Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa

Style

Coastal casas

Setting

Tropical Trancoso

The only boutique hotel in the historic main square of Trancoso, Bahia, Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa has become the stay of choice in this beautiful seaside village. The Brazilian elite, not to mention style-savvy visitors from the US and Europe, flock to its 10 private casas all year round, drawn by its stunning beachside location, dedication to sustainable tourism and the sort of interiors that wouldn't look out of place in Wallpaper* or Elle Decoration. Its owners have got the balance between luxury and laid-back style just right.

Facilities

Rooms

Checkout

Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 2pm (again, depending on occupancy).

More Details

Rates include a Bahian breakfast, a reserved sofa at the beach lounge, gym, full concierge service, and parking

Also

Private cooking classes taught by the hotel's chefs, or even Trancoso locals, can be held in your casa's kitchen.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Spa

At the Hotel

Spa, gym, library, DVD library, laundry service, in-room spa/beauty treatments. In rooms: flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, iPod dock, king-size beds, free WiFi, dining table, air-conditioning, minibar, Natura toiletries.

Our Favourite Rooms

We love the two-bedroom Gulab Mahal casa, which comes with a private tiered garden, a cushion-filled mezzanine, three bathrooms (two of them in the open air) and views of the Quadrado from every angle. It also houses Indian-style stained-glass and carved-wood features, which date back to the 1970s ‘hippie invasion’ of Trancoso. We also adore the Casa do Arvore honeymoon suite, which is built from recycled wood and is situated high in the trees.

Poolside

Shaped like a lake and surrounded by a huge wooden deck, the hotel pool, constructed from thousands of green aventurine quartz stones, is big enough to do laps. It is gloriously surrounded by tall trees, coconut palms and flowering plants.

Spa

At the hotel’s Almescar Spa, indulge in therapies that use indigenous local ingredients like almescar and cacao. Treatments can be carried out indoors or outdoors, there's a Jacuzzi and yoga, capoeira and forró dancing lessons are held frequently. In-villa treatments are available too.

Packing Tips

Bring your iPod – all casas come with docking stations, and you can download as many bossa nova tunes as you like thanks to the free WiFi.

Also

Personal chefs are available on request, and will prepare a meal of whatever you desire to be served to you in your private casa. Ask when you check in.

Children

Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa is very much an adult's playground, however, children are allowed. Babysitting can be arranged and baby cots (for tots two-and-under) are free; extra beds are also available for R$700 per night, plus taxes.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Getting a good table is never a problem. However, during the day, we recommend going for a table overlooking the beach, at which you can enjoy views of sand and sea while you eat. By night, sit at a table looking out on the grassy, softly lit Quadrado.

Dress Code

The more casual the better. Flip-flops and shorts are perfectly acceptable – indeed, closed-toe shoes are positively frowned upon.

Hotel Restaurant

The hotel restaurant may not have officially been given a name, but it’s known locally as Uxua Quadrado. Chef Ju Pedrosa serves up fresh, locally sourced Brazilian cuisine – moqueca of lobster and king prawns, escondidinho of dried shredded meat, onion, chives, creamed cassava and coconut milk – in the hotel lounge or beside the pool. The atmosphere is informal and laid-back. On Wednesday nights there’s a special Quarta no Quadrado themed dinner menu and guest chefs.

Hotel Bar

The restaurant, overlooking the pool, serves up drinks, but the hotel's beach bar – between Nativos and Coqueiros beaches – is our pick for an evening of cocktail sipping. It's been constructed from local wood and clay using traditional techniques. An old fishing boat serves as the drinks counter, and bamboo pergolas shade those who come here to sip the signature pineapple-and-ginger caipirinhas, to a bossa nova soundtrack, till sundown.

Last Orders

Dinner is served till around 10pm, and caipirinhas are served in the bar until the last guests shuffle off to bed.

Room Service

Guests can order from a full menu between 7am and 10pm.

Planes

The nearest airport is Porto Seguro International, 24km from the hotel. Air Italy, Azul Brazilian Airlines, Gol Airlines, Livingston Energy Flight, TAM and TRIP all fly here, often via a stopover in São Paulo, Rio or Salvador da Bahia. Direct flights tend to operate to Porto Seguro between November and February.

Automobiles

It’s 24km to Trancoso from Porto Seguro; there's a paved road that'll take you about 50 minutes, or the journey will take between one and two hours on the sometimes unpaved two-lane road (including the barge ferry to Arraial d'Ajuda). There’s parking at the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

The allure of this remote coastal Pataxó Indian village is never having to make an excuse for frittering away your days doing little more than swinging in a hammock, lounging poolside or strolling the talcum powder-white sand beaches; however, you could pick up a few dinner party tricks at the on-site cookery lessons, where you'll whip up Bahian dishes (moqueca stew, black-eyed-pea fritters and coconut sweets) with the hotel's chefs. If feeling ambitious, you can connect with the multi-lingual guides at Ecotrancoso for a horseback ride through the historic town, or mountain bike through forest thick with mangrove trees or across swathes of sand. Hop on a boat for a tour of Espelho and Caraiva beaches (including food and drink); ask nicely and your captain will stop by a reef, too. A speedboat is available on request. Capoeira lessons (a mix of music, dance and martial arts) are held in the hotel's studio, or you can book an hour-long session with local capoeira champs at the culture centre. Water-based activities include kayaking and surfing, and tours of nearby Caraíva Village and Aldeia Pataxó Indian reserve can be arranged through the hotel.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .