Design your dream trip with local, expert advice

Fantasizing about white sand beaches, fresh coconut water, and tasty caipirinhas? Maybe it’s the addictive percussive rhythms on a sultry afternoon?

Or maybe you just need to get away from it all in a place where just sitting and doing nothing, staring hypnotically at the waves, is not only accepted but expected.

If this sounds like exactly what you need, but could use some help making it happen, you are in the right place.

Service with a light touch

We’re not a travel agency and we aren’t tour guides. We don’t work on kickback or commission. Instead, what my husband and I do is help visitors to our lovely city of Salvador, Brazil get here, get settled, and get oriented so they have the trip of a lifetime. 

We’re here for you, not with you:

  • If you want to take a tour of the city or go on a day trip we’ll find a trustworthy guide that speaks a common language to take you.
  • If you want to go to a show, we’ll help you buy tickets. No markup.
  • If you want information on the best beach for the mood you’re in, we’ll point you in the right direction.
  • And the list goes on…

Your hosts — Bira and Jen Santos

In short, it’s your Salvador vacation done your way. No one but you determining your itinerary for the day.

The concierge process: vacation planning made simple

As your concierges, we see ourselves like a really good bartender or sommelier.

We know what’s behind the bar, and if you tell us what you like and don’t like we can mix up a unique concoction or open the perfect bottle for you. When you provide your trip information, interests, and preferences, we make a number of recommendations based upon our experience as residents of this incredible city and you can choose what’s right for you.

Or, maybe you know exactly what you want, and just need someone to serve it up. We’ll help you arrange tours and buy tickets — two things that are difficult for non-residents and non-Portuguese speakers to do on their own.

When you sign up

Once you complete the checkout process, you can immediately start perusing the menu. You’ll get in your inbox:

  • Discover Salvador, Brazil: A local’s guide to this enchanting city. This guidebook is 200+ pages of sheer information and inspiration: 5 custom neighborhood maps, 50+ color photos, housing selection chart, links to helpful blogs and websites, and more.
  • Jen’s WhatsApp number for you to use any time you want for the first four weeks in Salvador. We call this the Ask-Me-Anything service and it’s exclusively for concierge clients.
  • Trip intake form for personalized trip planning. No matter how far along you are in your planning, we’ll up-level your experience with our flip-flops-on-the-ground experience. Via email, we’ll help with the big things, like choosing trip dates and finding a place to stay, to the mundane like buying show tickets or getting water delivered to your apartment once you’re in Salvador.

Discover Salvador, Brazil: A local’s guide to this enchanting city

How we work together

We’ll work with you in the way it work best for you, but we find this process to be the most successful:

  1. Dive into the Discover Salvador, Brazil guidebook when it arrives. There are over 200 pages of pre-trip planning information, from cost and weather considerations to detailed neighborhood guides to a monthly calendar of festivals and activities. This will give you an excellent understanding of what is possible.
  2. Complete your trip intake form. Once you’ve had time to take in the guidebook, fill out and submit the trip intake form. There really is no such thing as a question too general or too specific, so ask away!
  3. We’ll get back to you via email within 24 hours. We’ll keep refining your trip details until you have the information and level of detail you need for this epic adventure.
  4. Send us a WhatsApp when you arrive in Salvador. We like to know when all of our clients arrive — then if we find out about a cool last-minute show or a new opportunity we think you’d be interested in we can reach out.
  5. Take advantage of your Ask-Me-Anything. Unlike a travel agency, we don’t send you off on you own and only expect to hear from you when something goes wrong. Random questions are our speciality!

Questions? Check the FAQ at the bottom of the page.

A small sampling of our services

Here are just some of the things we can help you with. Interested in something not on the list? Just ask!

  • Decide the best time to visit based upon your interests and budget
  • Choose a neighborhood and provide advice on where to stay — we have five neighborhoods we recommend
  • Arrange for airport transfers
  • Organize tours and day trips with reliable guides that speak your language
  • Answer any questions around ATMs, bus, taxis, phone chips — the daily essentials
  • Discover what’s happening in the Pelourinho the upcoming weekend
  • Buy/book tickets to sporting or music events
  • Learn to play percussion
  • Plan and organize regional trips to destinations like Lençois, Cachoeira, Imbassaí, Boipeba, Morro de São Paulo, Itacaré, and more
  • Advice on transportation and/or logistics
  • Know what important cultural events are upcoming and the best way to take part
  • Book a dinner reservation
  • The must-see-and-do activities in various neighborhoods and throughout the city
  • Register for a dance class
  • Information on culture, lifestyle, and traditions
  • Register for Brazilian Portuguese classes
  • Learn to make instruments (drum, xequerê, etc)
  • Rent water sport equipment
  • How to score the locals rate on renting a beach chair and umbrella

Make memories of a lifetime

Questions? Check the FAQ at the bottom of the page.

Get to know your Salvador travel concierges

I, Jen, first visited Salvador, Brazil in 2013 and moved here in 2016. I have seen how a visit to Salvador can literally transform lives — and I want that for you. I have decades of experience as a program manager at some of the world’s largest tech companies, so I know how to organize and get stuff done.

Bira, my husband, is a Salvador native and professional musician of 20+ years. He works extensively with tourists, knows the questions they ask, and what they like and don’t like about his hometown. He has a tremendous amount of pride for his city, his Afro-Brazilian culture, and his country.

We both speak the language and know and love this incredible, magical city. When you work with us you’ll be working with a couple that are here, day in and day out, and understand the people and the culture. We are also in your time zone, available seven days a week, for those inevitable questions.

Our money back guarantee

We’re committed to creating incredible, unforgettable experiences for all of our clients. That’s why we stand behind it with a 30-day money-back guarantee as long as you haven’t yet sent us your trip intake form so we can start your personalized planning.

If you’re not fully satisfied, email me and I will refund purchase, no questions asked.

Frequently asked questions

No, we are not. We are a husband and wife team that love helping visitors have a great experience in Salvador.

Payment is done online via PayPal or credit card through our secure payment processor.

We offer a 30-day money-back guarantee as long as you have not yet sent us the trip intake form we need for personalized trip planning.

No, we will not. We will refer you to local, knowledgable guides that we know and trust. It’s a win-win because you will be with a trained professional and we get the pleasure of supporting the local economy. While we could take you out, we’d much rather arrange for you to take an in-depth tour with someone who has learned the history and has the deep knowledge to provide a meaningful experience.

Money and third parties can get very complicated very quickly, so we shy away from that. Since many people here don’t have credit cards and/or don’t have a bank, there is usually another way to make a payment. No matter what, we’ll help you figure out your options.

Once you complete the checkout process, you’ll receive two emails. The first contains a link to the PDF guide. The second contains my WhatsApp number along with a link with your trip intake form. Your four weeks of support start when you get to Salvador.

The service is designed to help visitors who are already in Salvador, Bahia with questions that can be answered in a quick WhatsApp conversation. A few examples are: where to find dance or music classes, hours for the Olodum retail shop, is Cortejo Afro playing this week, where to rent surfboards in Barra, help translating a WhatsApp message.

We try to answer all questions within a few hours if sent between 10am and 10pm Salvador time.

Last-minute planner, huh? Absolutely, we can still help! One of the things we do best is help people when they are already in Salvador. As soon as you complete the checkout process you’ll get our guide and Jen’s WhatsApp info in an email. Make sure you’ve got WhatsApp on your phone, and we’ll figure it out from there!

Absolutely! Go ahead and send us an email and we’ll get back to you promptly.