Fazenda São Francisco

Mr & Mrs Smith have a trip to this boutique hotel in Bahia in the travel diary, and just as soon as they've emptied their bags and shaken the sand from their shoes, a full anonymous review of Fazenda São Francisco will be posted here. In the meantime, just to whet your wanderlust, here's a brief snapshot of this Brazilian beach escape.

If it’s not a contradiction in terms, this hotel screams relaxation. It’s remote, for one thing, located on the leafy fringe of South Bahia’s rainforest, where the gleaming white sand bar of Corumbau stretches out into the Atlantic Ocean. It’s a place to escape from the rigours of the world, swinging gently in a hammock slung between the coconut palms, or trailing a toe in the warm waters of the emerald-tiled seawater pool. With just 10 suites, (four in spacious standalone bungalows) set beside two kilometres of spotless beach, there’s an unassailable atmosphere of intimate serenity, but if you’re still suffering from an excess of energy, the surroundings provide ample opportunity for adventure. Hiking trails snake out of the farm through the surrounding mangrove swamps, the coral reef a short swim away from the shore makes for sublime snorkelling and scuba, and schooners nip along the waves, offering the chance to catch the camera-friendly coastline from another angle.