Sao Paulo Reports

[SocratesNY]

I haven't written a report in almost 1. 5 years, but still go to Brazil (mostly SP) about 6 x a year. With the abundance of reviews, feedback and questions the past few months in this forum, I feel motivated to give back and provide new insights I've gleamed in 2024 and 2025, as well as answer some questions or update on some pricing: Note: All mentions of money are in Brazilian Real, unless denoted by USD.

Accommodations:

I generally stay at higher end hotels and have found all the mid to high end hotels in SP and RJ to be guest friendly. You should ALWAYS book for 2 or maximum allowable guests for that room category. (3+ for suites, etc.). Some hotels, especially the night staff, will try to charge you a guest fee if you only book for 1 guest. Sometimes they will try even if you book for 2+. In those situations, you just need to politely push back and point out you booked for 2+ guests.

Something new I've experienced is that some hotels will try to differentiate a "visitor" vs. A "guest". They consider a visitor as temporary visitor. They consider a guest as someone who can get a keycard and make room charges, etc. I had one instance where a hotel tried to register a girl as a "visitor" and ask me pay a visitor fee. I told them I booked for 2 persons, and they warned me that to avoid the "visitor" fee, I had to register her as a "guest" so I did so. I simply unregistered her once she left in the afternoon.

I have stayed at the following hotels found them to be guest friendly:

Rosewood (Best hotel in SP IMHO, luxurious and modern, conveniently located, expensive).

Emiliano (luxury hotel with a modern Brazilian flair, conveniently located, expensive).

Fasano (both locations) (Old school Brazilian luxury hotel, conveniently located, expensive).

Hotel Unique (Not a fan, small rooms ok location, expensive).

Tivoli (Nice luxury hotel, conveniently located, expensive).

Renaissance (Best Marriott hotel location wise. A bit dated, good service).

Grand Hyatt (Amazing service, typical Grand Hyatt, far from the action).

JW Marriott (Newly renovated luxury Marriott hotel, far from action).

W Sao Paulo (Newlly built great service, good location amd modern luxury).

Intercontinental (A bit dated, good location).

My friends found the following hotels to be guest friendly:

Palacio Tangara (Super luxurious, far away from action, expensive).

Hilton (Far away from action).

Sheraton (Far away from action).

Marriott Apartments (Close to Bomboa and Caf Photo.

Pullman Sao Paulo (both locations).

Grand Mercure and Mercure (various locations).

Wyndham SP Ibrapuera (formerly known as the Bourbon) in Moema (Beware of airplane noise).

Friends who have stayed at Airbnb have had little trouble finding guest friendly options in both SP and RJ, although they did have to do their due diligence and ask about the host's guest policy.

Transportation:

Uber is the way to go, as it's cheap and convenient. I generally use Uber Black as many drivers cancel UberX so you might have to wait longer to save a little coin. Uber Black also usually isn't much more than UberX and a few times, it's even cheaper! A new option I noticed in 2024 is Uber Taxi, which can be quite useful in avoiding traffic. Uber Taxi usually is similar to UberX in pricing (and often times run promos which cost less than Uberx). Taxis can use special lanes for only Taxis and Buses to avoid traffic during rush hour. Occasionally, I would use regular Taxis when leaving Scandallo or my hotel if it's right there waiting for a passenger. For short and medium distance journeys, their pricing is comparable to Uber. It is usually the long distances rides and trips from / to airports that they become significantly more costly than Uber.

Crime:

Most of the crime in Sao Paulo are crimes of opportunity against the weak (women, elderly, solo unaware gringos, etc.). Snatch and grab make up most of the crime I've heard about from friends, colleagues, girls and others. Try not to walk around the city with your full attention on your phone. When you do need to use your phone out in the street, try to stay away from the curb, where guys on bikes can do a snatch and grab. I usually walk inside a store if I need to use my phone. When calling for an Uber, try to do so and wait inside an establishment, whether it's a clinica, bank, restaurant, bar, etc. And exit when the Uber arrives. The neighborhood you are in also plays a big part on how cautious and aware you need to be. Centro, Republica and north of Av. Paulista at night can be especially shady. Even tourist hotspots near Av. Paulista, Liberdade, etc. Need extra awareness at night. The areas I've found to be safest at night were Itaim Bibi, Vila Olimpia and Jardim Paulista. I also found Moema to be relatively safe both during the day and at night, as it has a Bohemian vibe. You can also get a wrist cord or neck lanyard for your phone. It has saved my friends from a few attempts at snatch and grabs.

Banking / FX and Credit Cards:

I mainly use ATMs for most of my FX / cash needs. You get an exchange rate very close to the current rate with Santander and Bradesco. I try to use ATMs inside bank branches. In branches near busy and more affluent, touristy or commercial areas (Jardim Paulista, Itaim Bibi, etc.) and in shopping malls, I usually can withdraw $2,500 per transaction up to your local bank's daily withdrawal limits (so probably $5,000 per day in 2 transactions). I have 2 ATM cards with me so I can withdraw up to $10,000 per day. 1 to 2 visits to the ATMs usually satisfy my cash needs for the trip.

Using a debit card that refunds ATM fees is suggested. Schwab and Fidelity have online accounts that are easy to use and returns ATM fees. Higher tier bank checking accounts at big western financial institutions will refund your ATM fees. I carry 2 of these cards with me when I travel (Schwab and my main bank card).

I also supplement that by brining around $1,000 USD for emergency funds. Many girls will take USD in lieu of Reals. You can also go to a cambio if you want to exchange. Two that I have used and can recommend are: 1) Seattle Turismo in Jardim Paulist and 2) Casa de Cambio in Morumbi Shopping.

For most of my expenses in Brazil, I use a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and high point reward bonuses for restaurants and travel. I use my credit cards at hotels, restaurants, super markets, pharmacies, tourist attractions, boates (Scandallo, Bamboa, etc.) and even some clinicas and Termas (in RJ) where there is no surcharge or fees for using a credit card. I mostly use cash when paying the girls or when visiting clinicas that don't take credit card or charge a surcharge for its usage.

I usually only take with me 1 or 2 CCs and 1 debit card with me when I am out. I also only take what I expect to use in cash that day / evening. As I usually do overnights with girls and usually visit boates, I leave most of my cash in the hotel, as I only pay the girl when they leave in the morning / afternoon. I also leave my passport and most of my IDs and CCs, etc. In the hotel safe. I carry with me my PADI ID and a paper copy of my passport. I've used my PADI ID at all the boates, bars, clubs, etc. Without issue. I am sure an expired license or any local ID you use would suffice if they would accept my scuba diving ID. My paper copy of my passport was also accepted by cambios I've used for USD to BRL cash exchange. They usually will also take a photo of your passport from your phone. I also take with me a burner phone, which basically is the last phone I used before I upgraded to my current phone. I do the above to minimize risk when out about town.

Cellular Communications:

I have no experience getting local SIM or international eSIM cards, as I have used 3 plans the last 5 years in Brazil that worked great. Google Fi has unlimited talk, text and data and is great for international use. T-Mobile has 5 Gig of monthly data for international use. AT&T has unlimited talk, text and data in South America (including Brazil). However, GRU and GIG airports have free wifi if you need access to internet and to grab an Uber when you land without cellular internet.

[The Cane]

Or in case of ATM malfunction or not dispensing any money. Until the damn whirring stops and money is dispensed anything can happen.

This happened to me once in Brazil (Curitiba). It was at a major mall using a machine that was not specific to a particular bank (that's what I could find). Apparently the machine lost connectivity or something and didn't dispense my money. It said wait a few minutes and try again. I did, and on the second attempt I was able to withdraw the money. Afterwards I checked my Schwab checking account which showed two attempts to withdraw the money, the first unsuccessful and the second successful. I then locked my account so that no more withdrawals could take place until I myself unlocked the account. I love that feature! That along with refunds of any and all fees and great customer service (I don't hand that compliment out easily because most businesses don't deserve it) makes the Schwab debit card an excellent choice for the traveling monger. One of the best things I ever did was open that checking account with Schwab. They put $60 in ATM fees recently incurred in Brazil back into my account. Not a lot of banks are going to do that. When I'm overseas I hit the ATMs freely because I know I will get all of the fees back. The Cane does not pay fees to access my own money!

[Tochka]

Try the ATMs at the free standing banks. Not the ones in stores or the mall.

This is my go to bank on the same avenue and accept Chase bank card.

Banco Bradesco. Agncia 0495.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/f5aTpqji5YxR...s.preview.copy

Agreed use Bradesco bank inside the lobby. There is a Bradesco across from Moema metro. I think the lobby closes at 8 pm. Personally my go to are the Bradesco banks with lobby open late at night until 11 pm. The Santadar ATM in Shopping Ibirapuera mall is a 50-50 deal. Sometimes works fine with credit card withdrawal other times has limits of 1000 reais max. Sometimes rejects debit card transaction with nada explanation.

Also be careful using debit card vs credit cards because some bank ATM run out of paper to print proof of withdrawal or in case of ATM malfunction or not dispensing any money. Until the damn whirring stops and money is dispensed anything can happen.

[The Cane]

Look for Bradesco ATM's, they're the best.

Bradesco is my preferred but Santander also works well with my Schwab debit card. Schwab also refunds all ATM fees (was like $60) which I greatly appreciate!

[SamaRiding]

Thanks.

Walked to the mall to get some money. Santander ATMs declined my chase debit card. I called chase and they told me there was no any declines on chase side. It is the bank. There is an exchange on a third floor, so exchanged some dollars.

Try the ATMs at the free standing banks. Not the ones in stores or the mall.

This is my go to bank on the same avenue and accept Chase bank card.

Banco Bradesco. Agência 0495.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/f5aTpqji5YxR...s.preview.copy

[DasBooty]

Walked to the mall to get some money. Santander ATMs declined my chase debit card. I called chase and they told me there was no any declines on chase side. It is the bank. There is an exchange on a third floor, so exchanged some dollars.

Look for Bradesco ATM's, they're the best.

[Blakman]

I thought this was the best decision I made. I experienced a vibrant, diverse community closely populated by entertainment, restaurants, and shopping malls. In fact, it seemed to be a carbon copy of New York. Yes theres like 2% homeless people but no different in America with the invasion of fentanyl. Police ride up and down the roads consistently at night time. Apart from the homeless the other people roaming the streets are party goers like yourself. I loved walking to and from casarao to my apartment building, which had great security. I think the earliest I walked home was 2 am and sometimes coming in about 5 am. In my opinion Casarao was the best somewhat reasonable priced place to monger with numbers of talent so why not be as close by as possible. There was no annoying noise from flight as people posted about moema. But if you are into the spas then I would agree to be close by in the moema area.

[The Cane]

I will add my 2 cents, so folks can decide where to stay. Mercure hotels usually don't seem to have sound proofed windows and that is the case with Mercure Times Square (MTS). The windows they have are bit better than the ones in apartments. If there is a nearby construction during you stay, then you don't need an alarm to get up in the morning. Other benefit of staying in MTS when there is nearby construction is you can do clinica runs, sightseeing or some other activity during daytime because you won't be able to sleep. At night there won't be any construction and also there are not many flights going over Wyndham either. There was construction across the street (near Al Kaseem restaurant) from hotel MTS during my 1st stay. The construction noise woke me up every day by 8 am and couldn't sleep during the day because of the loud noise. Luckily there is no such loud construction during my recent stays. I would pick Wyndham over MTS if there is nearby construction. That said, under Wyndham management the hotel has gone downhill. It is now very poorly maintained and with poor management. One big advantage MTS has over Wyndham is that it is, like Steve9696 said, very girl friendly.

I stayed at this hotel at least a couple of times and there was zero noise from planes flying overhead. I don't know if the windows were sound proof or not. All I know is there was no airport noise. There also was no construction going on at the time of my stays though, so I can't address that. The Wyndham is in a more convenient location, but the MTS certainly isn't inconveniently located, and the screeching overhead planes cancel out any advantages to be had from the Wyndham's location if you ask me. Advantage MTS when it comes to avoiding airport noise. Based on my direct experience. I won't stay at the Wyndham again.

[Lalabo]

You can find hotels in Moema with little to no noise. The Mercure Times Square is one such hotel. I can personally vouch for it. But don't let anyone con you into staying at the Wyndham with claims of insulated windows! I stayed there during my last visit to Sampa, and it's directly in the flight path and noisy! Very convenient but don't stay there if you're a light sleeper or if jet airplane noise just bothers you. Otherwise the actual accommodation was fine, and Moema is extremely safe.

I will add my 2 cents, so folks can decide where to stay. Mercure hotels usually don't seem to have sound proofed windows and that is the case with Mercure Times Square (MTS). The windows they have are bit better than the ones in apartments. If there is a nearby construction during you stay, then you don't need an alarm to get up in the morning. Other benefit of staying in MTS when there is nearby construction is you can do clinica runs, sightseeing or some other activity during daytime because you won't be able to sleep. At night there won't be any construction and also there are not many flights going over Wyndham either. There was construction across the street (near Al Kaseem restaurant) from hotel MTS during my 1st stay. The construction noise woke me up every day by 8 am and couldn't sleep during the day because of the loud noise. Luckily there is no such loud construction during my recent stays. I would pick Wyndham over MTS if there is nearby construction. That said, under Wyndham management the hotel has gone downhill. It is now very poorly maintained and with poor management. One big advantage MTS has over Wyndham is that it is, like Steve9696 said, very girl friendly.

[Guest19]

Check the Sao Paulo Hotels and List thread. Moema area including Allure, Mercure, Charlie, Wyndham, Tsue Palace, various airbnbs, have been reviewed about safety, price, guest friendly, noise, traffic, Uber, etc. Just read back through the many pages there. IMHO the main consideration for Moema is the fucking screaming jets taking at off 0600 am sharp and all day long. You can see the QR code on the bottom of the livery of GOL planes landing at CGH from almost any Moema Clinica. There are at least 10 to 12 clinicas, spas.

Ten minutes walking distance or short inexpensive uber rides to tangara, Scandallo, Casarao at night.

Thanks.

Checkedin in Allure this morning. Hotel is very nice, clean and furniture are modern. Rooms are much smaller when on pictures, but have everything. Unfortunately, there are no safety boxes in rooms. They have laundry in the basement. In couple days will try it. No iron and iron board in the room. Rooms are more or less soundproofed. You can hear the noise, but it not even close to the noise on the street.

Walked to the mall to get some money. Santander ATMs declined my chase debit card. I called chase and they told me there was no any declines on chase side. It is the bank. There is an exchange on a third floor, so exchanged some dollars.

[ZuluTango25]

In that order? I don't know about that. I would do Rio first. You want to be at top strength to handle those Rio garotas.

Already booked flight tickets. So I have to stick to the plan this time. May be my next trip. Thank you for your suggestion.

[Steve 9696]

You can find hotels in Moema with little to no noise. The Mercure Times Square is one such hotel. I can personally vouch for it. But don't let anyone con you into staying at the Wyndham with claims of insulated windows! I stayed there during my last visit to Sampa, and it's directly in the flight path and noisy! Very convenient but don't stay there if you're a light sleeper or if jet airplane noise just bothers you. Otherwise the actual accommodation was fine, and Moema is extremely safe.

Plus every Mercure I've stayed in (4 or 5) is girl friendly. They don't bat an eye. No registration. Just walk to the elevators and up you go!

[Turgid]

......I am taking a 1st trip to Brazil next week for 9 days and plan on visiting So Paulo and Rio........

In that order? I don't know about that. I would do Rio first. You want to be at top strength to handle those Rio garotas.

[The Cane]

Check the Sao Paulo Hotels and List thread. Moema area including Allure, Mercure, Charlie, Wyndham, Tsue Palace, various airbnbs, have been reviewed about safety, price, guest friendly, noise, traffic, Uber, etc. Just read back through the many pages there. IMHO the main consideration for Moema is the fucking screaming jets taking at off 0600 am sharp and all day long. You can see the QR code on the bottom of the livery of GOL planes landing at CGH from almost any Moema Clinica. There are at least 10 to 12 clinicas, spas.

Ten minutes walking distance or short inexpensive uber rides to tangara, Scandallo, Casarao at night.

You can find hotels in Moema with little to no noise. The Mercure Times Square is one such hotel. I can personally vouch for it. But don't let anyone con you into staying at the Wyndham with claims of insulated windows! I stayed there during my last visit to Sampa, and it's directly in the flight path and noisy! Very convenient but don't stay there if you're a light sleeper or if jet airplane noise just bothers you. Otherwise the actual accommodation was fine, and Moema is extremely safe.

[Tochka]

Hi all,

I am visiting SP in April 16-20th and staying in Allure Moema hotel. First time I was in SP 15 years ago just for 2 days and in the first day somebody tried to rob us 10 minutes after we arrived to the center of the city, next to the opera house. They tried it second time in 5 minutes. We got scared and went to the hotel. Next day we hired a private guide and he showed us the city.

So, I am wondering how save is Moema area, especially in the night?

Check the Sao Paulo Hotels and List thread. Moema area including Allure, Mercure, Charlie, Wyndham, Tsue Palace, various airbnbs, have been reviewed about safety, price, guest friendly, noise, traffic, Uber, etc. Just read back through the many pages there. IMHO the main consideration for Moema is the fucking screaming jets taking at off 0600 am sharp and all day long. You can see the QR code on the bottom of the livery of GOL planes landing at CGH from almost any Moema Clinica. There are at least 10 to 12 clinicas, spas.

Ten minutes walking distance or short inexpensive uber rides to tangara, Scandallo, Casarao at night.