In the coastal village of Trancoso on Brazil’s Bahian shore, UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa welcomes guests with romantic, individual casas — some of which were originally rustic fisherman’s cottages dating to the 1500s. Wilbert Das employed local artists and artisans to give an authentic Brazilian touch to the décor. The swimming pool is a stunner, lined with aventurine crystals and surrounded by a curved deck. On the beach, there’s a cozy lounge built from old fishing boats.

Two restaurants offer Bahian cuisine, a blend of African, Native American and Portuguese traditional flavors. Treatments at the Almescar Spa are based on ancient therapies used by the Pataxó Indians, employing ingredients found in the rainforest’s Almescar trees. There are 11 casas ranging from one to three bedrooms: four renovated fisherman’s cottages fronting the 16^th-century village square, and seven new casas — built from reclaimed wood — set amid the property’s private gardens. UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa is located about an hour and a half by air from either Rio de Janeiro or São Paulo.

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