Rooms

The 1- to 3-bedroom casas are scattered around the sprawling gardens, affording ample privacy and shade. All have custom-made and locally sourced furniture and antiques, Bahian artwork and décor.

All have indoor/outdoor living rooms and bathrooms, kingsize beds, mosquito nets, top-notch linens and WiFi. There are TVs but nature and local life are ample entertainment. All except Casa da Arvore and Ceramica have kitchens or kitchenettes, giving guests the choice of self-catering, being catered for or a combination of each. Bathrooms (some open-air) have power showers and luxurious toiletries from Natura (a Brazilian eco brand). The carpentry, fittings and finishing are rustic yet flawless throughout.

Each casa is totally unique. Though hard to compare, the original houses facing onto the Quadrado might just be our favourite. Of these, Gulab Mahal - the 2-bedroom home of the previous owners - is a real treat, thanks to its original features, airiness and ‘meditation’ mezzanine. Couples who are into all things pink and spacious will love Seu Pedrinho (all 135sqm of it). Zé e Zilda is fab for families or 2 couples happy to share. The bedrooms in this are a little smaller than most, but you do get a seating area right on the Quadrado. Bright blue 1-bedroom Seu Irenio has a calming white interior and a private plunge pool beyond the outside bathroom. Casa das Artes has playful interiors and Casinha has a teardrop-shaped pool immersed in a jungle-like garden.

Seu João, set in a sunny corner, is also lovely with an indoor/outdoor seating and eating area, a private plunge pool, an outdoor shower and a small pergola. Terraço do Céu, hidden among the foliage, has a spectacular rooftop terrace with a plunge pool and views of the rainforest and ocean.

Eugênia feels homely with a vast living room leading onto an indoor/outdoor kitchen and terrace; perfect for dinner parties. Casa da Arvore is every child's fantasy tree house, a romantic and fun place to stay if you don’t want to self-cater and like the idea of swing seats under your house. But it may not suit arachnophobes or people who like lots of natural light. Estudio is a ground-floor studio situated in the middle of the property. What it lacks in terms of seclusion, it makes up for with smooth interior design and its proximity to the main pool.

Since our last visit 4 more unique lodges have been added: Quintal is a 1-bedroom suite above Estudio; Ceramica is a quaint haven for artistic types; Dona Frozina is set in a long and lush walled garden for ultimate privacy; the cherry on top is 3-bedroom Casa do Lago, the most spacious, designed for outdoor living with 2 alfresco lounge areas, plus a pond big enough to swim in (if you don't mind sharing with a few fish).

Features include:

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

Eating

UXUA offers the best of both worlds when it comes to eating: cook or be cooked for. Each casa (except Casa da Arvore) has a kitchen or kitchenette and a dining area, and self-catering for a few meals at least is a popular option, especially for families. There's a decent range of crockery and gadgets in each casa, and a couple of grocery stores on the Quadrado.

Restaurant meals are served throughout the day, either in your own accommodation or in the poolside dining area (all at extra cost). Breakfast was a gargantuan feast. Just when we thought the waiter had brought the last dish out, he'd reappear with yet another: fresh fruits, juices, cereals, cold meats, cheeses, eggs, fried bananas and cakes...

With regards to lunch and dinner, guests are spoilt for choice. The in-house Bahian menu includes honey-glazed jumbo prawns, mozzarella and tomato salad encased in pastry, and grilled tuna and courgette medallions sprinkled with berries. Alternatively, reception can arrange for a chef to cook a private meal in your kitchen. Friends staying elsewhere in Trancoso can be invited to UXUA for lunch or dinner parties at your casa if reception is forewarned of their visit.

Delicious cocktails can be ordered all day and evening from the bar, and served by the pool or in your casa. But we'd recommend heading down to the beach if you fancy a drink: UXUA's fabulous beach bar, 10 minutes' walk away - or even closer with the complimentary shuttle service -, has a lively atmosphere, with a DJ mixing from a fishing boat.

You'll want to eat out at least once during your visit: Trancoso offers one of Brazil's top selections of international restaurants. A dozen of the best places are listed in your casa, including traditional Bahian, Italian, French and Asian cuisine. All are a 2- to 5-minute stroll across or around the magical Quadrado.

Features include:

• Bar
• Chef on request
• Kids' meals
• Kitchenette
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Saunter down the hill to bliss out at UXUA's beach bar (great tunes, white sands, turquoise seas), or to play beach volleyball. The atmosphere here is cool, with a wooden gym and a capoeira platform built into the design, "to make sure the beach will always attract local people and not just travellers"
  
• Mountain-biking and kayaking adventures, arranged by UXUA, are not for the unfit - we did the 4-hour excursion which started with a 15km bike ride and ended with a 3km paddle down the river. Excellent but exhausting! They can arrange trekking and horse riding, too
  
• Soak up Trancoso's atmosphere: the Quadrado is a large grassy rectangle dominated at one end by a simple white colonial church overlooking the cliffs to the ocean. Instead of traffic, you find horses grazing in the shade of trees, locals playing football and practising capoeira, and candles and torches providing street lighting in the evening. Lining the Quadrado are colourful 1-storey dwellings; once fishermen's houses, they've recently been turned into interesting shops, galleries and intimate restaurants. Although Brazil's super-fashionable and famous now own holiday villas here, smiling locals still form the backbone of the community guarding its heritage and laid-back vibe
  
• Go shopping - remarkably, you'll find some of Brazil's very best clothes in this simple setting. Better still, as the shops don’t open until 4pm, day-trippers are discouraged. Surrounding the grassy square are a host of chi-chi boutiques selling hot Brazilian labels rather than global designer names. Don't miss Lenny Niemeyer's shop (for colourful bikinis and wraps), Richard's (for men’s casual wear) and Osklen (for eco-chic beachwear)
  
• Trancoso has some of the best beaches in Brazil, some within walking distance (10-20 minutes away), some worth a drive to (up to 2 hours away). Itaporoca, Curuipe and Espelho (20km away) are all highly recommended; snorkelling is excellent off most, with the reefs close to shore
  
• From August to December, the northeast winds are perfect for kite and windsurfing, you can hire equipment nearby
  
• Choose which beach you'd like to fish, or take an organised tour on a fishing boat; bring your catch home for dinner
  
• These waters are ideal for diving, with reefs teeming with coral, crustaceans and fish
  
• Trancoso has 4 tennis courts; you can rent rackets
  
• Terravista Golf Course (12km from town) is considered to be the most challenging in South America
  
• Call reception and ask for a manicurist or masseuse to pamper you at your casa
  
• Relax in the Vida Spa, with locally produced, hand-made porducts. It features five water jets flowing from carved eucalyptus trunks, designed by Das, in a tropical wet room overlooking the treetops. Additionally there is a fitness centre for yoga, personal training and one-on-one sessions where guests may learn the art of capoeira , a Brazilian sport which mixes martial arts with dance. Treatments include Hot Stone Massage, Reflexology and Facials using fresh ingredients including 100% virgin coconut oil, shea butter, Brazil nuts, pitanga and dark cocoa grown in the gardens

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Golf
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Plantlife / flora
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Tennis
• Traditional cultures
• Well being
• Windsurfing
• Yoga

Kids

Children are welcome - but to be honest, the hotel is not particularly geared towards them.

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa is set on the Quadrado in the hippy-chic village of Trancoso, south of Porto Seguro in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It's a 45-minute drive from Porto Seguro Airport.

By Air:
Porto Seguro Airport (40km) is the nearest. There are a few direct charter flights from Portugal to Porto Seguro, but most guests take a domestic hop from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Salvador. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa can arrange a transfer or you can take a taxi or hire a car. We recommend the latter if you want to explore some of the beaches beyond Trancoso. The 60km drive to the hotel is along a paved road and takes about 45 minutes.

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 point 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.

By Car:
If you want to hire a car, see our car rental recommendations. Avoid travelling at night due to pot-holes and badly signposted roads.

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

More on getting to Brazil and getting around