Hotel Spa Nau Royal

Home to just six individually decorated guestrooms and suites, Nau Royal has been carefully designed to make the most of its surroundings and capture maximum natural light - just one of the many factors making this property an eco-warriors haven. Rooms offer views over the garden, tropical forest or sea (extending to the archipelago of Alcatrazes on clear days) which can be enjoyed from your private balcony or verandah. Our favourite is the Al Mare suite, complete with ofuro (Japanese bath tub) on your private sea-view terrace.

Mouth-watering appetisers and ice-cold drinks are served in the Deck Bar, located in the beachfront garden just beside the pool. Stuffed crab shells, Peruvian ceviche and fresh local fish adorn the menu here but after sundowners, the hotel restaurant serves up a more substantial menu under the command of a chef with 15 years of experience of local flavours and creativity. If that isn't enough, three small gazebos dot the gardens, ready for your romantic private dinner.

Enjoy your well-served R&R by the pool, heated Jacuzzi and the hotel's L'Occitane spa - a deep massage among the drapes of a garden gazebo should not be missed. The immediate beach is a surfer's paradise while calmer waves are just a ten minute walk along the sand. A few minutes' drive will take you to Sertão do Cacau for your fill of waterfalls and hiking through the tropical forest.