Hotel Maitei

At this late date, putting up an airy minimalist hotel along a quiet stretch of the Bahian coast isn’t exactly the Copernican revolution. But while the hilltop Hotel Maitei doesn’t offer any earth-shattering design innovations — it checks all the mod-Brazilian boxes, from the unblemished white lounge chairs to the panoramic-view swimming pool — the place executes its formula with panache.

The scope is small, with only seventeen guest rooms, and the designers have opted for quality over novelty at every turn: each room has an ocean-view balcony, a king-sized bed topped with fine feather pillows and all-cotton linens, a Jacuzzi built for two, and a flat-screen TV with DVD player. The color palette and textures are reminiscent of the sea: deep blues, pale sand and bright white polished cement floors and large panes of glass.

The beach is a downhill hike from the hotel, a possible drawback for lazy sunbathers, but the upshot is that guests lounging by the Maitei’s pair of pools enjoy marvelous views of the aquamarine waters below. Who wants to leave the premises, anyway, when there are so many inviting chaise lounges scattered across the terrace and a bartender slicing limes for caipirinhas?

Tropical fruits and black coffee are on offer at breakfast time on the terrace and in the casually elegant dining area, which serves as a more formal eatery after 3pm. The town of Arraial d’Ajuda, with cobblestoned pedestrian walkways lined with high-end boutiques, fills with Italian and Argentinian vacationers at night. Though not exactly an undiscovered paradise, it’s certainly a romantic setting for a candlelit seafood dinner or a stroll.

Please note: Children under the age of 12 cannot be accommodated.

How to get there: Hotel Maitei is approximately thirty minutes’ drive from Porto Seguro Airport (BPS).