Boutique hotels
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Etnia Pousada and Boutique
- Style
- Jungle gem
- Setting
- Hipsters’ hang-out Trancoso
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Fazenda São Francisco
- Style
- Hamptons-inspired beach bungalows
- Setting
- Palm-lined Corumbau sand bar
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Hotel Fazenda da Lagoa
- Style
- Eco cabañas
- Setting
- Amazing Amazon lagoon
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Uxua Casa Hotel
- Style
- Rustic Modernism, casual luxury
- Setting
- Beachside, yet at the heart of village life
Bahia Eating, drinking and dancing
Restaurants
(+55 (0)73 3632 1212)
Churrascaria Recanto Gaùcho
This legendary Brazilian barbecue joint offers Ilhéus’s finest meat spread. Every type of animal flesh imaginable is thrown on the grill, and you eat until you can take no more. There’s a salad buffet, too – not that you’ll want to bother with that.
Avenida Lomanto Junior 223, Pontal
(+55 (0)71 321 1712)
Dona Chika-Ka
Situated in a second-floor dining room, this charming Salvador restaurant is great for seafood. Try the wonderful lobster moqueca or the stuffed crab.
Rua José Castro Rabelo, Salvador
(+55 (0)73 3668 2121)
Japaiano
The in-house restaurant for Trancoso’s Hotel da Praça, Japaiano is where ex-Nobu chef Felipe Bronze serves up Japanese-Bahian fusion dishes such as moqueca sushi and shrimp tempura.
Praça São João, Quadrado, Trancoso
(+55 (0)71 3264 6464)
Pereira Restaurante
An upmarket bar/restaurant in Salvador, Pereira has become a bit of a celebrity magnet. Come here for excellent tapas and people-watching.
Avenida 7 de Setembro, Salvador
(+55 (0)73 9981 6750)
Restaurant Casa da Empada
You’ll find Brazil’s best empadas (salty pasties stuffed with shrimp, crab or dried meat) in this restaurant on the beach road, around 15 miles outside Ilhéus. Come, too, for the laid-back atmosphere and to eat in a garden bursting with brightly coloured flowers.
Rodovia Ilhéus–Itacaré
(+55 (0)73 3632 5613)
Restaurant Morro dos Navegantes
This beachside restaurant near Ilhéus offers wonderful ocean views from its palm-fringed terrace, as well as some great seafood-dominated pizzas.
Praia do Cururupe, Ilhéus Olivença
(+55 (0)73 3634 0088)
Theater Bataclan
A former brothel in the centre of Ilhéus, the Bataclan is a stylish relic from the time of the booming cocoa industry. It’s a great place for a drink or a spot of Afro-Brazilian cuisine. Closed on Sundays.
Avenida 2 de Julho, Ilhéus
(+55 (0)71 321 3089)
Uaua
This Salvador restaurant serves up excellent meat dishes, as well as some delicious seafood options.
Rua Gregorio de Matos, Salvador
(+55 (0)71 231 5770)
Yemanja
The place to go for traditional Bahian cuisine in Salvador, Yemanja offers plenty of spicy stews (the moquecas are a must-order), as well as local specialities such as freshwater pitu prawns
Avenida Otávio Mangabeira, Salvador
Bars
(+55 (0)73 3231 8300)
Bar Barrakitika
Do as the Ilhéus locals do and cram round the tables outside this typical Brazilian bar for cold beers in the warm sun. There’s also an outdoor grill if you get hungry.
Rua General Camara, Ilhéus
(+55 (0)73 3634 2164)
Bar Vesúvio
Set in the house occupied by Gabriela in the famous Jorge Amado novel, Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, this is where to come for drinks, mezze and live music in Ilhéus.
Praça Dom Eduardo 190, Ilhéus
(+55 (0)73 3668 1258)
Maritaca
This Moroccan-themed bar/restaurant by the sea in Trancoso is a great spot for oceanside drinking.
Rua do Telégrafo 338, Trancoso
(+55 (0)73 3668 1472)
O Tempo Rei
If you fancy a spot of open-air dancing, or nodding to live music with a mojito in your hand, then this popular club in the fashionable resort of Trancoso is for you.
Praça São João 172, Trancoso
