The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Salvador, Brazil

It’s right by the sands in Barra, inner Salvador’s most popular beach neighborhood. And with restaurants all around, the Hit couldn’t be better placed for a seafront holiday. Rooms flaunt contemporary creams, taupes and avocados, with crisp wood fittings. Pool-mosaic bathrooms have smart granite basins and plenty of mirror space. Your best bet is to book a room with views out over the Atlantic. And if you split the bill, triples are hostel-cheap, with a generous breakfast thrown in.

With two highland terriers, Bonnie and Finlay, as mascots, this number is resolutely Scottish. But the location is typically tropical, on a quiet crescent beach backed by lush trees, minutes from the sands in Barra. Rooms are fresh, in pale yellows with vibrant floral bedspreads, and contemporary – expect modern bathroom fittings including walk-in showers and large mirrors. Some open onto leafy terraces. There’s a hibiscus-filled patio garden visited by marmosets, and generous breakfasts are included in the price.

A block of concrete topped with a glowing neon sign, five minutes from Salvador’s main urban highway – the Ibis is functional, and fashionably located on the beach in the Rio Vermelho suburb. Rooms are crisp, clean and unobtrusive decoratively, with plenty of storage space, tile-lined en suites with marble basins, ocean views, and most accessible. There’s a cheap hotel café, plenty of bars a stroll away and great street food made by Baiana women on the main square, who sell the best spicy felafel-style Brazilian acarajé in Salvador.

It’s a cab or bus ride from this modest hotel to any of Salvador’s sights – that’s what helps make this place such great value. Rates include a generous breakfast and there’s a rooftop sun lounge with views out over Salvador. Rooms range from quadruples – costing less per bed than a dorm by the beach – to en suite doubles, with comfy mattresses, mirrors and adequate wardrobes. Hop in a cab and you’ll be whisked in a trice to the beach or center – Salvador’s main airport-downtown highway runs right outside.

With boxy beds, whitewash walls, white floor tiles and Spartan furnishings, rooms in the Porto das Palmeiras feel cool and minimalist. They’re great value and in an exceptional setting – a neo-Gothic townhouse painted sky-blue, five minutes’ walk from Barra beach. The smallest rooms are the cosiest, with hammocks and attractive beach-flotsam wall art. There’s a café-bar on site – and you’ll find plenty more in the surrounding streets – with breakfast included and friendly staff who know a smattering of English.

The best thing about Vila Galé? The location. Almost all rooms overlook the ocean and pretty Praia das Divas strand and are just 10 minutes’ walk from Ondina – the longest, cleanest, and most beautiful of Salvador’s inner-city beaches. Ensuite rooms are spacious and fresh, with glossy tiles and light creams. There’s a decent pool, a restaurant and a lobby bar serving cheap, icy caipirinhas. Note that it’s a 30-minute cab ride to the old center – you can travel by bus, but they’re not the fastest means of getting around.

This is a popular, nicely priced check-in – hence the beds squeezed tightly into the dorms and rooms. You certainly can’t fault the place it’s located in – you’re just 10 minutes’ walk from Barra beach, with parking and plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. And there’s communal space to meet other guests and make friends, including a games area, a garden, a sun deck and a communal kitchen. This will probably be all yours as guests fill up on the large buffet breakfast included in the nightly room rate.

A bargain-priced room with an ocean view? You’ll find one at the Bahia do Sol. Ask for a west-facing one on the upper floors. They’re appealing places to stay, in contemporary creams with drape curtains and views over the Bay of All Saints to the distant palmy beaches in Vera Cruz. Sunsets are spectacular. Just bear in mind that sandy beaches and the old center are a 15-minute cab ride away – and local restaurant choice is limited beyond the hotel’s pleasant-but-modest offering.

The Casa do Amarelindo couldn’t be better positioned for exploring Salvador’s World Heritage-listed colonial centre. The Pelourinho, the heart of the district, is a minute’s walk away down a steep cobbled street. Afro-Brazilian drum troupes and carnival parades pass right outside, yet no noise reaches the balconied rooms, which are tranquil havens looking out over the Bay of All Saints to Itaparica island and golden sunsets. Hearty breakfasts are included and served on a garden patio tinkling with water, plus there’s a rooftop sundeck and a lovely pool with a view and staff are genuinely friendly.