the new construction is next to the hotel. 

Baixio is wide open and visually stunning.  

In Baixio, we chose a pousada locally owned and operated in the community for many years. Excellent pool, attentive hospitality services, a restaurant and bar, breakfast buffet is included and only 5 min walk to the beach. They even provided local entertainment for guests on the weekends.  

Bottomline, there are many options for hotels and pousadas in Bahia. Take your time in deciding which one suits your needs. If this is your first time, hotels offer more amenities and the sizes of rooms and bathrooms are larger. In the tourist areas, the hotel and pousada desk staff can speak some English. If you have questions or would like recommendations, feel free to reach out to me directly.  You can also read my reviews I posted on Trip Advisor. 

Thank you for reading my travel blog. My name is Howard W. Tucker. I am honored to be your guide to Bahia, Brazil. I have traveled to Bahia for 10 years. I am currently a resident of Brazil, living in Bahia with my wife and family.  As my travel companion, I will be introducing you to sights, sounds, people and culture of this incredibly amazing and diverse country.  

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions about places we can both explore so please feel free to contact me at htvision4edu@gmail.com