Wow. Thank you all for the wonderful responses, feedback and suggestions.
Originally Posted by VidaNaPraia
If you want to stay in the historic district, perhaps consider the Pestana Convento do Carmo Bahia (
https://www.pestana.com/en/hotel/pes...vento-do-carmo ), one of the nicest hotels in Salvador, in a historic building in a quiet area away from the movement and music.
This is an excellent suggestion and I had overlooked this property when doing my research. It is exactly the kind of hotel that my wife loves (as long as it is well maintained!). Thanks for pointing it out. I've tentatively made a booking here, but will keep an eye out for sales here or elsewhere that may improve the value proposition.
Originally Posted by VidaNaPraia
Salvador speaks to the spirit of some folks and a couple of days is not enough; others can't wait to get out of there. Check your perhaps unacknowleged racism and any racial paranoia at the door (if you've never been the only white person in the room).
Neither of us is white (Indian and African respectively) and we could both probably pass for locals on the basis of skin tone. We don't speak any Portuguese though, but we have traveled in Mozambique and Angola without any issues.
Originally Posted by RafKa
the BW Premier Arpoador seems to be brand new and is indeed in a good location, albeit not a typical "aspirational" location
Originally Posted by Esmjb
I have never stayed at the best western arpoador but I really like that location.
Originally Posted by Marambio
Agree with everybody that the Best Western seems to be in a very good location.
I think the general consensus has convinced me, plus I hope my BW status will count for something (although the awards already seem to book into the "Luxury Room" category). I will continue to keep an eye open on the beachfront properties at Copacabana to see if prices drop dramatically or something interesting shows up on Hotwire, but the BW seems a solid option otherwise. It is about as "aspirational" as spending Best Western Rewards points gets!
Originally Posted by RafKa
do not stay (or even go) downtown: it's uninteresting and a waste of time (and resist the temptation to get an extra stamp on your passport and go to Paraguay, which is a real dump). Consider staying on the argentinean side which is the more interesting side of the park (half day on the Brazilian side of the falls is more than enough), and has better F&B options with argentinean steak & wines. There are lots of "jungle-style" lodges in Argentina, or B&Bs downtown.
Originally Posted by Marambio
forget about Paraguay; while Asunción has grown on me, Ciudad del Este is dystopian.
Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be), for unrelated reasons to this trip, I am not able to set foot in Argentina and my wife is unable to travel to Paraguay as her country of citizenship does not have diplomatic relations with them and hence they will not issue her a visa. Therefore we will be on the Brazilian side exclusively. We will arrive at 730pm on the Thursday and depart 11am on the Saturday, so while I'm still sorely tempted by the Belmond I can't really justify spending nearly US$800 for what will essentially just be a bed and shower. I've booked at the Wish Golf Resort by GJP just near the airport which has excellent reviews and a good price (around US$90/night) but as with elsewhere, I am going to keep monitoring sales to see if anywhere else has a better deal. We're going to just focus on the Brazilian side of the falls (maybe the speedboat and/or helicopter ride) and maybe the bird park if we have time later in the day.
Originally Posted by RafKa
In São Paulo, especially during weekends Accor is your friend. Their rates are excellent value...It's easy to get around on a Sunday with no traffic and Uber.
I looked at the Accor rates after reading your post and found them to be quite high for August right now, but that may change as we get closer to August. Keeping in mind that it's a Sunday and by all accounts traffic won't be as bad an issue as it is during the week, I've used points (21k/night) at the Hilton Sao Paulo Morumbi for now but continue to monitor . This may be somewhere where Pricelining a 5* property a few weeks out may hit paydirt for the right part of town, otherwise the Hilton will be a solid backup.