Review: Uxua Casa Hotel & Spa

Set the scene for us: Where is this place, and what's the vibe? 
This is a place that could pull anyone to Brazil—a jungle gypset pin-up for the transglobal community and an effortless hangout for accomplished daydreamers. Super laid-back and informal, a million miles from the look of any cookie-cutter hotel, and rather like entering a private home straight out of a Jorge Amado novel. It’s along the lines of certain places in Ibiza and Tulum.

Does it have a story behind it? 
Wilbert Das, Dutch-born ex-creative director of Diesel Jeans, has been passionate about designing and creating a modern Brazilian getaway far from the clichés of soccer and carnival glitz in the sleepy, post-hippie village of Trancoso, in Bahia on the Atlantic coast.

Tell us about the rooms. 
My room, Casa da Arvore, was a treehouse, and the most luxurious, eccentric, spacious treehouse ever built. Polished wooden floors and an organic, homemade simplicity meets rustic chic with outdoor living areas, a big bed draped in white linen and mosquito nets, and a hot tub. All the Uxua casas are gorgeous, but this is the best.

How about the food and drink? 
Breakfast is a superb spread of tropical fruits and juices. Resident chefs serve up fresh Brazilian dishes for lunch and dinner at outdoor tables overlooking the Quadrado—order the moqueca of lobster and king prawns, a sensational Bahian coconut-cream seafood stew spiced up with subtle zing. On Wednesday nights there’s a special feast that attracts an interesting local crowd. A more private bar/restaurant overlooks the pool between the casas, while the beach club has an old fishing boat and bamboo-strut shade, with no shortage of Caipirinhas and seaside spicy snacks.

So, what sort of person comes here? 
Tomorrow’s people: the accidentally beautiful who have lost interest in the ephemeral pleasures of the modern world. They mix Havaianas, pastel-colored sarongs, and straw hats with expensive designer swimwear; listen to vintage bossa nova, Bebel Gilberto, and the Grateful Dead—or if things get too laid-back, a bit of new-wave sertanjero hip-hop, such as Luan Santana.

Anything to say about the service? 
You don’t even notice it—everything you need just seems to already be there or arrives silently.

What’s the neighborhood scene like? 
Trancoso, in rural Bahia where life is slow and uncomplicated, the only agenda is live music and games of village soccer around the church.

Anything we missed? 
The walk to the sea is a gentle downhill amble on a stone path through the jungle, followed by a wooden walkway through a mangrove swamp.

So bottom line: Is it worth it—and why? 
Uxua has many imitators but no equal—and has become the reason many come to this part of Brazil in the first place. You will never have more fun expending less effort anywhere in the world.