A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pelhourino’s cobblestone streets and street art-filled walls are home to a host of boutique shops, baroque churches and colourful colonial architecture, and even provided the setting for Michael Jackson’s then-controversial They Don’t Really Care About Us music video, which featured a local bloco group, Olodum, and propelled them to international fame.
Salvador now celebrates its rich culture, though it has a difficult past: 5.5 million slaves were brought to Brazil during the Atlantic slave trade between 1700 and 1888 (when slavery was abolished in Brazil) – with 1.3 million brought to Bahia alone.
Continue to wander around the area and you’ll likely hear local adults and kids taking to the streets to play Batucada — a percussive style of samba — which attracts dancing crowds of locals and visitors alike, providing the perfect soundtrack to a sunny afternoon exploring the city.
The rooftop also boasts a gym, a spa and a pool bar, which serves everything from salmon carpaccio to spicy vodka penne, and New York Sours, as well as nearly 20 varieties of Cachaça, Brazil’s signature spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice.
Complete with 300-thread-count Egyptian cotton bedding, enough space to throw your own Carnival get-together in and even a remote-controlled bidet (if you’re into that sort of thing), they’re perfect for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city below, while still retaining nods to Bahian culture throughout.
