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Brazil Hotel Guide / Scott Mitchem / Sao Paulo Hotels / Lists / Five Best / → All Tags

Top Five Must-Stay Hotels in Sao Paulo

Brazil is hot and its going to get hotter in the next decade, thanks to the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. That's why we're having journalist Scott Mitchem, who has been traveling to Brazil for years, give us the lowdown on the country’s evolving hotel scene as well as its top players.

One would expect more than a few great hotel options in a megalopolis of 11 million people, but that’s not the case in São Paulo. Sure the city is packed with limited-service options, but we can count our favorites on one hand. In fact we have. Following are our Top Five Must-Stay Hotels in São Paulo in order of preference. We hope this helps you on your next trip to Brazil’s bustling business capital.

1.The Fasano and 2. The Emiliano: It’s almost an impossible choice between the two top options, the Fasano and Emiliano Hotels. Both properties were designed by famous local architects, and are impossibly stylish - the Fasano by Isay Weinfeld and Marcio Kogan, and the Emiliano by Arthur Casas – with fantastic guestrooms and suites, as well as great pools and spas located on their top floors. And both have ideal locations in the posh neighborhood of Jardins, just blocks away from each other.

The Fasano (pictured up top) is on a quiet, tree-lined street named after Vittorio Fasano, who began the family restaurant business nearly a century ago, while the Emiliano is on the fashionable shopping strip of Oscar Freire – it doesn’t get any better.

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Madonna / Brazil Hotels / Sweet Suites / Celebrity Scoop / → All Tags

Madonna Takes Sticky and Sweet Antics to Brazil

Where: Avenida Das Napöes Unidas, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 04703-003

Seriously, what did we do when Madonna wasn't on tour and making all sorts of scandalous stops at hotels in different cities. The latest scoop takes place in Brazil. From Page Six:

According to Page Six spies and to Glamurama.com.br., the superstar singer - newly single after shelling out over $75 million to ex Guy Ritchie - shot an editorial layout for W magazine at the posh Hotel Gloria in Rio de Janeiro last weekend with a smoking hot male model, Jesus Luz....

According to the Brazilian Web site, "Everyone knows they are ficando - which is a Portuguese expression that means they are kissing and doing other things but without any obligation of being faithful or getting into a relationship afterwards."

Ficando. Officially our new favorite word.

A few days later, Madonna shacked up at the Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo where she attended a special ceremony hosted by a Brazilian rabbi. Of course, where there's a rabbi, there's Madonna.

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Cubicle Dreamin' / Brazil Hotels / Sao Paolo Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Cubicle Dreamin': Perfection in São Paulo

Where: Rua Oscar Freire 384 , São Paulo, Brazil, 01426-000

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K picks out her first choice for a Brazilian getaway. Enjoy.

I'm always dreaming up new destinations and since I've made a bunch of new friends from Brazilian mega-city São Paulo recently, it seems like a good place for a holiday.

Trusting the TripAdvisor gang, their number one stay in São Paulo is the Emiliano Hotel. We've already remarked on the rooftop spa and recent guests still love this, but the list of other positives seems pretty much endless. Sometime during the day, room service stops by with complimentary fruit (and fancy-looking fruit at that), and desserts later on. The rooms are stylishly decorated without being overdone, the beds are comfortable and even the linen is well-loved. But the most popular perk at the Emiliano is the excellent service:

The staff is really who make this hotel stand out. I've stayed at other Sao Paulo botique hotels and this one has the best staff, by far. Why? ... Everybody here, and I mean from the cleaning lady to the reception staff to the butlers, act like they are hosting you in their own homes.

The compliments roll on at TripAdvisor so I feel pretty confident that it's worth recommending. And the only thing my Brazilian friends have been warning me about--making sure you stay in a safe area--is also taken care of here. The Emiliano is in the Jardins district and in the best shopping street of São Paulo. Only it sounds like one of those hotels I'll never actually want to leave the hotel and do any sightseeing or visiting pals.

[Photo: Dewey76]

Related Stories:
· Emiliano reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Relaxing in São Paulo [HotelChatter]

Insane Hotel Packages / Hilton Hotels / Sao Paolo Hotel Reviews / → All Tags

Insane Hotel Packages: Helicoptering Around Manhattan and Sao Paulo

Where: Avda das Nacoes Unidas 12901, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 04578-000

Capitalizing on President Bush's recent trip to São Paulo, the Hilton São Paulo Morumbi has put together a "Live Like a Mogul" package which is funny because last time we checked, George Bush was an elected public official (this can be debated by Al Gore) and not a mogul. Perhaps VIP would have been a better term.

Nevertheless, the hotel's outrageous $5,500 a night package features:

helicopter transfers between Downtown Manhattan Heliport and JFK; helicopter shuttle between Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), round-trip copter transfers between the hotel and São Paulo's Guarulhos International Airport, Presidential Suite accommodation, and daily spa treatments.

Also included are the obligatory VIP champagne and chocolate upon arrival, in-suite daily dinner from the Canvas Bar & Grill as well as breakfast, and a full day at the hotel's Sensory Spa. If this isn't quite enough money to spend, an extra $675 an hour will get you a personal helicopter tour around the city for the day. But you should be pretty content in the Presidential Suite which has a complete kitchen, home theater, 36" televisions, surround sound and views of the city.

For those moguls with enough money to blow about six grand a night, the package is available until the end of the year.

Related Stories:
· Hilton Sao Paulo reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotels / → All Tags

Relaxing in São Paulo

The New York Times has made São Paulo the new destination to visit, naming it the paper's featured city.

Getting a mention is the Hotel Unique--which we learned about during the first episode of this season's Amazing Race.

But writer Dan Shaw gets a thrilling experience at the Emiliano makes us jealous beyond words. Or makes us jealous in just 3.5 words: glass-enclosed rooftop spa. The spa has wooden hot tubs, a marble plunge pool and comfy white mats to lay out on.

As for settling in, the Emiliano offers a butler service to unpack for you so you can sit back on one of your six pillows of varying firmness and enjoy the view into other penthouses.

Another hotel to check-out is the Fasano which sounds like the place to meet worldly men of money or as Shaw writes, "it attracts more hedge-fund managers than models."

We wonder about the lack of reviews on Trip Advisor (there are only two and the hotel has been open for two years) but both of the reviews claim Fasano is one of the best hotels they have stayed in, with friendly staff and a great location.

Related Stories:
· The New São Paulo [NY Times]
· Fasano Hotel Reviews [Trip Advisor]
· Emiliano reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Amazing Race 9 Hotel Report: And So It Begins Again [HotelChatter]

Miscellaneous / Love Hotels / → All Tags

Love Motel: Doggy Style Only

You could probably find a "love hotel" in most cities, and of course the Poconos, Brazil and Japan have the market cornered on such hotels. However, harder to find, are doggy style love hotels.

Gang Dos Bichos, the doggy love motel in Sao Paulo, was inspired by thousands of human love motels, which allow Brazilian couples to rent rooms by the hour for trysting purposes.

For $41 your dog and his bitch can copulate in a private, air-conditioned room with a heart shaped mirror on the ceiling for two hours. The room comes with paw print motif, and a special control panel to dim the lights, turn on romantic music or play films.

“The owner has to know what kind of DVD will excite his or her dog,” said owner Robson Marinho said with a chuckle.

Oh, and get this, the hotel can arrange for artificial insemination for your pet.

Related Stories:
·   Dogs Go Woof Over Pupply Love Motel [MSNBC]
·   Pet Hotel Coverage [Hotel Chatter]
·   Brazillian Love Motels [Hotel Chatter]

Hotels / → All Tags

São Paulo Destination Hotel

Where: Av. Brigadeiro Luis Antonio, São Paulo, Brazil

Did you know São Paulo has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan?  We had no idea, until a recent Hotel Unique visitor alerted us to that fact while raving about the São Paulo destination hotel:

From the uber-cool building design, to the stunning lobby, comfortably trendy rooms and rooftop restaurant/bar/pool, it is about as hip as they come. While not cheap, it is also a deal compared to similar hotels in London, Paris and Rome. The only downside is that it is a bit out of the way from the major business/shopping areas around Avenida Paulista, but the architect clearly needed more space than downtown would allow to build his vision.

Designed by Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake, Hotel Unique is not only visually stunning but also boasts free Internet and a sushi bar.

If you have photos of this hotel we would love to see them--just upload them to the Flickr/HotelChatter photo pool.

Related Stories:
·   Hotel Unique Reviews [TripAdvisor]

Hotels / Brazilian Love Motels / Love Hotels / → All Tags

Brazilian Love Motels

Where: Pça.Paschoal Martins, 54, São Paulo, Brazil

Ah-ha.  Hey Goldman, if you are trying to corner the market on love hotels you better not begin and end your search in Japan.

Turns out there are a bevy of swank love motels in Brazil.

One so-called love motel in São Paulo is Opium, which caters to high-end guests, by handing out suites with mini indoor pools (some with waterfalls), retractable roofs, saunas built for two, multiple surround-sound CD players, minibars, and everything short of illegal drugs as far as we can tell. The price? Only $38 for smaller suite while the mac daddy "Opium Premium" suites can be yours for a little bit more than $100. Dios Mios.

Oh and the rooms also come equipped with 2 canais eróticos.  We didn't fare so well at college Spanish, but 2 canais eróticos sound good to us.

These Brazilian love motels appear to beat their Japanes Love Hotels hands down.  Goldman better send some "analysts" south of the equator to do some "modeling" don't ya think?

Related Stories:
·   Sào Paulo Love Story, Part Two [Gridskipper]
·   Opium After Party [hotwomenoftheworld]

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