Travel Eye on Costa Do Sauipe (Brazil)

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Overview:

Costa Do Sauipe is an imaginative, completely purpose-built resort with the first phase (of several) opened in 2000, it offers a sanitised environment built purely for enjoyment. This is Disney by the sea, Brazilian style. Essentially made up of 5 large hotels strung along ¾ ml of beach and centred on the "village" of Vila Nova, with its peripheral themed pousadas (guesthouses); it has a distinctly happy, friendly atmosphere. Large amounts of money have been invested and it shows: everything seems to run smoothly, the infrastructure is all there and it is so clean you wouldn't dream of dropping litter. What the publicity brazenly describes as a church of all denominations is actually an entertainments venue for 2,000 people, although it looks very convincing from the outside.

Locality:

Costa Do Sauipe is situated in NE Brazil, in N of Bahia state. It is 50 mls N of Salvador and its international airport, 4½ mls S of Porto Sauipe, 1¼ mls N of the fishing hamlet of Santo Antonio. Costa Do Sauipe is surrounded by coconut plantations and low vegetation-covered sand dunes and backed by a ¾-ml-long lake. A large mangrove swamp sits in the centre. A winding 2-ml-long access road connects the resort with the nearest highway.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The area is very much a romantic, luxurious destination aimed at couples but also suited to families; not really for young singles or anyone expecting British food or even English to be widely spoken. Anyone seeking a traditionally Brazilian experience would be better advised to look at Praia do Forte nearby. Brazilians make up the bulk of visitors, but there are also British, French, Italian, German and American guests. All hotels have conference facilities.

The accommodation consists of around five large international chain hotels, all with extensive pool areas, and around 6 small "pousadas" (guesthouses) built with different themes inspired by Brazilian architecture.

The beach here stretches for several miles in both directions, rocky in places and fringed by a wide band of palm trees. The large tidal range means the sloping, fine, golden sand can be anything from 5 yds to 25 yds in width. Three lifeguards with jet-skis patrol a ¾-ml section of beach that lines the resort; rocks and currents make swimming dangerous in places. The Atlantic can be rough, but reefs provide natural swimming pools at low tide. Many visitors tend to stay by their hotel pools, but all hotels have beach services with parasols, sun loungers and drinks; a water-sports centre (nonmotorised activities only) has a spot on the beach. The almost constant breeze offers welcome relief from the heat of the sun, but it is wise to use sunscreen and limit your exposure time.

Shoppers will find Vila Nova village has a range of small expensive shops and boutiques largely selling upmarket artisan products; the large hotels have their own similar outlets. Otherwise facilities are limited ? only a couple of shops in the whole resort selling cigarettes, drinks and snacks at inflated prices. Post office. The city of Salvador has a full range of shops.

Entertainment and activity in the area consists mainly of beach activities and water sports, including surfing, canoeing, kayaking, water-bikes and pedalloes; tennis; 18-hole championship golf; horse riding; football; squash; cycling or walking along the beachfront promenade; eco trails for walking. The large hotels have extensive entertainment programmes. Nightlife is limited to low-key bars and 1 nightclub; flood-lit tennis.

Eating out offers little outside the large hotels. However, all the large hotels have restaurants offering a choice of buffet meals and, in places, Italian or sushi. Vila Nova Village has a few small eateries with tables and chairs spilling onto the cobblestones outside.

Local excursions consist of a canoe trip through the mangroves and along the river; jeep tour to a fishing hamlet; bird-watching; Salvador's carnival atmosphere and African dancing (evening). Full day: colonial city of Salvador for shopping and sightseeing.