mocada,
o que voces acham dessas dicas:
Brazil is to cool what China is to commerce. And Bahia is the country's beachside boom state, the red-hot resort of the moment drawing a new wave of pleasure seekers — the fashion crowd, music lovers, off-duty movie stars — to its 650 miles of palm-fringed sand.
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Bahia Travel Guide
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Artwork by Julien Pacaud
8 Days on the Coast of Brazil
1) Start off in Salvador. Check into the Convento do Carmo, then see the capoeira dancers and have dinner at Solar do Unhão.
2) After touring Baroque buildings in the city's Pelourinho district, tuck into the moqueca at the Sorriso da Dadá restaurant. Then go to a concert at Terreiro de Jesus square.
3) Catch a plane to Porto Seguro (www.tam.com.br; $150 round trip), then a taxi to Trancoso. Check into the Pousada Etnia (www.etniabrasil.com.br).
4) Hit Itapororoca beach in the morning and Trancoso or Coqueiros beach in the afternoon. Join the beautiful people for a caipisake at Capim Santo.
5) Take a day trip to Praia do Espelho — a long stretch of white sand — with a driver from Portomondo (www.portomondo.com). Have lunch at Silvinha's.
6) Browse the sexy Brazilian swimwear shops (Lenny, Osklen) on Trancoso's main square, the Quadrado. Later, join the samba line at O Tempo Rei.
7) Hop a flight north from Porto Seguro to Ilhéus for a stay at the Txai resort in nearby Itacaré. Sign up for an afternoon horseback-riding trip.
8) Surf and swim off Tiririca beach, then bliss out with a seven-herb body treatment and an abhyanga massage at the Txai spa.
Room Mates: Hotel options, both high and low.
Convento do Carmo
Salvador's grande dame occupies an 18th-century colonial convent in the historic center, itself a Unesco World Heritage site. The often inattentive staff needs a refresher course, but the art is spectacular. Rua do Carmo 1; 011-55-71-3327-8400; www.pousadas.pt; doubles from $750.
Pousada do Boqueirão
The 15 light-flooded rooms in this Salvador town house near the bay are done in a spare Old World style. One caveat: the area can be sketchy at night. Rua Direita do Santo Antônio 48; 011-55-71-3241-2262; www.pousadaboqueirao.com.br; doubles from $90.
Txai
This ultraluxe resort in Itacaré has 40 bungalows — some with private pools and outdoor massage tables — tucked into acres of coconut groves. The (almost) private beach is shaded by swaying palms. Rodovia Ilheús Itacaré, Kilometer 48; 011-55-11-6858-7777; www.txai.com.br; doubles from $485.
Etnia
André Zanonato and Corrado Tini's garden-shaded pousada in Trancoso has eight simple bungalows. It's steps from the Quadrado, yet so secluded you'll need a flashlight at night. Rua Principal; 011-55-73-3668-1137; www.etniabrasil.com.br; doubles from $194.
Fazenda Da Lagoa
The privacy of these 14 minimalist bungalows — on an undeveloped beach in the middle of rain forest and wetlands in Ilhéus — has drawn celebrities like Valentino and Lizzy Jagger. Rodovia BA 001, Una; 011-55-73-3236-6046; www.fazendadalagoa.com.br; doubles from $360.
Tauana
This stylish nine-bungalow resort in Corumbau is a 15-minute plane ride from Trancoso and the ultimate in eco-chic: It sponsors an extensive reforestation project and is near national parks and coral reefs. 011-55-73-3668-5172; www.tauana.com; doubles from $665.
Carnival Crews
The February bacchanal in Salvador is an over-the-top, juking-and-jiving street party. Who's who, and how does it work?
Rei Momo: The King of Carnival, Momo, is handed the keys to the city at 8 p.m. on the Thursday before Fat Tuesday, and the party officially begins.
Afro-Brazilian Blocos: These troupes of up to 200 drummers parade through the streets trailed by trucks loaded with singers and blaring music. The most celebrated are Filhos de Gandhi, Timbalada and Ilê Aiyê.
Blocos: Smaller, themed parades, these are the only processions anyone can join, as long as you buy a costume and pay an entrance fee of anywhere between $40 and $470 (go to www.carnaval.com or www.portaldocarnaval.ba.gov.br).
Camarotes: These grandstands line the street in the neighborhood of Campo Grande. Watch the show from here without being trampled by the crowd.
Trios Eléctricos: Outfitted with deafening sound systems, these 60-foot-long trucks carry a kick line of gyrating, scantily clad dancers along with the city's best-loved performers, among them Ivete Sangalo, Daniela Mercury and Chiclete Com Banana.
Rhythm Nation
Salvador's musicians are creating a Bahian music explosion. Singers like these three play every night in clubs, halls and parks all over town.
Carlinhos Brown: One of Brazil's top percussionists and the founder of the band Timbalada. Essential CD: “A Gente Ainda Não Sonhou” Tip: Rising stars play at Brown's community center in Candeal. Take a taxi “a casa do Carlinhos Brown” on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday afternoons.
Ivete Sangolo: One of Brazil's most popular and successful singers. Her style is axé, a Bahian mix of African, samba and pop. Essential CD: “As Super Novas” Tip: Some of Sangolo's favorite bands play all summer in Pelourinho, notably on the Largo Quincas Berro D´Àgua.
Tom Zé: A pillar of the tropicália movement, along with Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Essential CD: “Fabrication Defect” Tip: Zé likes Olodum, which plays Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Ensaios do Olodum in Pelourinho (Largo Teresa Batista). Catch Zé himself at the Concha Acústica in Campo Grande (Praça 2 de Julho).
Divine Design
Latin America's greatest concentration of Baroque buildings is in Salvador's Pelourinho district. Start with these five churches.
Church of São Francisco
This seemingly modest structure may be dedicated to the patron saint of the poor, but behind the plain facade is an interior covered with gold, priceless azulejos (painted tiles) and masterful religious paintings. Largo do Cruzeiro de São Fransciso.
Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos
Built by slaves, it's one of the unofficial headquarters of the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé. Sunday Mass includes singing by a gospel-like choir, and many of the saints depicted inside double as Candomblé deities. Largo do Pelourinho.
Cathedral Basílica
This ornate church contains the tomb of the great Portuguese conquistador Mem de Sá. The square in front hosts samba and reggae bands on Tuesdays. Terreiro de Jesus.
Carmo Church
It houses one of Brazil's most sacred effigies — a statue of Christ in agony carved in 1730 by an untutored black slave, Francisco Xavier das Chagas, known to his masters simply as “the goat.” The red for the blood was made from more than 2,000 rubies crushed in whale oil. Ladeira do Carmo.
Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim
This is Salvador's most important house of worship — believers make a pilgrimage here every January. Kids out front sell ribbons measuring exactly 18 1/2 inches (the diameter of the arm on the Christ statue in the sacristy) for good luck. Itapagipe.
Brazilian Bounty
Trancoso's main square, the Quadrado, is lined with boutiques — and not a luxury-brand outpost among them. T's top picks:
Pick up bikinis at the boho-chic Lenny (Praça São João; 011-55-73-3668-1908; www.lenny.com.br) and men's suits — particularly square-cut Lycra trunks — at Osklen (in the Etnia boutique, Praça São João; 011-55-73-3668-1137; www.etniabrasil.com.br). For home accessories, head to Cheia de Graça (011-55-73-3668-1492) for Laila Assef's lamps made of recycled trash. At Iemanjá (011-55-73-3668-2344), the local forró D.J. Ramon Lima makes Pop Art religious statuary, and at A Marcenaria Trancoso (011-55-73-3668-1023), Ricardo Salem sells coconut jewelry boxes in Gaudíesque shapes.
Dance Fever
Capoeira — the spinning, acrobatic blend of fighting and dance set to music and drumming — was born in Bahia. See it in Salvador many evenings in Terreiro de Jesus square or at the Solar do Unhão restaurant (Avenida Contorno 8, Comércio; 011-55-71-3329-5551; dinner and show, $40).
Private Paradise
When you're traveling with family — or an entourage — you might need to upgrade from hotel to house. Brazilian Beach House has high-end options in and around Trancoso, Espelho beach and Itacaré. Each villa comes with a chef, a concierge and a staff who can wrangle invitations to under-the-radar parties (www.brazilianbeachhouse.com; from $7,000 a week). Brazil Ventura rents apartments in Salvador, some in prime carnival-watching locations (www.brazilventura.com; from $300 a week). And Bahia Forte Imóveis has properties on the beaches just north of the city, including the popular family resort Praia do Forte (www.bahiaforteimoveis.com.br; from $700 a week).
Hot Dish
Some of Brazil's most famous food hails from this part of the country, and in Salvador and Trancoso, enterprising restaurants are refining the classics and adding an international twist.
Sorriso da Dadá
The queen of traditional Bahian fare, Aldaci dos Santos (known as Dadá), began selling acarajé on the streets of Salvador. Now her restaurant draws the likes of Gilberto Gil and Hillary Rodham Clinton for moquecas (crawfish and prawns in palm oil and coconut) and other spicy Afro-Brazilian food. Rua Frei Vicente 5, Pelourinho; 011-55-71-3321-9642; entrees $5 to $10.
Soho
A-listers crowd the long bar at this Salvador hot spot for caipirinhas before sitting down to Rogério Bispo's sashimi and sushi. The Saõ Paulo chef gives his fish a Bahian gloss with herb-infused oil, oyster sauce and red pepper. Come late and grab a table on the veranda. Avenida Contorno 1010, Bahia Marina; 011-55-71-3322-4554; entrees $4 to $15.
