A Casa das Portas Velhas is a beautiful, colonial boutique hotel. It is a 3 minute walk from the great historic centre of Salvador, Pelourinho. Unfortunately, it is situated on a slightly dodgy street. All that means is that from 6pm onwards, we took taxis to and from the hotel. During the day, we walked without any problems.
The hotel really is an oasis from reality, elegant and well decorated. However, the biggest asset of the hotel is the staff. Every member of staff greets you with a smile and will bend over backwards to help your stay be the best it can possibly be. The housekeeping staff are so elegant and happy, it makes you smile just walking by them and saying hello in the corridor.
Upon arrival, the barman greets you with a soothing, cold drink and the staff at the concierge desk, who all speak perfect English, will answer any questions and give you a tour of the hotel and its history. We were lucky enough to get upgraded from a standard room to the master suite due to some "problem" or other, which was incredible seeing as it was my boyfriend's 30th birthday!
Finally, the hotel offers the best breakfast we have had in 2 months of touring South America: an amazing selection of fresh tropical fruits, cereals, homemade granola, cakes, breads, greek yoghurt, delicious scrambled eggs (always tricky at a buffet breakfast...) and cheese and ham. Completely worth paying extra for!
On the flip side, there is no room service or food available after 8pm, so you do need to plan for dinner elsewhere, and as you need to call a cab and can't just walk outside, it's something you need to keep in mind.
Conclusion: we loved it here and would definitely return!