Hotel Villas de Trancoso

On its face, Trancoso isn’t very different from any of the other charming coastal villages in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil. It just happens to be the one that A-list celebrities have heard about. Beyoncé, Leonardo di Caprio, and Diane von Furstenberg, to name just a few, have all vacationed here in recent years, but the village still feels surprisingly traditional. A tiny church sits on the central quadrado, on a cliff high above the ocean. By day, it’s quiet, save for a few kids kicking around a soccer ball; a wooded path leads downhill to the beaches, where you’ll find Hotel Villas de Trancoso.

Like the village itself, it retains a thoroughly relaxed, low-key feel — a quality that predates, and will surely survive, the current parade of actresses and rock stars who name Trancoso as a favorite getaway. In fact, to understand the appeal of the place, it’s better to forget about the celebrities altogether and consider what makes this part of Brazil so appealing in the first place. Hotel Villas de Trancoso, like the town itself, is secluded, down-to-earth, effortlessly stylish. Unlike some of the competition, it’s outside of town, close to the white sandy beaches for which Bahia is famous. Though there are a handful of suites, most of the hotel’s guest rooms are housed within independent villas. The aesthetic might be called tropical Brazilian chic: high wood-beamed ceilings, four-poster beds with romantic (and practical) mosquito netting, white drapery, verandas facing lush green gardens. Standard amenities include 42-inch flatscreen TVs, bathrooms with waterfall showers and products by L’Occitane, iPhone docks, and hammocks. Villas also feature two-story layouts, skylights, Jacuzzis, and separate dining areas.

Not that you’ll need your own dining space when such a world-class breakfast is served each morning in the open-air restaurant. Here’s another thing northeastern Brazil is famous for: lavish but laid-back breakfast spreads featuring exotic fresh-squeezed fruit juices and a variety of freshly baked pastries and savory regional dishes. As the day rolls on, the same space doubles as a beach bar, and later, a fine dining venue. You can also order lunch (or a couple of caipirinhas) while lying in a lounge chair on the hotel’s exquisite private beach, or relaxing beside the white marble swimming pool, a family of monkeys playing in the treetops overhead. At night, thousands of tiny lights illuminate the tropical foliage, adding extra magic to an already memorable seaside landscape. It’s an idyllic place, regardless of who’s in town — and part of the charm here is that you won’t know, or much care, who else might be around.

How to get there: Hotel Villas de Trancoso is located approximately 71 km by car from Porto Seguro Airport via BR-367 and Estr. Trancoso.

Please note: Hotel Villas de Trancoso has a 4 night minimum stay requirement.