BARA Hotel Joao Pessoa

The Ba’ra hotel was the linchpin in our amazing 10-day Brazilian adventure. There is no better place to stay in all of Brazil! From the moment we arrived, although jet-lagged, we felt like we stepped into someone’s warm, Brazilian home. Our sweet driver, Matheus spoke perfect English and picked us up from the airport with coconut waters and a comfortable drive to Joao Pessoa. At the hotel, everyone greeted us with smiles, hydrating coconut water (be careful you will become addicted!), and seamlessly settled us into our spacious and very comfortable rooms. The hotel décor brings the outside in – lush green plants and large airy spaces – feel like you’ve stepped into an exquisite garden. Everything you need is provided – comfortable beds with soft sheets, a walk-in rain shower, fluffy towels and extras for the pool. The WiFi works great, but I encourage you to unplug! The beautiful Tambau Beach is steps away and you can see it from your room. Try an endless array of delicious Brazilian foods served at the breakfast – made-to-order omelets, waffles, tapioca cubes, carne, cakes and pastries of the day, and to-die-for chocolate chip cookies. The rooftop, heated pool is a must – it overlooks the sea where you can relax and enjoy more coconut water or a cocktail! The hotel is family-owned and prides itself on providing a family-friendly boutique hotel experience. This hotel exudes a peaceful luxury and a home-like atmosphere. Your little ones will also be welcomed warmly, from offering a fun, supervised playroom with a ball-pit and obstacle course to kid-friendly menu options. Speaking of the food, the Orama rooftop restaurant serves fantastic local dishes and drinks for fine dining, while the IOCA café serves the fantastic food options at breakfast or more casual dining all day. Try the pistachio pizza! Joao Pessoa is a beautiful historic city with endless sandy beaches along the bay and also flanked by a river. My daughter and I were traveling alone - no one bothered us and we felt safe walking along the clean beach with walking path and in the old city. The views are breathtaking and you can’t help but feel relaxed. You can visit the old town, stay nearby on the beach, rent bikes to ride along the coast on safe, bike-paths, or plan a day on the north or south part of the city where you find tall cliff areas or places to snorkel. Don’t hesitate to ask your friendly desk staff at Ba’ra, they can help you plan a lovely itinerary. On a last note, I almost don’t want to share Ba’ra because it’s like finding a hidden gem – the guests are couples or families from Brazil and everyone is friendly and respectful. Be a part of this lovely experience and you will leave with a piece of Brazil in your heart.

Excellent hotel, perfect location. The service is top notch. Very attentive. Food was great. So was the room. The modern architecture is stunning. The roof top pool is nice. The gym is small, but nice equipment. Would for sure stay again.

The Ba’ra Hotel is probably the best hotel in Joao Pessoa. This was our first time staying here, but we had previously visited to dine in their 2 restaurants, and seeing a bit of their infrastructure, I wanted to give them a try. We were not disappointed. Our room was elegantly designed, although a bit small. The bed is large, and of good quality, but surprisingly not that comfortable, but the linens are incredibly soft—a great quality cotton. The bathroom is large and the shower is even bigger (and the water pressure is great). The hotel has only been open for about 4 months (since October 2022). I think they are still shaking the bugs out, but their future looks good. The hotel staff are almost all incredible: in the restaurant Iocá, the maitre Murilo and our waitress Valeria were excellent; Guillherme, who works at the reception was able to answer any question I had about the property; the mixologist, Ulisses in Iocá had an encyclopedic knowledge of the art of drink preparation; Luciano, who works as security at the entrance was as charming, friendly and helpful as could be; Aquila, the hostess in Iocá was a wonderful face for the hotel, as she was as friendly as she was professional. There were many employees who I want to praise, but I cannot remember all their names. Guillherme explained to me that the hotel has 122 rooms; the name “Ba’ra” means “ocean”, the name of their rooftop bar/restaurant, “Orama”, means “view” (both of these words are from the native Tupi language). The hotel has a kid’s space (really cute!), a rooftop pool (warm water), a 24-hour gym (great machines) and a spa; you can use bicycles that the hotel provides free of charge; breakfast, which is included, has options such as mimosas, eggs Benedict or smoked salmon; the rooms provide cotton robes and they also provide complimentary spumante at check-in and welcome petit-fours in your room. Private parking is also complimentary. The hotel has 2 restaurants that are both open to the public for lunch and dinner (the service in both are intermittently good/bad, so if you eat here, you have a 50/50 chance of having a great meal (or a terrible one…). Lunch has always been good—dinners here, not so much. The location is the best you can get in the entire town—you are in the heart of the city, on the beach, near every restaurant that you might want to visit and any place you might want to go shopping. If you want to do a tour, the hotel has excellent concierge services that can help you with anything.