Etnia Casa Hotel

Up north in Bahia is where you’ll find the wilder, rougher side of Brazil — which for anyone bored of the beach scene in Rio is not a warning but a positive enticement. Trancoso was one of the prototypical fishing-villages-turned-hideaways, and there’s still plenty of that mellow bohemian vibe about it. Which Etnia Casa Hotel trades upon quite liberally.

Far-flung though it may be, Etnia is owned by a pair of Italian expat hipsters, who lend their creation a certain easy cosmopolitanism.

Ultimately though the style is somewhat beside the point. What counts here is the atmosphere (unrelentingly mellow), as well as the environment — surrounded by tall trees, you’re comfortably secluded, with even the beach a good ten minutes away. Enjoy the silence at the poolside, or check out the old town of Trancoso — while certainly not a resort town it is a getaway for a lot of discerning Brazilians, and the old town center features a number of surprisingly upscale shops and nightspots.

How to get there: Etnia Casa Hotel is located in Trancoso, Porto Seguro, which is a 2 hour flight from Sao Paulo. By bus the trip is nearly 26 hours. From Porto Seguro you can take a ferry followed by a short 40 km car ride or the hotel can provide a slightly longer ride by car only.