Vila Pugliesi Hotel Boutique

A Family's Boutique Vision in Chapada Diamantina

Vila Pugliesi Hotel Boutique opened in November 2021 outside Lençóis, the colonial gold and diamond mining town that serves as the gateway to Chapada Diamantina National Park. Owned and run by the Pugliesi Ferreira family, the hotel organizes its 22 suites into five distinct categories, Jardim, Superior, Família, Imperial and Pugliesi, each decorated differently enough that the family encourages guests to try a new one on every visit. The result reads less like a standard lodge near a trailhead and more like a boutique address that happens to sit at the edge of one of Brazil's most dramatic national parks.

Why It Works

The hotel earned its place in our selection through a rare combination: a 9.9 out of 10 score across 48 reviews, a genuinely boutique concept built around art and individuality in each of the 22 suites, and a location that puts Chapada Diamantina's waterfalls and canyons within reach of a Kombi van rather than a long transfer. The in-house kitchen, built on homemade breakfast staples, fresh pastas and risottos, gives the hotel an identity beyond its rooms, and the infinity pool, hot tubs and fireplace lounge keep the property comfortable on the cooler evenings the highland climate brings.

Why This Location

Lençóis sits roughly eight hours inland from Salvador, a small colonial town of terracotta houses without street lighting, built where gold and diamond prospectors settled in the 19th century. It remains the main base for Chapada Diamantina National Park, a 1,520-square-kilometer stretch nicknamed Brazil's "Lost World" for its underground caves, red rock mesas and nearly 100 waterfalls, including Cachoeira da Fumaça, the country's highest single-drop waterfall at 425 meters. The hotel sits outside the town center, reached by its own shuttle, putting a quieter stay within easy range of both Lençóis and the park's trailheads.

• Prix: €€€ (Luxe)

• Vibe: boutique, art-filled, family-run

• Chambres: 22 suites across five categories (Jardim, Superior, Família, Imperial, Pugliesi)

• Best For: hikers and travelers who want a design-led base near Chapada Diamantina

• Our Favorite Thing About the Hotel: the Kombliesi, the hotel's own VW van shuttle into town and out toward the trailheads

• Dining: in-house breakfast, pastas and risottos, a daily picnic with charcuterie and cheese in the garden

• Amenities: infinity pool, outdoor hot tubs, fireplace lounge, board games, massage room (booked separately)

• Attractions: Poço do Diabo waterfall, Pratinha cave springs, Ribeirão do Meio natural waterslide, Cachoeira da Fumaça

Five Suite Categories, One Standing Invitation

The hotel's 22 suites split into five categories, Jardim, Superior, Família, Imperial and Pugliesi, with the top two tiers adding a bathtub and an in-room coffee maker. The family's stated approach treats each room as a different piece of the same collection, deliberately varied enough that repeat guests are encouraged to request a suite they have not yet tried, turning a return stay into its own kind of itinerary.

A Kitchen Built on House-Made Everything

Breakfast is the hotel's signature meal, built on products made in-house rather than bought in, and the main kitchen extends the same approach into pastas, risottos and steak for other meals of the day. A daily late-afternoon picnic in the garden adds charcuterie and cheese boards to the rotation, a detail that gives guests a reason to linger on the property between hikes rather than treating meals as a formality.

Within Reach of Brazil's Lost World

Chapada Diamantina's reputation rests on its underground caves, red rock mesas and close to 100 waterfalls, reachable on day hikes or multiday treks, and Vila Pugliesi's guided tours cover the region's best-known stops: the 20-meter Poço do Diabo, the clear spring water of Pratinha, and the natural rock waterslide at Ribeirão do Meio. The hotel's own Kombi shuttle, nicknamed the Kombliesi, handles the trip between the property and the park's trailheads, a logistical detail that matters in a region where distances and road quality can otherwise complicate a day out.