Hotel Vila Galé Marés
Vila Gale Mares sits on Guarajuba beach in Camacari, on Bahia's north coast, 60 km from Salvador and 10 km from Praia do Forte. That location is its quiet superpower: among Brazilian all-inclusives, few are this easy to reach, roughly an hour's drive from Salvador's international airport with no ferries and no puddle-jumper connection, while still putting you on a genuine coconut-palm coastline. The Portuguese group Vila Gale runs the property to its own European operating standards, and at 576 rooms, chalets and suites it is one of the larger all-inclusive operations in the region.
Things to Know
- Wi-Fi costs extra
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +One of the easiest airport transfers of any Brazilian all-inclusive: the resort sits on Guarajuba beach in Camacari, 60 km from Salvador's international airport and about an hour by road, with no ferry crossings and no regional connection to make
- +A premium wing opened on 30 November 2023 as part of a R$15 million investment: 84 refurbished rooms and chalets with their own private access and reception, a dedicated pool, a lounge restaurant and bar with table service and upgraded drinks, a library and free use of the spa water circuit
- +The same investment built a children's water park that doubled the size of the Nep Kids Club: two pools with slides and water toys, a playground and a covered activity space, and it is open to every guest rather than only to club members
- +Supervised programming is real rather than nominal. Children aged 4 to 12 can spend the day with the entertainment team without a parent present, with treasure hunts, gymkhanas and painting, while younger children join if an adult comes along
- +Six restaurants and six bars across Brazilian, Bahian and Portuguese cooking: Versatil is the main buffet and serves a late supper until 3 a.m., Massa Fina does artisanal pizza, Inevitavel is Asian and Mediterranean, Versatil II is Mediterranean a la carte, Cervejaria Portuguesa is Portuguese and Cravo e Canela is Bahian, with a separate NEP restaurant for children
- +The included drinks list is unusually generous for the price band: 15 different beers, freshly made cocktails and Portuguese Santa Vitoria wines from the group's own estate, poured without restriction
- +Satsanga Spa is a full facility and not a token treatment room: heated indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, Turkish bath, hammam, Vichy shower and massage and beauty rooms, with one complimentary hour of the water circuit on stays of four nights or more
- +The excursions nearby are genuinely good, and the resort's own guide points at all of them: Praia do Forte and the Projeto Tamar sea turtle centre 10 km away, the Humpback Whale Institute, the Sapiranga Reserve, and Casa da Torre, the 1551 Garcia d'Avila castle that is the only building in the Americas with medieval features
Cons
- −The 2023 money went into 84 premium rooms and the children's water park, not into the 432 standard apartments, so room condition is still the most common complaint. Expect comfortable and functional rather than refreshed unless you book premium
- −This is a large, lively Brazilian family resort and noise carries. Guests also report that cleaning and service get stretched when the property is full, which is the same problem showing up in a different place
- −Value for money is the weakest of the property's marks in guest reviews. The rate is not low for what is a sizeable but ageing resort, and some guests leave feeling they paid for the brand rather than the room
- −Primarily oriented toward Brazilian domestic travelers. Portuguese is the working language and English service thins out quickly past the front desk
- −Brazilian school holidays in January, July and December fill the resort with families and the kid energy becomes inescapable, which is also when food complaints cluster as the buffet strains
- −It doubles as a convention hotel, with 1,276 sq m of meeting space including a 706 sq m ballroom, so a corporate group or a large wedding may be sharing the property with you
- −At 576 rooms, chalets and suites this is a big-box resort. Travelers after boutique intimacy or the bohemian beach-town feel of somewhere like Itacare are in the wrong place
- −Reaching Salvador from North America still means connecting through Sao Paulo or another hub, so the easy final hour does not make this a short trip
The practical experience is built for families, and a R$15 million investment that landed at the end of 2023 sharpened both ends of it. A children's water park doubled the Nep Kids Club, adding two pools with slides, a playground and a covered activity space that any guest can use, with monitors who take children aged 4 to 12 for the day. At the other end, a premium wing of 84 refurbished rooms and chalets opened on 30 November 2023 with private access, its own pool, a lounge restaurant with table service and free run of the spa water circuit. Dining spans six restaurants and six bars mixing Brazilian, Bahian and Portuguese cooking, with 15 beers and the group's Portuguese Santa Vitoria wines included, and the Satsanga Spa carries a heated indoor pool, sauna, hammam and Turkish bath. The flip side is consistent in guest reviews: the standard apartments read as dated because the money went elsewhere, the atmosphere is loud, and value for money is the weakest of the property's marks.
Vila Gale Mares is right for families who want a big, activity-rich Brazilian all-inclusive with almost no transfer hassle, and for travelers who will use the excursions. Praia do Forte and the Projeto Tamar sea turtle project are 10 km away, the Humpback Whale Institute and the 1551 Casa da Torre castle are nearby, and Salvador's Pelourinho is a feasible day trip. Couples wanting quiet or design-forward luxury should look elsewhere, or at least book the premium wing: the main resort is a high-energy, Portuguese-speaking, family-first operation and it makes no apologies for it.
Common Questions
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What's nearby
Imbassaí30 min drive · 16 mi
Praia de Guarajuba11 min drive · 2.4 mi
Castelo Garcia d'Ávila25 min drive · 8.3 mi
Praia do Forte village30 min drive · 12 mi
Projeto TAMAR Praia do Forte30 min drive · 12 mi
Arembepe Hippie Village40 min drive · 18 mi
More things to do (10)
- Itacimirim · beach20 min drive · 7.7 mi
- Reserva Sapiranga · nature25 min drive · 8.6 mi
- Mirante de Imbassaí · viewpoint30 min drive · 14 mi
- Instituto Baleia Jubarte visitor centre · museum30 min drive · 11 mi
- Papa-Gente natural pool snorkel (Praia do Forte) · excursion30 min drive · 12 mi
- Whale watching from Praia do Forte (July to October) · excursion30 min drive · 12 mi
- Praia do Jacuípe · beach30 min drive · 11 mi
- Projeto TAMAR Arembepe · wildlife40 min drive · 18 mi
- Praia de Jauá · beach45 min drive · 23 mi
- Praia de Santo Antônio (Vila do Diogo) · beach45 min drive · 22 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Google Reviews★ 4.5 · 14,889 reviews
“Lots of nature and we spotted a few animals in the resort which the kids loved. Good entertainment program. Also has quite a few quiet spots you don’t always find in such resorts”
“Staff friendly and professional. Room needs to be updated. Gymnasium (academia) a big disappointment; equipment broken and dirty. Buffet enormous quantities and lots to choose from but not particular tasty. Great location.”
“A beautiful hotel with great service and good food. Located right on the beach with an expansive property; this place is quite unique compared to other hotels we have stayed at in Brazil. It’s a great property for kids and adults alike. We did the pr...”
