UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa

This review is for UXUA Maré (the beachfront extension of UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa). My wife and I stayed there for 5 incredible days. It's hard to describe how special this place is. I'll provide a summary of the amazing parts of the stay and a few areas that are work in progress. First, if you want a truly special, secluded destination that feel magical, this should be on your list. The property is a short drive (hotel-provided transport) from the main hotel. There are a total of 3 separate villas (a 1 BR, 2BR and 3BR). Two of them were constructed from old buildings moved from another part of the country and enlarged, updated for modern conveniences while maintaining their original charm. We toured all three. Even the new one is charming. Each one is different and wonderful in its own right. Each villa gets its own dedicated beach area with loungers, tables, chairs and cabana for shade. You feel like you're the only one there. There is a dedicated kitchen for your breakfast and lunches. We traveled around Peru and Brazil before coming here. Some of our best meals at UXUA Maré. Chef Renata Buim prepared an amazing spread daily. While it was much more than we could eat, the variety and fresh selections made it all irresistible. The lunches always included fresh caught seafood from a local fisherman. There is also a bar right by your cabana just for the 3 villas but you rarely need to go. Our concierge (dedicated to just this property), Gabriel, took care of everything we could have asked for. He'd help with any food modifications, bring drinks, help with activities, and on and on. His warmth is infectious and one of the people who made the stay special. We also had a chance to meet Fahad, the new GM. At first, the visit was social. When we had a bump with our stay he took care of it without hesitation. Now for the "work in progress". Keep in mind Fahad is new and working on much of this. First, the concierges at the main facility are ok (not great). They were good with basic requests that they are used to but not great with things outside of the norm and were either rigid or struggled to accommodate requests that they hadn't deal with before. The main property is about a 10 min drive from the Mare property. On one hand, that's a mild inconvenience (the gym, main restaurant, Quadrado are all at the main property) but it's also a plus that gives Maré the seclusion that makes it so special. They also had this strange policy that we didn't discover until the end that we got charged every time we went to the main property and back. Fahad took off the charges and said he's working on integrating the two properties' operations (wasn't that way before). So, while annoying, it was a brief and quickly corrected annoyance. We left feeling that we had a truly special experience. We've traveled the world and this is one of those places that stands out if you want a magical, secluded high end but low key experience.

Uxua is a beautiful facility in a magical setting. We (3 couples) stayed in Casa Luz, a private villa with 3 bedrooms with en suite baths, common living room/kitchen, and private pool/patio. It’s a quick walk to both the quadrado and the beach (where food, drinks, clean bathrooms, and reserved beds are all available). Booking the Casa includes a full breakfast prepared and served in your private dining area. Fresh fruits/juices/baked goods/etc… more than we could eat! Each bedroom is air conditioned, and while there are no window screens, there is mosquito netting for the beds and we were fine sleeping. If I could make one change to Casa Luz, I would add more comfortable seating! Unfortunately Uxua seems to focus more on aesthetics than comfort. So while the furnishings look beautiful in the photos, in reality the wood chairs in the living/dining areas are brutal to sit in for more than a few minutes, and the large lounger on the covered patio only seats 4. There was really no place in this villa for all 6 of us to gather together comfortably for conversation. Regardless, the Uxua staff goes out of their way to make your stay special. We had a fantastic visit and I would absolutely stay again.

A slice of paradise tucked behind the quadrado. Everything is designed with aesthetics in mind from the moment you arrive. The casas are elegant, spacious, and comfortable and the staff were amazing. From the concierge team to the girl who ran breakfast (which is excellent), to the young man who ran afternoon tea, to the security guards and maids, everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. The location is ideal, and having a dedicated beach with reserved beds was a huge plus. The concierge was also a big benefit, they handled anything that came up.

Our experience at Uxua was memorable and fantastic!! I had wanted to visit Uxua and Trancoso since reading an article about Trancoso 10 years ago, and they exceeded expectations! Our group of five all agreed that Uxua is one of the best hotels any of has ever visited. There are a few areas where we felt the hotel sets itself apart: Curated, Unique, Luxurious Spaces: We stayed at Casa do Lago and were floored from the moment we were shown our rooms. Each casa and room at Uxua is curated with reclaimed woods, furniture, and antiques. You can feel the thoughtfulness of each space and how each one uniquely reflects this special area of Brazil. Whether it's the design of a chair, placement of a hammock, or the candles they gave us each night for the lanterns on our coffee table - these are things we noticed and appreciated immensely. The entire property itself is gorgeous and serene. Service & Staff: The staff felt like our friends! We practically bombarded them with requests over WhatsApp and at reception throughout our stay, and they were extremely responsive and attentive to every ask. From the orientation they gave us on arrival, afternoon/sunset horseback riding they organized, surfing and transportation, the attentiveness at their beach club, to an additional tour of one of the properties they manage...every interaction and experience was warm and top-notch. Location: Trancoso is truly magical and one of the most unique and peaceful places we have visited. When you step out in front of Uxua and see the colorful fisherman's cottages and observe the peacefulness of the quadrado, you immediately feel transported. As the day turns to evening, young people play soccer on the quadrado, live music and bossa nova drifts from restaurants, and the trees/stores/restaurants light up. It is SO lovely to be next to all of this, to walk to shops, meals, the beach, to step right outside the hotel to horses waiting for us on the quadrado for the afternoon ride we scheduled. The beach is a bit of a walk from the hotel, but this wasn't an issue and made each visit feel more like a fun activity. Food & Drink: We LOVED our meals! The breakfast at the hotel had a plethora of items - fruits, cakes, cheeses, meats, juices, acai bowls and eggs made to order. The food at both the restaurant where we had lunch by the pool one day, and what we regularly ate at the beach club was delicious (and exactly what I wanted to eat on the beach at Brazil!). Thank you to the staff (including Jimmy, Carmen, and Harlen - and the rest of the Uxua team) for making our stay so wonderful and memorable! We are SORRY we forgot to sign the guestbook - each of us thought the other person was writing a note for our group!!

Unique, amazing, gorgeous!!! The hotel is stunning with each room / house being completely unique and full or art and surprising details. We stayed at the Casa do Arvore which is a chic tree house. A dream of a room in a dream of a hotel!