Toca da Coruja — Pipa
Beauty, peace, time for reflection, intimacy, nature and endless charm. Add these ingredients to a dose of social-ecological consciousness and this is one of Brazil’s most outstanding luxury hotels.
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Many years ago, Toca da Coruja was a property tucked away in the Atlantic Forest. Today, because of an enlightened man’s vision, it is not only a luxury hotel but a small wildlife sanctuary. This man is Henrique Ribeiro, an agricultural engineer who traded the inland state of São Paulo for the heat, sea and good life he found in Pipa. “When I first came to the village in 1991, there was nothing here. There was a television in the square, a restaurant and a public phone. It was pure and wild, but it was obvious that there was a lot of potential here for tourism, especially because of the people, who are naturally hospitable, down to earth and spontaneous.” Gradually the tourists came. First, it was the backpackers and surfers, who transformed the place into a hippy haven of Rio Grande do Norte.
Nowadays, Pipa is that and much more. The typical charm of the Northeast of Brazil that has conquered so many afi cionados, oozes from this coastal village with its colourful and uneven roads and paths, authentic bars and restaurants and shops and taverns, where a happy disposition and a relaxed lifestyle are the order of the day.
To experience the true feel of the area you can’t do better than check in at Toca da Coruja, the perfect place for those who are looking for something different. Expect nothing less than total delight, as its blend of the elements and your senses create sheer harmony. Your eyes will widen at the lush greenery that surrounds you, boasting a profusion of seductive features. You will not only savour the scents of the garden, the smell of a wood-burning stove, cashew and palm oil, but also the fragrance of Natura products, one of the most celebrated brands of beauty items in Brazil.
The linen towels and warm waters of the pools are wonderfully tactile, while your taste buds will be tempted by the wonders of the Oca Toca Restaurant, where regional cookery with a touch of fusion will make your mouth water. Your ears will certainly appreciate the silence, only broken by the sound of the frogs croaking, the whirring of crickets and the wonderful music chosen by the hotel that can be heard in the garden and rooms during the day.
Visitors can rent bungalows – the Deluxe category deserves special mention – which are perched on stilts and evoke, much like the rest of the hotel, the atmosphere of the Northeast’s colonial estates to perfection. From the chandeliers to the four-poster beds, and not forgetting the chests of drawers, everything has been acquired from estates and antique shops. Even the wood used for the doors and beams was recycled from the old estates. It would be impossible to create a more authentic environment. Add an outside shower and a traditional foot bath – with the modern addition of hydromassage – and you can feel like a native surrounded by luxury.
Take full advantage of what the place has to off er. Enjoy the library, the ionised water pools and don’t forget to try out the gym and have a relaxing massage. Enjoy resting in a hammock on the bungalow’s veranda and linger a little everywhere. Th ere’s also plenty of friendly and helpful staff . This luxury hotel works as a hotel school and its army of staff – with a ratio of 70 for the 23 rooms – is there to make your stay even more pleasant because, as their mentor, Henrique, says “the secret of our success is in the people who work here”. Part of the Roteiros de Charme chain that selects the best locations in Brazil, Toca is situated on the village’s main road, only a few metres from the beach – the perfect picture postcard of Pipa. Have a wonderful stay!
By Maria Ana Ventura
Avenida Baía dos Golfinhos, Praia da Pipa
+55 84 3246 2226
www.tocadacoruja.com.br
€190 – €346
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