Estrela d’Agua

Made famous by Gisele Bündchen years ago, the twenty-eight room Estrela d’Agua is perhaps the best-known beach resort in all of Bahia.

• Direct access to miles of wide sandy beach
• Ocean vistas from the Presidential Suite
• Privacy of the Master Suite bungalows with private pools
• The property’s culinary focus

Leonardo DiCaprio and Gisele Bündchen made this property famous years ago, which means, unfortunately, that if you are not a regular or have one who is willing to pull some strings, it can be nearly difficult to secure a room during the high period.

The main house was once the private residence of legendary Brazilian singer Gal Costa and now houses a dining room, living room and TV room. Its verandah, lined with rocking chairs, faces a fabulous pool and beyond it a twenty-mile long white sand beach. The décor is typical beach chic with lots of white linens, mosquito-net draped beds and Indian crafts or bright pillows to add a splash of color. The twenty-eight guestrooms are located in cottages fanning out around the property. Twenty of the rooms are doubles with small verandahs in the garden and eight are larger Master Suites some with private pools and one with a sweeping view of the ocean. Huge daybeds surround the pool area and a giant thatched hut on the dunes has comfortable seating for those who want to get out of the sun without leaving the beach scene. There’s a small gym and boutique and the concierge can arrange water sports and excursions. No children under eleven are permitted.

Tip: Whether you stay here or elsewhere, be sure to come for lunch at one of the tables between the pool and the dunes and to stop in at the small Richard’s outpost for some shopping.