Marcelo Lima and Antonio Mazzafera, the former marketing director of London’s Maybourne hotels, could not have found a more ideal location for the debut of their first property under the Fera brand.
Built in 1934 in the style of New York’s Flatiron, the Palace Hotel – an impressive art deco landmark in Salvador da Bahia’s Pelourinho quarter – was for a brief shining moment, the hotel of choice for the likes of Carmen Miranda, Orson Welles and Pablo Neruda. By the time Lima and Mazzafera bought the property in 2011, it had already been shuttered for a decade.
Under the precise scalpel of the Danish architect Adam Kurdahl, the Fera Palace has reopened with 81 spacious rooms. The interiors, also by Kurdahl, retain the original windows, while the rooms and public spaces are feature aged brushed steel fixtures, solid Chesterfields, and mirrored drinks cabinets.
A rooftop spa and 25m infinity pool offer a languid prelude to chef Wellington Santos’s Bahia-influenced menu – think shredded dried beef paired with gouda, grilled tenderloin paired with onion and rösti sauce, and a cheesecake served with the syrup of the local jaboticaba fruit.
Up next for the Fera group is the Fera Baixo Augusta, which is due to open in São Paulo next year.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
Rua Chile 20
-
Peek inside Uchronia’s celadon green suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde ParkThe Paris-based studio teamed up with Pantone to transform a suite at the storied hotel into an aquatic dreamscape. Here’s how to check in
-
This legendary villa was built for the Cuban government. Now it’s The Future Perfect’s new Miami galleryWith Villa Paula, the boundary-pushing collectible design gallery expands its footprint
-
Hassan Hajjaj's vibrant portraits put Moroccan women at the centre of the storyFor more than three decades, the visual artist has been making portraits that centre Moroccan culture, albeit through a subversive lens. Now, an exhibition in Toronto explores the sporty facet of his portraits
-
Tour the best contemporary tea houses around the worldCelebrate the world’s most unique tea houses, from Melbourne to Stockholm, with a new book by Wallpaper’s Léa Teuscher
-
Brazilian island hotel Auka Boipeba offers a unique approach to the alfresco experienceDesigned by architecture studio FGMF, Auka Boipeba describes itself as an inn, though it’s certainly unlike any inn we’ve ever been to
-
Tune into the rhythm of São Paulo at the Arthur Casas-designed Pulso HotelHoused within a dramatic tower designed by Brazilian architect Arthur Casas, Pulso Hotel is where art, gastronomy and luxury hospitality revel
-
Soho House’s beloved home-from-home concept lands in fun-loving, hard-working São PauloSoho House São Paulo is the brand's first foothold in South America, occupying a historic corner of the Brazil mega-metropolis
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
