1

Of course there are local buses for a couple of reais and smaller air conditioned buses for a few more. No doubt the hotel will be able to direct you to the appropriate stop for the specific bus that passes where you want to end up. The area is OK, but of course you are going to take the usual streetwise precautions you would in any big city (be vigilant, don't flaunt your valuables, etc.) and I wouldn't let girls (i.e. female +children+) walk around alone in any major city, day or night. Not much of touristic interest nearby though. Maybe the mall that's a few minutes away by bus.

Yes, the Convention Center is about 45 minutes from Pelourinho by bus if going along the coastline road, less if cutting inland. A good beach is found in Itapoa (the part called the "piscina" just before the farol), a few minutes in the other direction. Itapoa also has a lively evening scene, with music and the famous Bahiana de acaraje Cira, among others. I also like the lively beach at Porto Da Barra. You can also take the bus to Rio Vermelho for a nice evening of music clubs/restaurants and beer and the acaraje of the daughters of the late lamented Dinha.

Most hotels include a good breakfast and have a small refrigerator to keep supermarket purchases (sandwich fixings, fruit, etc) in, to help save money.

A good general informational site for Salvador is www.bahia-online.net

2

Yes, there are plentiful buses and the bus system is cheap and reasonably efficient. There are any number of buses that run out that way. A trip into the Pelourinho will take about 25 minutes, Barra about 15.

Nearby to your hotel? Jardim de Alah is fairly close, reasonable beach and some a few decent restaurants nearby. The Parque da Cidade is about a five minute walk from you. An advantage to being out that way is that you are reasonably close to Rio Vermelho, which is one of the great centres for nightlife and food. Spend an evening there. You are also much closer to Itapuã if you want to check out the beach there. Shopping Itaigara, really has very little to recommend it. You would be better off going to Shopping Salvador which will be a five minute taxi ride from you. It's the newest and largest mall in town.

My tip for a cheap eat close to you is the fabulous churrascaria Rincão Grill in Jardim Armação (Rua Pedro Silva Ribeiro, 429) The food is excellent and insanely cheap you can still do a full buffet for around R$30,00 for lunch. The only problem for you as Argentinos will be the deep sense of despair afterwards that your compatriots really don't understand how to cook meat. :-) If your husband's coporate credit card stretches that far then my other suggestions would be Yemanjá, which is also in Armação, so not far from your hotel.

If you are feeling mildly adventurous, then I would recommend my favourite restaurant, Boca de Galinha in Plataforma. You can still eat the best moqueca in town for around R$25.00 per head. You will need to either take a bus or taxi to Ribeira and then a luanch across or get to the train station at Calçada and take the train to the Almeida Brandão station in Plataforma. The restaurant is about a three minute walk from the station, just turn right when you leave the station.

Markets? Depends what you want. I'd recommend a trip to the Feira de São Joaquim for a little local colour, just be a little circumpsect wandering around there late in the afternoon, early evening.

With ten days you really should look at some day trips. Take the ferry over to Itaparica, the northern end of the island betond Mar Grande and Bom Despacho is delightful especially around the fort. I'd also suggest you take in the beach at Guarajuba. Bussola Turismo in Barra run a fairly inexpensive daytrip to Praia do Forte, that stops at the Lagoa do Abaeté, continues on to Praia do Forte and then return to Guarajuba for lunch and you can enjoy an afternoon on one of the best beaches in the region.

Argentinos and Chilenos still make up the largest number of foreign tourists so you will find the city relitively easy to get around. If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask.

Enjoy your stay.

3

Thanks so much for your detailed responses!!! This makes me feel so much better about our location in Salvador. Thanks again!

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I have no idea if you are still looking at this thread, OP, but I just happened to find this 360 degree photo of the COnvention Center and the "neighborhood" it's in:
http://www.360cities.net/image/centro-de-convencoes#-203.01,-11.42,70.0