Rooms

Strolling through the tropical gardens, just a couple of hundred yards from the beach, you'll find a collection of suites and 1- or 2-bedroom villas.

Villa Sky VIP is the largest. Having just one bedroom, it's ideal for honeymooners. The open design sees sunlight shaft down over two floors, traversing hand-carved columns as it does. There's a raised private dining area, a bar and a living room with a fireplace. Upstairs you'll find a kingsize bed, a Jacuzzi, and a deck area where you can gaze out to the distant ocean, beach, pool and gardens.

The thatched Two-Bedroom Villas come with a small living room, a master bathroom with a dressing area, and double showers, as well as a second bathroom with a shower (no bath). Great for families, the bedrooms can be configured as doubles or twins, with one able to fit an additional single bed. As well as air-conditioning, they also have fans.

The comfortable One-Bedroom Villas have large bathrooms with showers (no bath), plus verandas where you can lazily swing in a hammock. The Suites, which we're yet to see, also come with 1 bedroom. These are smaller than the villas, but are a great option for couples on a budget.

The villas are built using Brazilian wood and palm thatch and are decorated with fine white linen, romantically draped mosquito nets, local crafts and colourful rugs. The owners refer to it as "elegant simplicity". Each has air-conditioning, WiFi and a safe for your valuables.

Features include:

• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• Mosquito net
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

All paths lead to the poolside thatched cabana restaurant, where you can expect tasty dishes made with fresh local ingredients, including a plentiful supply of seafood. It's friendly and informal, but romancers can try a candlelit dinner in their villa for a sense of occasion. There's also a great little beach bar, perfect for sundrenched cocktails between swims.

The restaurant has an extensive and reasonably priced lunch and dinner menu made up of local and international offerings. Try traditional favorites such as seafood moqueca, baked lobster, shrimp bobo, mushroom risotto as well as special dishes of fish, shrimp, chicken and beef.

Breakfast is buffet style and in keeping with the surroundings: seasonal tropical fruits and juices along with a selection of baked breads, pastries, cheeses and omelettes of your choice.

If you wish to venture further afield, there are several good restaurants in Trancoso's Quadrado, but you'll need to take a taxi.

Features include:

• Bar
• Breakfast
• Restaurant

Activities

• Make sure you visit Trancoso for its atmosphere. Take a short taxi ride to the village Quadrado - a large grassy rectangle dominated at one end by a simple white colonial church overlooking the cliffs to the ocean. You'll find horses grazing and locals playing football or practising capoeira all surrounded by brightly coloured one storey dwellings which are home to boutiques and restaurants
  
• Trancoso has some of the best beaches in Brazil; you can explore the area yourselves or seek advice from the knowledgeable hotel staff. Itaporoca, Curuipe and Espelho (20km) are all highly recommended
  
• Go shopping around Trancoso's Quadrado, home to chi-chi boutiques selling hot Brazilian labels rather than global designer names
  
• Go bicycling or horse riding up and down the beach
  
• Kayak on one of the many rainforest river tributaries or amongst the mangroves
  
• Golf at the world-class Terravista course (2km away) - a beautiful setting overlooking cliffs and ocean, jungle and lakes
  
• Borrow a board and go body surfing
  
• There's an on-site gym and access to nearby tennis courts can be arranged

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Golf
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Well being

Kids

Children of all ages are welcome.

Family friendly accommodation:

The Two-Bedroom Villas have a good amount of space and the option of twin bedrooms.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Villas de Trancoso is located 2km from the village of Trancoso, south of Porto Seguro in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It's an hours' drive from Porto Seguro airport.

By Air:
Porto Seguro (80km) is the nearest airport and has good domestic links from São Paulo, Salvador (in Bahia) and Rio de Janeiro. From here the hotel offers airport transfers for the hour-long drive to Villas de Trancoso. We recommend using them as numerous guests have got lost en route in the past. Alternatively you can take a taxi or hire a car.

By Car:
If you are interested in hiring a car, please see our car rental recommendations. Avoid travelling at night due to pot-holes and badly signposted roads.

By Bus and Ferry:
If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you can take a short bus or taxi ride from the airport to the ferry in Porto Seguro, which crosses to Arraial d'Ajuda. The ferry (which takes pedestrians and cars) leaves every 15-30 minutes and takes about 10 minutes to cross the Buranhém River. From Arraial d'Ajuda you can take a taxi for the last 15km.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Brazil and getting around