Fasano Salvador

A 1930s Art Deco icon overlooking Salvador de Bahia’s sweeping Bay of All Saints, Fasano Salvador is the perfect marriage of its host city’s historic charm and the Fasano family’s impeccable taste and stellar hospitality.

Starting with their landmark São Paulo Italian restaurant, the Fasano name has become synonymous with luxury and grandeur at their high-end properties around Brazil, and their Salvador outpost is no different. Its ornate, Art Deco home was once the headquarters for a local newspaper and is an officially-recognized cultural landmark. Due to its historic significance and stature, the Fasanos and architect Isay Weinfeld — who has collaborated with the family on other properties — have taken pains to keep the building just as it was in its heyday. So many of the original touches are still there, especially in the main lobby where ceramic tiles echo with the clack of stilettos, recessed ceilings fringed by crown molding diffuse soft lighting, and dark-toned wood glows. The 70 polished rooms and suites are dripping in finery and decadent fixtures like hardwood floors and Egyptian cotton sheets, with views of the ocean or the historic city center.

The most notable, modern upgrades can be found in the amenities, including a soothing spa, rooftop fitness center, and swimming pool. It doesn’t get more 1930s glam than lounging in a sunchair high over the city, occasionally popping into the pool to escape the heat. And it’s not a Fasano hotel without exceptional Italian food, which you’ll find along with Bahian staples at the hotel’s romantic restaurant.

A good time is always to be had in the surrounding neighborhood, a trendy hub where historic buildings rub shoulders with artisanal shops, theaters, cinemas, and cultural centers. Stroll the oh-so-hip streets to bay viewpoints, pop into art galleries, or head into the nearby Pelourinho district for its pretty pastel homes, cobblestone streets, and Old World aura.