I wil go back to Salvador if for no other reason than to sit at breakfast at Aram Yami and have Henrique help me plan my day! The decor is gorgeous, dark beautiful wood that just makes you feel you are somewhere regal. The staff is so wonderfully nice, yes, just authentically nice, I wish I could take them home with me. The owners are around throughout the day and Juan even drew me a map of how to get to his favorite, secret beach in Salvador. Breakfast could hold you over until dinner and it's hard not to eat everything every day. The rooms are beautiful and modern in a very classic way. It is located just outside of Pelourinho , an easy walk during the day and a short roundabout cab ride late at night. You buzz up and they come down to let you in, allowing you to feel extremely safe in a city where some worry about safety. There is a small infinity pool on the roof, overlooking the bay, if you want to relax in the sun rather than wander the city. I can't say enough about the Aram Yami. If I return to Salvador, which I just might, I will only do so if they have availability!

Excellent service. Very comfortable, spacious and nicely decorated rooms.

Slept very well right on the first night which I never seem to do when in a new place. Don't know if it was the excellent bed with the elevated bamboo headrest or the nostalgic feel of real wood with high ceilings but I definitely slept very well.

We stayed at the top suite which had a nice well kept private pool. Felt more like a house than a hotel room. Very nice.

The breakfast is very nice as well and the manager Jakub is very attentive. All the staff provide very good information about the historic places and/or cultural shows to visit.

The infinite pool has a sheer cliff over its walls so if you have small kids there are some safety concerns there. However in any hotel if you have small kids the pool area is always a safety concern.

The only other negative is that, due to the fact that the original colonial aspects of the house have been preserved, there are no elevators. There are also no ramps or other visible provisions for handicapped people as well.

There is no restaurant. However you may request any sort of meal and the wonderful staff will organize it all for you getting it delivered and serving it to you in your room. If you request ahead of time you'll have your lunch or dinner waiting for you upon your arrival at the hotel.

Don't be shy in requesting stuff. The service in this hotel is probably its greatest asset. Impeccable would be the right word.

All in all we enjoyed a fantastic stay and were able to pack an incredible amount of culture, art and fun into one weekend. Felt like a week of magic.

We booked in to Aram Yami for 4 nights in January. We made the reservation on the Monday, arriving Friday - so, only 4 days ahead of our arrival. We booked into the "Historical Suite with a view to the historical city" for the first night, then into the top suite with the "private pool" for the remaining nights. Upon arrival we discovered that the "private pool" is not private at all, but rather, located in full view of all hotel guests below the hotel restaurant. This was alarming. While we were checking in, another couple came to the desk and asked for their key, only to come back 5 minutes later to say the receptionist had given them the wrong key. It concerned us to think that our room may not be very secure, as the hotel may give our key to someone else. Also while we were checking in another guest came to the desk to complain the cold water in his room was "still" not working. All of this left us with a poor first impression of the hotel. Our anxiety was not allayed by the room. The historical suite is a small, dingy room. It does not have a view of the historical city, but rather, a view of the street and the building across the road, with noise from the street to boot. We could not stay in this hotel. We decided to leave immediately. The hotel still charged us 50% of the total 4 nights reservation. Given that we only made the reservation a few days before arrival, I doubt they suffered any real loss due to our desire to cancel it, so I think the penalty was unreasonable. We ended up staying at Convento do Carmo which is much nicer, and not that much more expensive.

I just returned from a fabulous trip to Brazil with my two college aged kids and two of their friends. The highlight of our trip was Salvador and best of all was our stay at the Aram Yami. Our suite was exquisite with delightful local decor. And the private pool overlooking the harbor was a huge hit, especially after a long day of walking around the city. But best of all was the service. We've stayed at top hotels around the world and the Aram Yami just replaced the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok as my pick for best service. We spoke no Portugese (and our high school Spanish was of zero help). The staff helped us navigate the neighborhood, even so far as walking us to their favorite bistro and explaining to the waiter what we should order. They observed that my daughter loved the hotel-made hot sauce so they packaged up a jar for her to take home. We talked about my interest in the local African religions so they burned a DVD for me on the subject. We feel that we made life long friends among the staff. They were authentically warm and generous in their attention to our every need. We'll be back...