Porto da Lua

Great location, delicious restaurant and super helpful staff!

The Porta do Lua is a charming, small boutique hotel right on the beach. The complimentary breakfast is plentiful and varied. The staff is very nice and try to accommodate English as best they can. The tide swings are amazing in Bahia, when the tide goes out mid-morning, vendors show up on the beach with masks and snorkels so folks can snorkel in the tide pools. You can walk on the rocky bottom to get to the tide pools, but it helps to have swim shoes or Crocs. The beaches are very nice and you can walk forever in either direction. You can walk to the downtown area in approx. 5 minutes, lots of restaurants and artisan shops. Very nice area for a romantic get away.

We had a wonderful experience. The hotel staff is super nice, but this was not unusual in Brazil where everyone treated us well. Most people do not speak English in Brazil but that did not get in the way of a good stay. The rooms are "rustic" with hard floors, '70s style, and while the size is adequate, they are small. We had two of our best meals there at this hotel. The service and the setting are ordinary, but the food was simply great. They offer free tea and coffee at 4pm daily. Internet access is free. If you are considering this hotel, remember that this is a resort type place and is located within a village like setting with some unpaved roads and when it rains it is a mess (but we considered that a part of the fun! People walk to the village center which consist of numerous shops and restaurants to walk around and shop. The mood is informal with 95% of people walking in flip flops. Two negatives about this area and this hotel if that there is no swimming pool and the beach appears rocky in some areas at low tide. It had rained for three days before we got there so the ocean was choppy, windy, and muddy. Still we saw people swimming. In low tide, pools are water are created within the rocks which is a marvel to explore on foot and see small creatures. The other negative is the cab ride cost of about US$100 each way to Salvador airport (65km). Our driver spoke English which was a nice change and the cost was small as compared to our overall expenditures in Brazil!

Clean and safe and in a great location right on the beach. Beautiful walks are possible along a long and sandy beach. Swimming is a bit challenging due to the rocks. But you can go out at low tide. Short walk to the village nearby. Breakfast was fine. Rooms were clean and comfortable.