Hotel Cocoon & Lounge
Haeckel Jose de Almeida, 238, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
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The contrast couldn’t be greater between the self-styled “first spaceship hotel in the world,” the retro-futuristic Hotel Cocoon, and its setting: it’s more or less right at the seaside, but rather than condo complexes and luxury hotels for neighbors it’s bordered by a busy avenue (under which a passage leads from the Cocoon to the beach) and an ordinary residential neighborhood that’s anything but designed.
Salvador is a rough-edged and unpretentious city, a busy port city, not at all the sort of place you’d expect any kind of modern design hotel, much less one like the bizarre and whimsical Cocoon. Imagine something from a slightly campy Sixties sci-fi film come to life in 3-D and dropped to earth at the edge of a wild bamboo forest — at reception you wouldn’t be surprised to see Barbarella herself hand over your room keys.
The exterior is fanciful enough that it’s possible to enter the Cocoon with no idea at all what the rooms are going to look like. In fact it would be quite a letdown to walk through the doors of a spaceship only to be shown to a tasteful monochrome international-style loft bedroom. The interiors don’t disappoint; though calm enough to sleep in, the rooms are fairly bold, in gray concrete and light hardwood, with curvy transparent tubs beside softly glowing platform beds dressed in silk sheets.
A cocktail lounge opens onto the pool deck, which serves as not just the public centerpiece of the hotel but also, more poetically, as something of a mission statement. The Cocoon is inspired less by the charmingly dated science fiction films of the Fifties and Sixties and more by the 1985 Ron Howard film of the same name, in which a group of elderly Americans are rejuvenated by some alien life force at the bottom of a swimming pool next door to their retirement home.
This is a concept that, if anything, gains something in translation. In the United States (maybe anywhere in English-speaking world) a place that’s equal parts hip hotel and Ron Howard reference would be just plain bizarre. In this setting it only deepens the mystique — there’s really nothing else like Hotel Cocoon in Salvador, in Brazil, or anywhere in the world.
Travel advisory: Passport and visa requirements differ from country to country. Please check with your local authority before booking.
How to get there: Hotel Cocoon & Lounge is 6 1/2 miles from Salvador International Airport. The drive takes approximately 5-10 minutes. Please contact CustomerService@TabletHotels.com for assistance with airport transfers.
- 27 Rooms
- Style: Cutting-Edge
- Atmosphere: Lively
- 4 Guest Reviews
- Hotel Cocoon & Lounge
- Haeckel Jose de Almeida, 238
- Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Hotel amenities and services
- 24 hour front desk
- Bar
- Central air conditioning
- Free parking
- Free wi-fi
- Garden
- Lounge
- Luggage storage
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Pets allowed (charges apply)
- Restaurant
- Room service
- Shopping area nearby
- Spa treatments (on request)
Other Salvador hotels
4 Guest Reviews
All reviews are from Tablet guests with verified stays.
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- Jason
- Stayed March 2011
- Rating: Excellent
What I liked:
The design is amazing. The pool and lounge is gorgeous! Breakfast was a feast of local fruits, pastries and meats with a make your own mimosa bar. Delicious!
What the hotel could do better:
My one and only complaint would be that some desk staff spoke great English and some barely knew any at all. My first day was a bit challenging there with the front desk. But the next morning a different staffer was there who spoke perfect English and was very helpful. Otherwise my stay at Cocoon was absolutely perfect! Thank you!
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- Theresa
- Stayed September 2008
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
good value for good price!
What the hotel could do better:
nothing!
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- Stacy and Robert
- Stayed December 2007
- Rating: Good
What I liked:
The rooms were great, up to par with what we like and look for in a hotel. The pool was wonderful and warm. There were comfortable and available lounge chairs every day. The place, rooms included was immaculate and designed nicely.The bartenders were very nice. The guests were wonderful probably because they were all Tablet Hotel guests.
What the hotel could do better:
The food was very limited. The chef was tempermental and not flexible. He was more concerned with serving his visiting friends dinner than the hotel guests.
Dinner was marginal and lunch was worse. They would only serve a couple of things from the menu for lunch but every once in a while if you begged then they would make the pasta or something else from the menu. This would have been ok except for the fact that the location of the hotel is very far from everything. And I mean everything. There was not one restaurant in walking distance for lunch and for dinner, the only availability of food was a pizza place/steak restaurant across the street.
The staff was not helpful at all. No matter what we asked for there were no suggestions. All they knew info on was how to call their friendly cab driver for us. Thank goodness for him or we would have been stuck at the hotel 24/7. Luckily the guests were wonderful and we made some nice friends who we explored the city with.
