The hotel Deville is located close to the International Airport from Salvador da Bahia (10 minutes drive by car).There is no noise from airplanes .The hotel is not located on the beachfront.There is a golfcourse around the hotelgrounds and the beach is one block behind the golfcourse.
You can walk to the beach in 5 minutes.the beach is nice and there are some places ,where you can eat and rest. The people told us not to go walking at the beach after sunset-not safe!
The hotel is a good mixture of Business- and Leisurehotel.There are 9 floors,the rooms are spacious and each room has a balcony.After a longdistance flight the best experience is a confortable bed and peaceful sleep- that´s what we got.That might be a reason why a german airline has there crewmembers sleeping in this hotel. The garden is tropical and there is enough space for everyone around the pool.In the week they offer massage open air next to the pool.
The frontdesk is very friendly and supportive and speaks english, which is not always the case in Brazil.The Deville has a nice restaurant -pretty terrace- with a mix of brazilian and international cuisine.
While I was planning our stay in Salvador ,I wasn't sure if it would be better to stay in the old town of Salvador or close to the airport. We enjoyed our decision: the hotels can arrange shuttles to the oldtown and there even is a free shuttle to the biggest shoppingcenter of salvador.

My experience of the hotel previously known as Sofitel Salvador is tainted by the fact that I know the operations manager and was awarded at least a small amount of VIP status – or rather, my daughter received chocolates every night and we got a very good, quiet room on one of the top floors at a very fair price.

But I think we were not so “VIP” that everyone did anything really different from their routine service – and what I found was excellent service.

Why stay?

Very nice landscaping, good area for kids. Pool is nice (not great), though could be better filtered.
Well-served breakfast, included in most rates. A little inconsistent on tapiocas, but not anything serious.
Great bathroom – shower, not bath tub, but very strong shower, easy to operate. Very adequate bathroom products. Cleanliness is evident.
For me location was great – we wanted a place close to Salvador, but also close to the airport and to the touristic area north of Salvador. We had a rental car and parking was not charged.
Restaurant has excellent dinner menu – a bit of Brazilian “fusion” cuisine. Quantities are very adequate for not-too-hungry an individual. Price is high, but reasonable considering the level of the cuisine.
Some animals running freely really attractive to some kids - iguanas, peacocks, ducks - though some children afraid, my daughter loved it. I had unusual of stepping on an iguana, but it didn't get too scared.

Why not stay?

For some guests the distance from traditional tourism areas is a downside – public transportation is not plentiful near the hotel and requires a bit of a walk. Any taxi ride to Pelourinho or Barra not cheap - between R$ 70 and R$ 80 (over US$ 30).
Though lobby has cozy areas, hotel seems more a business hotel, which may put off some guests.
Prices of mini-bar and room service perhaps the norm for the level of the hotel, but it is off-putting. Fires at R$ 20 at pool also much more than I would usually pay anywhere else.
Though it’s great to have free wi-fi covering all of the hotel, signal was very inconsistent most of the time, so it lead to more frustration than satisfaction.
Pool at times had some people in swim class who were not guests.
Sauna not attractive.
TV signal not always consistent and unfortunately ESPN not included, so missed some great American football during bowls and last rounds of NFL.

Unfortunately most of the time not enough children to fairly judge work of kid entertainment team, but my daughter had her first experience fishing in the pond near the pool area, which makes for a strong positive memory.

Recommendation for those who carry a notebook – ask for one of the rooms with a new safe, which easily holds a laptop. Maybe, by the time you stay at this hotel, this will already be in all rooms. During my stay, it was only on 8th floor rooms.

I have spent 3 nights with my husband at this hotel. It has been bought by Deville group Last month and they have already refurbished everything. It is now a very nice 5 star resort.
The restaurants are great, all the staff, the leisure areas and the gym, not to mention that it stays just 2 blocks away from the beach.
It is located just 15 min from the airport and about 40 minutes drive from Salvador downtown. Since the best beaches are located nearby the hotel (Flamengo, Itapuã and Stella Mares). I recomend anyone to stay away from Salvador downtown because it is not a really safe area. It is nice to spend a day visiting, but that is all. The best places in Bahia are not there, believe me! Go to The beaches I have mentioned above, plus Morro de São Paulo, Praia do Forte...
It is worth the visit!

My trip to Salvador on the 22nd of August started off with a disaster; I missed my flight to Sao Paulo in Paris and spent the time in Charles de Gaulle airport changing arrangements to meet friends, transfer flights and hotels. I finally arrived after 38 hours travelling. We stayed at the hotel Vila Gale in Ondina for the 1st night. We arrived at night and, although we knew the sea was outside our window, it was not until the next morning when we opened the curtains to be greeted by a spectacular view of the Atlantic and the rocky coast below. Excellent hotel but no beach. We transferred to the Sofitel in Itapua. Again excellent hotel at reasonable price with an excellent pool and park (there was a 9 hole golf course as well but I wouldn't recommend this - perhaps as I am from Scotland, I have been spoiled for golf courses!).
To begin with, we found the nightlife poor. Monday and Tuesday nights we found it difficult to find anywhere open after midnight. Apparently not a party town! This luckily changed towards the end of the week and I would recommend 2 places - Bambarra, a bar/restaurante with "musica ao vivo" not far from Rio Vermelho and Santissima, another bar/restaurante/"casa de show" near Itapua. The night we visited Santissima was an amazing night. We ordered the seafood platter which was excellent although a little expensive at R$120 for 2. However, the capoeira show at Santissima was superb. This was not a simple supper show but a very professional, energetic and incredible event. I have paid good money to watch similar shows, for example, at the Edinburgh Festival but this was more engrossing, authentic and breath-taking. Definitely not to be missed.
Itapua is around a 40 minute drive to the historic centre (Pelourinho). It is still a must to visit however be prepared to be badgered constantly by trinket salesmen and persistent offers to act as guides. Walking round the "cidade baixa" (Mercado Modelo) was tough going and we rode the Elevador Lacerdo up to Pelourinho and strolled around for a couple of hours. After a poor lunch (unless you know somewhere specific in the area, it would appear difficult to eat well), we headed down the Barra do Farol to do a bit more sight-seeing. The lighthouse is worth a visit but R$15 entrance was a bit much - small museum, not much more of a view from inside than walking around the outside.
We were not huge fans of the city beaches, rocky in places, hard-sell by kiosk people. We found the "praia de Flamengo" (approx. 15 minutes by taxi from Itapua) and this was a much better location - wide, open and Atlantic facing, local families and beach vendors (distinctly more relaxed than the city!). The kiosks close around 6pm because after dark, the area is not the safest. However, to spend the day on a beach like this was a treat.
On our last day, we had arranged an excursion to Morro de Sao Paulo, an island in the Salvador bay. From the cidade baixa, it was a 2 hour crossing and a bit boring - take something to read as once the coastline disappears from view, there is not much else to do. Morro de Sao Paulo itself is beautiful. A small town up from the jetty with sand streets and porters with wheelbarrows with "taxi" written on them. We went to the second beach on the island (no names, just numbers - "praia segunda"). Lovely beach, soft clean sand and nice spot to spend a relaxing time.
Overall, Salvador is much more than just the historic centre. To get the best out of it, it is best to explore the coastline from Barra do Farol up to Flamengo.