A French-Brazilian Family-Owned Pousada in Salvador's Centro-Histórico French thoughness, quality & attention to detail together with Brazilian warmth and friendliness! Carnival 2012 Reservations Available! |
Our Library/Listening Room
Our Living Room
Zelina's Kitchen
Upstairs Hall
This room sleeps three; that's an extra bed to the right...
Warmth to match that flooding through the windows...
Cozy...
Your hostess, Zelina!
 Jean-Paul builds the built-in furniture by hand, and Zelina makes all the cushions and bedding by hand as well! |
 Mármore ("Marble" in English) |
Spotless bathrooms with plenty of hot water are important too!
| Ladeira
do Baluarte, 13
We have excellent ratings in Trip Advisor! Click here or on the image above to get some independent opinions! Prices (big Brazilian breakfast included, all rooms with bath):
We are located a ten minute walk away from Pelourinho, with all its restaurants, bars, and nightlife.
CARNIVAL BEGINS IN PELOURINHO! JUST DOWN THE STREET FROM POUSADA BALUARTE!
CARNIVAL 2012! Thursday, the 16th of February through Februry 21st Our Carnival rate is 500 reais per room per night, with a 4 night minimum. Happy Festa! |
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Vistor Comments (received at Bahia-Online via e-mail) I must say I had a great time in Salvador, and more especially in the very beautiful and authentic area of Santo Antonio. I would definitely recommand Pousada Baluarte to stay in Bahia. The place is extremely clean and well furnished, the home made breakfast is delicious and most of all, Zelina, Jean-Paul and their two sons are extremely nice people, who welcome their visitors as they would do for members of their own family. So, one thing is for sure : I will come back to Salvador very soon (I even plan to buy a house in Itaparica), and my next trip will be also the opportunity to visit them again. To conclude : everything was even better than what I was expecting... and I was already expecting a lot! Tudo bem, tudo legal! Best regards, Stéphane |
Below find information on our neighborhood, and on the stroll to Pelourinho...
The bairro -- or neighborhood -- of Santo Antônio, is a part of Salvador's designated Centro Histórico. At one end is the Largo de Santo Antônio, locale of the church of the same name...and at the other end is the old colonial center Pelourinho (strictly speaking there is an area called "Carmo" just before one reaches Pelourinho). We are located several houses to the left of said church of Santo Antônio, pictured below.
There's also an old fort located on the square. It was used at one time to defend Salvador from the incursions of the Dutch. Nowadays, in gentler martial spirit, it's used to teach the Afro-Brazilian fight/dance called "capoeira".
Santo Antônio was home to musician/composer Josué de Barros. Never heard of him? Well maybe this will help:
When Josué was asked what he would like to see carved on his tombstone, he said replied "Eu descobri Carmen Miranda!" ("I discovered Carmen Miranda!"). Before Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha was to become a famous singer (she first called herself "Carmen Miranda" so her mother wouldn't find out she was singing in nightclubs), she worked in a hat shop in Rio, where she would sing to herself as she sewed. She was a lovely girl with a lovely voice and men would flock into the store to ostensibly have work done on their hats, leaning dreamily on the counter to hear her sing in a small but very agreeable voice. Josué was one of these men, and he was also a professional composer (he'd moved to Rio from Salvador because that's where the music industry was). He arranged for her first recording, a song of his called "Iaiá, Ioiô" (archaic terms used by Afro-descendents in the Bahian backlands to mean "Ma'am" and "Sir"), and the rest is history. And strangely enough, moving further down the street one passes directly in front of the house of another Bahian composer, one who had everything to do with the image that most people associate with Carmen Miranda today. But first: Continuing along, one passes the simplest of bars on the right-hand side, where the proprieters set a couple of tables out on the sidewalk in the evenings and one can chat over cold beer while observing the passers-by.
Often enough I myself can be found sitting here, indulging with my friend Charles Butler, an English artist who lives directly across the street. But should one be more in the mood for a somewhat less humble place, there is also Cruz do Pascoal, just a bit further up on the right-hand side...
Beer's just as cheap, the food is good, and the view is great! Continuing on one descends the Ladiera do Carmo (a ladiera is a sloped street). On the right hand side one passes the Igreja (Church) do Passo. This church, and the steps out front, were the primary setting for Brazil's 1962 film O Pagador de Promessos, which won the Palm d'Or at Cannes.
There's a great clip from the film here!
Stepping back a few meters, across the street and just up the hill, there is a yellow house at number 35. This is where the great Dorival Caymmi -- who would grow up to become Bahia's premier and most iconic composer -- lived as a child. Dorival was vaulted into the world's eye when Carmen Miranda belted out his O Que é Que a Baiana Tem? (What is it That a Bahiana Has?) in the 1939 release Banana da Terra. It was also Dorival who convinced Carmen that if she was going to dress like a Bahiana and sing like a Bahiana, she should move like a Bahiana!
And then up the hill and you're in Pelourinho! |
