Hotel Villa Bahia

After a long travel day it was a relief to arrive at Villa Bahia. The night manager was expecting us and greeted us warmly. Noticing we were exhausted from our days travel he lead us up to our room (allowing us to check in the next morning). The photos of the room, or hotel for that matter, do not do it justice. There is an inexplicable class, history and beauty to the architecture and interiors. Simply staying in such a beautiful space makes one feel as if they’re transported in time to a more romantic era. A quiet haven with a thriving local town on its doorstep. If it’s not clear by now, we adored staying here. The staff were fantastic and the atmosphere was something truly unique to behold. I implore you, if staying in Salvador, stay at hotel villa Bahia. You will not regret it.

Initial impression of room is rustic but OK. But it quickly gets bad. The bathroom is very basic, and you can't flush any toilet paper, which is deeply unhygienic. The floors wobble and cause furniture to wobble, and all the furniture creaks and doors don't shut properly. Then the worst thing of all is the noise. There is a bar next door playing music until the early hours, especially when the police station next door is closed. The hotel do nothing about it, and because there are (literally) holes in the wall, the noise is unbearable. And I'm not talking about the faint rumble of music, you can hear it as though you're in the front row. Stuffing towels in the walls to close the gap has a marginal impact, but it's inescapable. Location is good for the historical centre, but otherwise there's not a lot to recommend and every reason to avoid the hotel.

They pay for fake 5* reviews! If you want to sleep don’t stay here. Rooms are noisy and loud music is played until after midnight from the streets. Reception couldn’t move us as all the other available rooms had the same sound issues. Apparently the music is meant to stop at 21:00 but the guy at the front desk said he can’t do anything about the noise. So instead of being able to sleep. I am stuck awake listening to loud music and I have ear plugs in.