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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 4 2007, 1:24 PM EST (current) | jimglab | 2 words added, 1 word deleted |
| Dec 4 2007, 1:23 PM EST | jimglab | 9 words added, 1 word deleted |
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city guides
by Bill Hinchberger
December 2007
Get swept up in Sao Paulo, possibly the busiest, most international city in South America.
The frenetic sprawl of South America’s largest city often confounds leisure travelers, but businesspeople get it immediately. “Entrepreneurial Brazil,” says an international hotel chain executive, “where days are dedicated to work and nights to pleasure.” Adds a top local restaurateur, “I like the opportunities the city offers, and the fact that São Paulo is constantly mutating.”
It has almost become a cliché, but São Paulo really is the part of Brazil that works, the place where things get done. This shines through in many walks of life, including one dear to the hearts of most Brazilians: the country’s national pastime, soccer. Clubs from this metropolis or its port city, Santos, have won 10 of the last 17 national league championships.
When George W. Bush visited Brazil this past March, he went to São Paulo—ignoring the nation’s capital, Brasília, and postcard-perfect Rio de Janeiro. No wonder regional magazine América Economia ranked São Paulo as the best city in Latin America for doing business.
Where to stay
The rule of thumb in bustling, traffic-heavy São Paulo is to look at the map: Find out if and where you’ll have a high concentration of meetings, then choose a hotel nearby. Most of the leading international chains—notably, the Hilton in the Berrini district and Marriott’s Renaissance, near the Avenida Paulista—have impressive properties in São Paulo. However, you can definitely find more interesting digs at one of the upscale boutique hotels springing up all over town. Half a block from the Avenida Paulista, the elegant L’Hotel offers excellent service, including an innovative “personal shopper” option for those without the time or disposition to hit the stores. With its atrium and antiques, the hotel has become a popular setting for fashion photography shoots, and for filming ads and scenes in Brazilian telenovelas.
Where to eat
São Paulo is a world-class dining city. Excellent restaurants do justice to most of the world’s leading culinary traditions. In addition to Brazilian cuisine, the emphasis is on the specialties of the city’s most important immigrant groups: Arab, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. For carnivores, no trip to Brazil is complete without a visit to a rodízio-style all-you-can-eat steakhouse, or churrascaria. An ample salad buffet is followed by table service, as waiters bring skewers of sausages and beef straight from the grill to slice off a piece. There are many options, but one of the best is Barbacoa. Now located in a hotel of the same name, Fasano is synonymous with fine dining in São Paulo. Everything about the place is designed to impress, so Fasano serves two main purposes for business visitors: First, you can use the upscale Italian establishment as a place to impress clients. Second, you can use it to prove that you’re in the know about São Paulo. Extending an invitation to Fasano sends the message that you understand where to take people to impress them. Inside the Sao Paulo Guide
Explore and share travel advice on:
- Getting there, getting around
- What to see and do in Sao Paulo
- Recommended hotels and restaurants in Sao Paulo
- Doing business in Brazil
For still more Sao Paulo suggestions, click here.___________________________________________________________ .
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