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Vanity Fair Visits the Showers of the Uxua Casa Hotel

Where: 10 Rue de Parque, Trancoso, Brazil

Heading down to the Bahia region of Brazil, Vanity Fair did us a favor by checking into the new and rustic Uxua Casa Hotel, also known as the pet project of Diesel's creative director, Wilbert Das. Surprisingly, they don't gloss over the fact that at $395–$1,095 per night, staying at the Uxua is the "fat wallet" kind of roughing it, but worth it if you want to immerse yourself in Bahian culture and craft.

When it comes to his work at Diesel, Wilbert must focus his creativity on clothing and concentrate on what's in current fashion, but with the Uxua, he had the freedom to play with interior design and utilize local woodworkers to elevate his hotel above "Design Hotel" status. Vanity Fair is particularly head-over-heels for the handmade furniture and exhibitionist showers. Their take:

One thing that's modern about the hotel, he says, is the way that local craftsmanship became amplified and reinterpreted. In several guesthouses, for example, craftspeople added plumbing to wooden beams, creating unusual showers. ("It's incredibly strange to see the water just flowing out of the construction of the building," Das says.) They carved fallen trees into rough-edged sinks and benches and turned an erect tree trunk into a huge outdoor shower. In the garden, a self-taught mosaicist took on the challenge of a 40,000-pebble pool.

Undoubtedly a retreat for the rich and reclusive who fancy a bit of slumming with their caipirinhas, the Uxua sounds like heaven. Like heaven, it is also only within reach of those who enjoy paying through the nose for their indulgences (Catholic joke!).

[Photo: Vanity Fair]

Fashion Hotels / Hotel Openings / Brazil Hotels / → All Tags

Diesel's Creative Director Reveals His Brazilian Dream

Where: 10 Rue de Parque, Trancoso, Brazil

Wilbert Das, Creative Director of Italian brand Diesel, sure has the life. For one, he gets to flex his fashion muscles around the world with Diesel, but then he has the time and focus to bring a unique independent project to fruition deep in Brazil. Freshly opened this month, his Uxua Casa Hotel, pronounced oo-SHOO-ahh and meaning "marvelous," on the Bahian coast combines repurposed materials, traditional construction methods, and Bahia style to create something like a top secret rustic retreat.

True to a secluded nature of the property, there is no central building; instead, nine individual casas of different histories and personalities are anchored by an aventurine quartz swimming pool, restaurant, library, gym and spa, and the requisite beach access. Of the nine casas, three are restored fisherman houses while others range from a multi-level tree house to a 2-bedroom villa.

While it's apparent that Wilbert knows a thing or two about design, Uxua seems to be his creative outlet for experimentation as the hotel sets a standard for environmentally-friendly materials and awareness, even contributing to local preservation charities and patronizing native businesses.

For those enticed by the indigenous luxe aesthetic of the Uxua, we're luckliy entering the low season for Brazil, with nightly rates between $395 to $825 (add $100 or $200 more for the high season of December thru February). This makes us want to take a closer look at Bahia, which seems to be like a cheaper and less touristy Bali, and that's enough for us to love it.

[Photos: Uxua Castle Hotel]

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