Tauana travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

There is an air of intimate luxury at Tauana, a new hotel on an unspoiled Bahia beachfront. There you can relax listening to the slight noise of wind rustling leaves and the gentle lap of the waves, but otherwise it is silent. Portuguese architect-owner Ana Catarina Ferreira da Silva designed everything herself in an ultra-cool blend of Brazilian and Danish design, with a hint of 1960s modernism. It conforms to many of her eco-principles, too.

There are just nine bungalows, but she planted 30,000 trees on the huge estate. Building wood is from sustainable sources, and traditional Indian building methods were used. The restaurant uses ingredients from the hotel’s own organic garden, and visitors move around at night with lanterns, keeping light pollution to a minimum.

The huge bungalows are so shaggily thatched that they look like something from a Gauguin paintings; inside they are as minimalists as a modern art gallery. Wood floor are highly polished, flimsy white drapes flutter in the breeze, and slumped amid candles and d low sofas, you stare through wall of glass at the beach beyond. It might feel like you are part of something from the pages of a glossy magazine. Spending time at Tauana will soon make you feel like one of the beautiful people.

Photos By: ana1969