Apr 1, 2009

Toca do Marlin hotel, in Southern Bahia: high luxury and horseback riding

Photos: courtesy of Toca do Marlin


Bahia state, the best in Brazil for those looking for sun, heat, beach, great food and great music, has no shortage of luxury hotels. Most of the best beach inns of Brazil are located along its beautiful palm-studded coastline (and mainly around Trancoso and Itacare).

One of these luxury hotels stands out from the rest. It offers an unusual combination of beach and country life. The Toca do Marlin hotel has a mere ten suites, two of them measuring 45 square meters, and the other eight a whopping 85 m². All face a pristine beach and come equipped with luxuries rarely seen in these parts, such as king beds with mattresses adjustable by remote control, for example. Wireless internet access? Check. Cotton sheets with high-thread count? Check. The place has got all those de rigueur luxuries of a city hotel, although it's hidden away on an isolated piece of coastline North of the town of Porto Seguro (serviced by all Brazilian airlines).

But rather than being just one more place advertising that same-ol' beautiful-luxury-bungalow-on-the-beach, Toca do Marlin has a trump card: gorgeous andalucean horses. They're kept at the owners' nearby stables. Guests can gallop on horseback down the beach, or merely watch the handlers do it (these horses are known for their beautiful ballet-like moves).


The hotel is owned by Bennett Nisencwajg, a paulista of British descent, and his wife Lucia, an accomplished chef who trained at the Cordon Bleu school. She watches over the restaurant, where tables are set with fine porcelain, and silverware and crystal glassed from Christofle.


Toca do Marlin: Santo André, Km. 40,5, Santa Cruz de Cabrália, tel. (73) 3671-5041

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