We really enjoyed staying here. The convent is beautiful and the rooms are lovely. It is right in the heart of the old town - the area is quite dodgy - particularly after dark- so best to catch cabs and stick to main streets.

This 'leading' hotel needs leadership. The hotel failed to arrange for our airport pickup, did get us to our room promptly, but ignored us when we went down to the restaurant for a meal: we eventually sat ourselves, then waited 20 minutes for a menu and it took another half hour to order and secure a glass of wine. Asking for Salt and pepper was a massive issue. The meal was perhaps the blandest we had during our week in Bahia. Too bad they can't execute on what should be a no brainer.

I just stayed in the Pestana Convento de Carmo for the last four days with my family. It was an excellent experience. Not only is the hotel located in a great part of the city (the historic center), but it is also a beautiful building. The center of activity in the hotel is the circular pool/fountain in the courtyard. While you are not out exploring the city, you can spend time relaxing on the chairs around the pool, enjoying drinks from the bar. A few things to note:

1. Yes, (as seen in other reviews) some leaves and fruits were falling from the trees around the pool, but there was an attentive pool person to remove them from the pool and walkway. Not a big deal at all. And, I think it makes it a bit exciting to know that at any moment, something can fall on you.

2. The rooms are very cool. We stayed on the 3rd floor and our windows looked out on the courtyard. You have to keep in mind that you're staying in a historic convent so, know that the lighting isn't super bright and you may have to fiddle with the door key. However, the rooms are well kept, nicely furnished, and unique.

3. The concierge spoke good English which helped with planning our adventures around Salvador. The serving staff knows minimal English, but this is how most of Brazil is anyway- so good opportunity to practice your Portuguese.

4. For coffee lovers: I did not have a chance to try the drip coffee or cappuccino but, they do have great espresso. They even have an intense Nespresso machine with an extensive selection of choices- so you can be sure to get your fix.

5. The hotel's location is an easy walk to anywhere in the historic district. Cabs are always available. The neighbor is vibrant and gives you a sense of the surroundings. We also took a taxi to a couple restaurants in the outskirts of town, to the wharfs, and to some markets. It was easy fto return to the hotel as the Convento do Carmo is a well known landmark.

The hotel is an old Convent. There is a central courtyard with a round swimming pool, sunbeds and palms. I found the music played in the background somewhat irritating. The bedrooms (en suite) have been created from the old nun's cells and are simply but adequately furnished. I found our bathroom a little cramped. Some of the rooms can look a little on the dark side as they have smallish windows - this is particularly true of the rooms on the 3rd floor as the windows are smaller than those on the 2nd floor.

I found service to be slow and we had to ask three times for our television remote to be replaced as it didn't work. Dinner and breakfast can either be taken under the cloisters around the pool or inside, in the dining room. The staff speak almost no English (except on reception) but are pleasant and willing to try to please. The bedrooms lie on the two upper floors where you will find long corridors with high ceilings. I found that the hotel looked a little jaded during the day but it looked more inviting at night with soft lighting.

Breakfast was adquate with plenty of fruit, bread rolls etc. but I hate buffet scrambled eggs and bacon - better freshly cooked! Coffee was absolutely grim!

The town itself is stunning. It is Portuguese in style and has the atmosphere of a village with old cobbled streets which would not be suited to anyone with a walking disability. The streets are also very steep in some places. There are wonderful and dramatic churches to see and the houses are tall, narrow and very individual in style. They are painted in pastel colours which really brings out some of their special features. We sat in a street bar on our first evening and very much enjoyed the traditional Brazilian drink 'caipirinha' which is made from crushed sugar cane rum, ice and limes. I had one made with lime and passionfruit and it was delicious. Whilst the main area of the town were safe in the evenings, a policewoman did indicate to us that there were some roads which we should avoid.

Overall, I would recommend this hotel but it does need sharpening up a little which make it into a truly first class hotel.