Our Pousada

We are looking forward to meet you in our little paradise 
and make you relax and enjoy...

PENÍNSULA DE MARAÚ

BAHIA – BRASIL

The Peninsula is the ideal place for people looking for tropical climate and sun to relax, enjoy and discover the natural beauties of the region: empty and palm tree covered beaches, the warm water of the Atlantic Ocean, fresh water lakes surrounded by palm trees and Atlantic Rain Forest, coral reefs and natural swimming pools, traditional fishermen villages with friendly people, the beautiful sky with millions of stars …

POUSADA LAGOA DO CASSANGE NATURE BEACH LODGE

In the middle of all this we created the Pousada Lagoa do Cassange Nature Beach Lodge. Located at the Praia do Cassange just in front of the beach it is composed by 14 individual bungalows with ocean view carefully placed amidst a tropical garden. They are divided into two categories according to their location: “Ocean” and “Coconut”.

Pousada Lagoa do Cassange Nature Beach Lodge is not a 'simple beach lodge' or a 'one-night-stop' destination. Lagoa do Cassange Nature Beach Lodge is a place to arrive, to be, to learn and to unwind whilst being looked after by a friendly and involved local team. We seek to provide an honest, relaxed and down-to-earth experience free off unnecessary luxury elements but very comfortable and charming. So if you are open-minded and nature-loving in search of a unique experience off the beaten track, then Lagoa do Cassange is for you. Feel invited to share with us an amazing way of life, participating in creating a better life for the local community and the dream of conserving the nature we live in!

The bungalows do not offer luxury, but they are very comfortable and offer a lot of tranquility and privacy. They are equipped with one double bed and up to two single beds, minibar, telephone, cd player, comfortable chairs, one wooden table, shelves and a notebook sized safe. The bathroom, equipped with a solar warm water shower is cozy and functional. In front of the bungalow, surrounded by a tropical garden a little veranda with two hammocks with ocean view invites to relax and enjoy...

To ensure your thermal comfort we provided each bungalow with several cooling options so you can choose the one that best suits you: ceiling fan, air cooler ECOBRISA (licensed by Greenpeace) and silent split air conditioning.

You can choose between two bungalow categories: The Bungalows Ocean are located closer to the beach and include also two “family size” bungalows. The Bungalows Coconut are located further behind.

Breakfast and dinner are served in our restaurant on the beach which you can reach through a short walk through the palm trees.

The great plus is that beside the unique location of the nature beach lodge we offer a very interesting variety of excursions on the peninsula, into the Bay of Camamu and its backlands, making it possible to extend a vacation on the Maraú Peninsula easily to a length of two weeks. We offer excursions by foot, canoe, kayak, boat, jeep or bike. Of course we also take care of all the transfers necessary to arrive at this little paradise picking up you up in Salvador, Ilhéus, Itacaré, Morro de Sao Paulo or the Chapada Diamantina.

Inside the lodge and during all transfers and excursions we offer bilingual local guides speaking English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Our whole team is composed and managed by natives from the Maraú Peninsula. They create an authentic, relaxed and friendly atmosphere with quality services. We all are looking forward to make your vacations a beautiful experience.

Currently we are realizing the certification from the Brazilian program for sustainable tourism (PCTS) from which we were invited to represent a model of sustainable tourism from Brazil at the WTM in London and the ITB in Berlin. In August 2011 we received as the first Hotel in Brazil the certification for a sustainable tourism hotel by TRAVELIFE from Europe (www.travelife.org) where we achieved their silver certification status.

In 1997 to help realize our social and environmental projects we founded the Instituto PROMAR.

Since then we have realized a series of actions, like:

- Founding and maintaining a school for young local adults making it possible for them learn how to read and write.

- Since 2002 we transformed it into a high school making it possible to obtain an officially recognized High School Diploma.

- In June 2010 we inaugurated the first and only Community Computer Center of the region providing together with the federal government 11 computer stations.

- Since then we maintain it offering computer classes and free internet access for the local community focusing on internet courses for technical professions and language skills.

- Through several workshops during the last 14 years we trained the local community to produce goods such as handcrafts made with the coconut shell, organic food or honey from the Atlantic Rainforest to generate alternative income and stimulate them to preserve our environment.

- In June 2011 we begun to built and In February 2011 we inaugurated the first kindergarten of the region. Since then together with donations from tour operators and friends of the lodge we maintain the kindergarten offering free childcare and school meals for up to 32 children in the age of 3 to 7 from the local community.

- Beside the daily assistance in partnership with doctors and dentists we offer free health checkups and prevention treatment for the children.

- Currently we are planning a small dental clinic for the local community and are building a web site containing more information about our work: some pictures can already be seen under: http://www.jardimdasbromelias.org.br/site/

There are several ways to arrive at our little paradise. The closest national airport is in Ilhéus and the closest international airport is in Salvador. Following a description of the most common ways to arrive:

TRANSFER-TRIP SALVADOR – POUSADA LAGOA DO CASSANGE (min. 5hs)

The transfer to Maraú Península is already an interesting experience. The merge into the local way of life begins already on the ferry-boat departing from Salvador and taking you across the All Saints Bay to Itaparica Island. From there the trip continues with a private car with air conditioning along the coast and through ancient colonial settlements. You will go on through enormous dende plantations, passing by the typical farm houses and trading posts. Later the plantations will change to cinnamon, rubber trees, manioc and different tropical fruits and flowers. During the trip you have the opportunity to refresh yourself at a beautiful waterfall in the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest or check your bargaining skills on a local market or have a typical small Brazilian lunch.. After 2, 5 hours on asphalt road you will arrive in the colonial town Camamu, located at the heart of the Bay of Camamu. The bay is the third biggest of Brazil, but it is the only one still preserved. There the trip will continue by boat gliding through beautiful mangroves and passing by islands and fishermen villages until the Maraú Península. After 40 min. by boat you will arrive at our little pier from which the trip will go on for another 15 min with a 4x4 vehicle until the Lodge, located directly in front of the Atlantic Ocean. Alternatively, depending on the weather and road conditions the trip may continue by car from Camamu directly to the lodge during a 1 h drive through the Atlantic Rainforest and palm tree plantations partly on asphalt (33 km / 21 miles) and partly on dirt roads (33 km / 21 miles). Now it is time to jump into the waves, relax in a hammock and enjoy the sunset at the lakeside.

TRANSFER WITH PRIVATE AIRPLANE FROM SALVADOR TO MARAÚ PENÍNSULA (1,5hs)

This is a faster and unique option. You will take off at the International Airport of Salvador with a small private airplane with capacity for 3 to 9 passengers. The flight takes you along the coast line offering a unique view of the beaches, islands and the ocean. The flight takes 40 min. and is only possible during daylight. You will land on a landing strip directly on the Maraú Península 9 km (6 miles) from the lodge. From there we will drive you with a 4x4 vehicle along the sand trails through the palm tree plantations to the lodge (35 min).

TRANSFER-TRIP FROM ILHÉUS TO POUSADA LAGOA DO CASSANGE (2,5hs)

Leaving the airport of Ilhéus you will drive through the historical downtown of Ilhéus, the ancient Cocoa Capital of the world. Its golden times have faded a long time ago and their inhabitants are having a hard time to survive. Most of the descendants of the ancient and powerful Cocoa Barons which settled the region are broke but some of its bohemian charm, magnificently described in the romances from Jorge Amado, survived. Passing by the city where the cocoa is transformed into the

delicious chocolate you can smell its delicious aroma in the air.

The drive continues during 85 km on the BA 001, a good asphalt road passing by palm tree plantations, rainforest and nice viewpoints towards the ocean. On the Maraú Península the road will change into a gravel road for 33 km (21 miles) and you will begin to merge into the local way of life. During the trip there is opportunity to make a stop for a typical small Brazilian lunch. Altogether the transfer-trip takes 2 hours.

Upon request the transfers can be accompanied by a bilingual guide (English, German, French, Italian and Spanish). Please contact your local travel agent or write us by e-mail for further information and the costs of the transfer options at:

pousadalagoadocassange@gmail.com

We are looking forward to meet you in our little paradise and make you relax and enjoy...