Jill MedingerA Unique Adventure at a 500-year-old Casa in Brazil.
It’s said that authenticity is the greatest luxury, and that’s what a visit to Brazil’s picturesque and historic Bahia state can offer. Nowhere else delivers an experience like Trancoso’s Quadrado and its car-free, UNESCO-protected town square.
UXUA Casa Hotel and Spa features 10 unique casas that blend seamlessly into the small fishing village on Brazil’s southern coast. Four casas are restored shermen’s homes facing the 16th-century town green called the Quadrado, while six others are hidden in a lush private garden. Five of the casas date back 500 years to the village’s founding.
The casas were created by designer Wilbert Das in collaboration with local artisans using tradi- tional building methods, reclaimed materials, and Brazilian antiques and art. Their design blends rustic elements with contemporary comfort and fuses indoor and outdoor living spaces to take advantage of the year-round tropical climate. Portuguese adventurers, Jesuit missionaries, Indian tribes, African slaves, and even Brazilian hippies have contributed to the architecture, art, and antiques that make the resort’s casas a unique expression of the local culture.
Each casa includes a private garden, deck, or patio; bathrooms with outdoor gardens and handmade fixtures of copper and wood; furniture by local artisans, created from reclaimed materi- als; and Bahain antiques and art. UXUA’s rustic beach lounge, Almescar Spa, Quadrado restaurant, and five-star service complete the perfect holiday.
In general, horseback is the preferred method of transportation around Trancoso and for guests at this Bahian retreat. Taipe Beach, long a secret of the native Pataxo Indians, offers an exclusive horseback excursion and spa treatment for guests. The four- hour excursion begins with a horseback ride to the red-colored cliffs of Taipe Beach for a natural, detoxifying body scrub with a mineral-rich clay that has been used for centuries as a stress relieving therapy. Bask in the sun with your body covered in white clay, then take a quick dip in the ocean to wash it all away, leaving your skin fresh and smooth.