After 15 days in Brazil this hotel, which on paper was our most dubious reserve, was by far the best. The fact that we had room 201, which is probably one of the biggest (we were three persons) and has a direct view of the bay, probably a topper.

In this boutique hotel we were looked after by Clara, the mother of the owner. She helped us define how to sightsee Salvador, were to go, gave us information were we could eat, where we could see typical Salvador dances,... any info we asked, or did not ask was provided by her.

It was me who after tasting an excellent breakfast buffet, asked if we could have supper in the hotel. Of course! was the reply, but I don't like to push you coming to have supper here... I rather give you other choices, if you come back you are welcome.

Ernesto's supper was excellent. Good raw material, excellent cooking, one of our best meals in our 15 day visit to Brazil.

This small hotel is located just at the outskirts of Pelourinho with easy access to this historic and beautiful old part of Salvador. Nice reception area, fantastic breakfast with homemade bread, marmelade and cookies and a lovely terrasse with a great view of the bay where you get awesome caipirinhas - 2 for the price of 1 between 5-7 pm. Good atmosphere, English speaking staff with Flavia asking you every morning if you are OK and what your plans are for the day. She will give you good advice on sites, restaurants and "do's and don'ts" in Salvador where you have to be careful what you do and where you walk - especially at night. Good cooking at the hotel but try some of the restaurants in the Pelourinho too. Rooms are OK however with a small bathroom and a little worn-out furniture. But all in all a very recommendable hotel.

This is an example of expectations not meeting reality, as this hotel was wildly different from what I expected! To begin, when we arrived at the hotel from the airport, the neighborhood (which was supposedly in the Historic District) was so run-down and shabby that the cab driver was reluctant to let us out of the cab, and did not want to leave us in the hotel. The front door was locked; we had to ring to be admitted. To my husband, this was a very bad sign! The men at the desk were pleasant, and we were led to our room. The room was very small, with windows that faced a brick wall and did not open (probably with good reason!). We were pleased, though, that the room did have a safe. The lock on the door was a little sliding device like you would use on a cupboard - not at all secure. I was eager to walk to the Historic District, which was my reason for visiting, so we obtained a map at the desk and got good information - do not venture off this main road, and do not go down side streets or alleys. Hmmm...not very safe-sounding! And then we were required to leave our room key at the desk. This did not appeal to us at all.
We walked (about 15- 20 minutes through some unsettling territory!) to the Historic District. There we saw the squares and churches and many people trying to sell us things. So, by the evening, my husband was quite ready to leave this area and proceed to somewhere a little safer. Since we had made reservations through booking.com for 3 nights, I went on the internet to booking.com and cancelled our remaining nights. We spent the night and told our host in the morning that we were checking out. This was not good. We were informed that we still owed this second night because we were not abiding by our contract. My husband was ready to pay any price to leave, and so we agreed. When we got home, I emailed booking.com about the contract and charges. While booking.com advertised they did not collect money up front, the hotel had already received payment for half of our stay in advance. Also, my understanding of the cancellation policy was apparently in error, but I think that is because it is not al at clear. I must say that booking.com did attempt to get the hotel to refund our payment for the second night, but the hotel refused. I would not recommend this hotel, and I will not be using booking.com again, either.

If you are looking for a confortable place,quite,very close to Pelorourinho, but not in the mess of the tourist crowd; If you are looking for delicious home made breakfast in the morning, relaxing tips on what to do and to see in Salvador; clever suggestion on where to have dinner at night... that's the place !
The staff will wellcome you and make you confortable like at home. Flavia & Stefano are very nice on making your stay @ Solar do Carmo an unique experience.
Strongly recommended. language spoken: English, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.
For those that do not have orgnanized tour of the city in advance we also recommend the taxi driver Israel >> Fun and enjoyment are guaranteed.