UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa

In May 2009, UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa opened its doors onto Trancoso’s buzzy Quadrado, bringing to the sleepy fishing village (turned jetset destination) a bohemian chic  hotel.

• The Bahian-bohemian interior décor
• Independence of the freestanding casas on the Quadrado
• People-watching on loungers at the UXUA Praia Bar
• Trancoso-native Johnny, UXUA’s charismatic Food & Beverage Manager

The brainchild of Diesel Creative Director, Wilbert Das, UXUA is made up of nine one-, two-, and three- bedroom casas, over half of which date back to the 16th century Jesuit settlement of the region. After a careful and loving restoration of these units, four additional ones were constructed and all subsequently outfitted with reclaimed materials, local handicrafts as well as Bahian antiques and art.

The resulting décor and ambiance is whimsical, barefoot-beach chic, with a strong and indigenous sense of place. Each casa is a private abode and all are equipped with a dining area, private garden or patio, indoor and outdoor bathrooms, kitchens or kitchenettes and King-sized beds with 600 thread-count Egyptian cotton linens most of which are draped in dreamy mosquito netting. LCD Flatscreens are surreptitiously hidden in each, though doubtfully are ever sought out or switched on.

Four units front the main square, awash in colors like mint green and magenta, while three surround the main restaurant and aventurine crystal-encrusted swimming pool. An additional two are located near the main entrance, where the property boasts a three-treatment room spa, dance studio and small fitness center.

A seven- to ten-minute walk down a dirt road leads guests to UXUA’s rustic beach lounge, the UXUA Praia Bar, housed within a shipwrecked fisherman’s boat under a thatched palapa.

Offering the very epitome of Trancoso – the pulsing rhythm of its Quadrado and access to world-renowned white-sand praias – UXUA is arguably the best address in Bahia.

Couples and families alike would be happy at UXUA. While the property is boutique, the expanse of the Quadrado and access to a beach club make it feel much larger.