Stunning beach house set in eight acres of an old coconut plantation, with 200 meters of beach front. It is situated on the island of Atalya, four miles from the town of Canavieiras, in Bahia, Brazil, which is connected to the island by a bridge. The house is a luxurious creation of the famous high-end architect Ricardo Salem, and features extensive use of tropical hardwood with intricate carvings and bespoke furniture. There is room for up to 10 people, distributed into four guest bedrooms on the ground floor, with the whole of the upper floor dedicated to the master bedroom and its facilities. All the bedrooms have private bathrooms. The main sitting gallery adjoins the dining area, which leads to the barbecue area and swimming pool, having the kitchen and serving facilities nearby. There are two further enclosed rooms. The swimming pool is 17 by 6 meters. A three-bedroom gatehouse is included in the sales, situated about 100 meters from the main house; it is currently occupied by the cook and her husband who maintain the swimming pool and garden. Adjoining the gatehouse are the laundry facilities. Neither Canavieiras or Atalya island are developed tourist destinations, therefore the house enjoys unrivaled privacy, with access to a nearly deserted beach. The house has hosted reigning monarchs, dukes and A-list celebrities; so far, all have been able to move freely on the beach or in town without recognition.
As ways of reaching the property, there are regular flights to Ilheus or Porto Seguro from São Paulo and Salvador, followed by a paved road connection to Canavieiras. The town has a functioning airport, but no commercial airlines currently use it. Much the easiest access is by private flight from Salvador to Canavieiras airport, which is a 10 minute drive from the house. The town of Canavieiras rose to prominence 100 years ago during the cacao boom of the 1920’s, but has faded ever since. It now features no industry, apart from fishing. However, there are several supermarkets, restaurants and a vibrant street cafe culture. There are two big rivers to the south of the town with no bridges or road, so Canavieiras has no through traffic. Access and exit to the town is by a single road heading North. The insular nature of the town and absence of a big tourist industry has acted as a brake on prices and labor. Shop prices and restaurants are noticeably cheaper than more fashionable resorts. If Canavieiras has one world class feature, it is the marlin fishing just off the coast on Charlotte Bank. All fishing can cycle through good times and bad, but the latest catches on Charlotte have been excellent with one boat catching over 30 blue marlin during November 2023. The average weight has been around 500 lbs, with several fish over 900 lbs. A regular by-catch of eating fish such as tuna, dourado and wahoo can be expected with Amberjack, Grouper and deep water Mullet prolific for those who enjoy bottom fishing. Few boats fish the 30 mile bank and it is not unusual to have the whole fishery for just one or two boats. In today’s fast moving world the number of places where there are no noisy highways, trains, planes or traffic are becoming harder to find. Atalya island is one such place. If you come from a busy city you can expect the soundtrack of breaking waves and the absence of intrusive background noises to act as nature’s therapy. At night there is negligible light pollution; the stars are all that lights the sky. Visiting massage and beauty treatments have been a regular feature of the house culture and there are few more relaxing experiences than a massage in the shade of the veranda listening to the sea breaking on the shore.