Where to Stay in Salvador and Beyond: Bahia Hotel & Apartment Concerns

A logical concern of most people coming to Salvador is which area to stay in, and (setting Carnival aside) this consideration usually comes down to some kind of a choice involving Salvador's Centro Histórico and/or beaches . In this section I include a compendium of the complete range of lodging available in Salvador, and several places and people have been highlighted.

The big hotels tend to be strung out along the orla (Atlantic seafront). Then you've got smaller hotels in Barra and Porto da Barra, others (generally less expensive) scattered along the principal thoroughfare of Avenida Sete de Setembro (shortened to "Avenida Sete" by the locals), and still others (usually inexpensive) in and around Pelourinho. If you're shopping for the bottom end of the spectrum in this area you have to be careful; some of these hotels are "by the hour" with all that that entails.

There are also pousadas (guesthouses, or bed & breakfasts) in Barra, Pelourinho, and Santo Antônio (and other places as well, to be sure), and hostels (albergues) which are for the most part located in Pelourinho (though a lot of the "pousadas" in Barra are hostels as well).

The City's Cobbled Colonial Center

Salvador's Centro Histórico is a nexus encompassing the conjoined areas of Pelourinho, Carmo, and Santo Antônio.

English artist Charles Butler has established a guesthouse in this area with unlikely name of  "Hotel Redfish" (you'll have to ask him!) where he seeks to see that his guests are fully informed, oriented, and positioned to make the most of their stay.

The hotel is conveniently located within strolling distance of Pelourinho, with its entertainment, restaurants and bars, and this of course puts it within ten minutes of Carnival in Bahia.

Hotel Redfish is a Lonely Planet Top 5 Author Pick!

Zelina

Pousada Baluarte est une jolie maison d'hôte situé dans le tranquille quartier de Santo-Antonio en plein coeur du centre historique, a deux pas du "Pelourinho", quartier ou vous trouverez tout type d'animations, restaurants, piano-bar, boutiques, internet-café, téatre, show de musique, de capoeira..., et toute la beautée de l'architecture coloniale.

The Baluarte is a lovely family-type guesthouse/bed & breakfast located in Salvador's Centro Histórico and owned and operated by Frenchman Jean-Paul and his Brazilian wife Zelina.  Jean-Paul is a master craftsman who has personally handled all the work on the house.  Zelina likewise prepares the big homestyle Brazilian breakfasts, and every pillow and cushion in the place was made by her hand! This is a warm, friendly, secure, comfortable, well-wrought and very reasonably-priced place, well worth looking into!

(Trip Advisor agrees!)

	Salvador's Tropical Beaches

Farol de Itapoan

Salvador's "north pole" is comprised of the great beaches (meaning vast stretches of nearly-white palm-lined sand) within Salvador's metropolitan area: Itapoan, Stella Maris, and Flamengo. These beaches start at the Farol (Lighthouse) de Itapoan and move northward, away from the city.

	Hotel Encanto de Itapoan

This area has a friendly guesthouse -- Hotel Encanto de Itapoan -- built around not only beaches, but music as well.  The establishment is owned and run by the Rochas, an English/Brazilian couple who understand both Salvador and its culture well and who will happily share this knowledge with their guests. The music connection is the Brazilian half of the couple, a guitar player who specializes in bossa nova: Listen to Bia Rocha sing her father's composition Dama da Noite.

Click above for info...

  Encanto de Itapoan is a Lonely Planet Top 5 Author Pick!

Encanto de Itapoan is rated number 1 in the Trip Advisor Popularity Index! Click above for the reviews!

Furnished Apartments in Salvador

In addition to pousadas (guesthouses) it's possible to rent furnished short-term apartments. Two Americans who handle such are:

Alain Zamrini

	Daniel Blumenthal

Salvador Bahia Hotel Reservations

Daniel Blumenthal (from the San Francisco bay area) also handles hotel reservations here in Salvador:

Salvador's hotels may be booked via Daniel Blumenthal's service, should one care to utilize it.

Bahia Lodging: Further Listings

Rio de Janeiro

A Room with a View
(And what a view it is!*)

Going to Rio? Want to stay in the same place where Quincy Jones, Alan Parker, George Martin (who recorded a part of Rhythm of Life here), and Stephen Frears have all stayed (among numerous other artists of various stripes)? And you're not a millionaire director, producer, or musician (or even if you are)? Well go to Bob Nadkarni's Maze Inn! Double rooms are 100 Brazilian reais per night (like, 40 euros).

Host/Raconteur/Good Guy Bob Nadkarni

Is there a catch? Yes, there is...a very interesting one: The Maze Inn is situated in a favela. This, however, is a very safe favela (Tavares Bastos, in the area of Catete, minutes away from Lapa), and in that the guesthouse is located at the top of a very big hill it has a spectacular view over Rio that absolutely no other lodging establishment in the city has (soon to be seen in a scene -- shot right in the guesthouse -- from the upcoming Incredible Hulk 2). This is a place like no other in the world!

From the Guardian...

From the Telegraph...

The Maze Inn's site...

* From the hanging-out area...not from the rooms themselves.

** Disclaimer: Bob does not pay me for this blurb, although he plied me with free beer and caipirinhas when I was there.