Just Back From: São Paulo
In this Just Back From, I spoke with two recent guests about their several visits to São Paulo over the last few years. Most recently, they spent three nights at the Rosewood São Paulo, which opened its doors in 2022 and is the first of the brand’s properties in South America. We also discuss the Fasano and the Emiliano, two boutique hotels they have stayed at in the past, and where to eat and what to do in the city.
On arrival:
São Paulo-Guarulhos Airport is the only airport in the region you can fly into from the States, and it is known for being one of the busiest in the world. Customs is quick—only ten minutes—but the drive to reach the hotels can take up to an hour and a half because of traffic.
On this past trip, The Rosewood sent a car service to pick us up, which is what I recommend. It was a very nice Range Rover with white leather seats, waters, and armored glass. It took an hour and a half to get to the hotel.
Tip— To return to the airport, you need to leave ridiculously early. The drive can take as long as three hours. On this last trip, getting from the Rosewood to the airport took about two hours.
On safety:
Overall, I’d say that São Paulo is a safe city, but it doesn't have the best reputation as far as crime goes—as is the case with many cities in the US. While there, just keep your phone in your pocket and don’t wear flashy jewelry. I’ve always felt perfectly safe.
On the first impression of the Rosewood:
The Rosewood was drop-dead gorgeous. The car brought us down to a below-ground valet area, which had seating, a bookstore, and a concierge. This type of design sets it apart from other properties in the city, like the Emiliano and the Fasano, which are located on the street.
The hotel was modern yet exuded a sophisticated, chic elegance that felt deeply connected to the vibrancy of São Paulo. Every detail was thoughtfully crafted, from the warm, ambient lighting to the colors and rich textures. The space was a perfect blend of world-class design and tranquility, with beautiful wood finishes, lush greenery, and contemporary furnishings that elevated the atmosphere.
On the rooms:
Most of the rooms are in a beautiful building that is separate from the main structure, or the ‘old hotel.’ In addition to hotel rooms, this building also has condos, which are the most expensive per-square-foot condos in all of São Paulo.
As you would expect in Latin America, the room had beautiful works of art, a coffee machine, and some Brazilian liquors. Every single room also had a working guitar that you could take off the wall and play. One feature I thought was very well-executed was the mirror. As soon as you walk in, you notice a huge mirror that looks freestanding. The TV is built into it, and the structure can rotate to face wherever you are sitting. Another cool feature was the windows: they had wooden shutters that provided one level of shade, and then outside the windows were plants—they added a very serene, lush feel to the room. The bathrooms were stunning, and the closets were beautifully arranged.
On the pools:
The Rosewood has two pools. One is located on the rooftop, overlooking the city. It is small and simple, with a little sitting area. The second pool is between the old hotel and the new building. It has fabulous cabanas that were designed to look like they were built into rock, and there are chairs and tables in the water itself. There’s also a fabulous bar. This pool is extremely well-landscaped—it has a kind of meandering shape, surrounded by trees.
On the restaurants at the Rosewood:
Le Jardin is a cafe that is an extension of the lobby lounge. It is a really comfortable space and is actually open twenty-four hours a day.
Blaise is their Michelin-starred brasserie, which, design-wise, feels as though you are eating in a log cabin. It had a great atmosphere but slow service. I gave it an 8.1 on Beli. My favorite dish was the caviar potato and hollandaise.
Off of the lobby is Taraz, a beautiful indoor-outdoor restaurant serving South American cuisine—lots of tapas, and we also had a Brazilian steak.
Rabo di Gallo, the jazz club, offers live music every night. It has a great vibe—super hip and really fun. They offer private dining, but we just stopped in for a drink around 8.
On the concierge:
The concierge is great. They helped us book everything—dinner reservations and all of our travel around São Paulo.
On the Fasano:
We’ve stayed at the Fasano, a boutique hotel located in the Jardins neighborhood—the nicest area of São Paulo from a shopping and restaurant perspective. It is a lot smaller than the Rosewood. The lobby has a bar and a reception desk, and there is a good restaurant and jazz club on the property. It also has a secret path to the mall, which was very cool. The amenities and products they provided were amazing.
On the Emiliano:
The Emiliano is another small, boutique hotel in São Paulo. The staff was amazing—truly great customer service. There isn’t much of a lobby, but the rooms were nice. One issue we had was that there was no real place to do work—not in the rooms or in the hotel’s social spaces.
On comparing the three:
The Rosewood is just much larger than the others—without feeling like a convention hotel. It has four restaurants, which means more variety for dining. We would rank the Rosewood first, Fasano second, and Emiliano third.
All three hotels, from a design and style perspective, are really well executed.
If I were to go to São Paulo only once, I would stay at the Rosewood. If I were going a second time, I would stay at the Fasano or the Emiliano, just because they’re also great hotels and would allow you to see a different part of the city.
On off-property restaurants:
D.O.M, a two Michelin star restaurant, was very good, serving sophisticated Amazonian dishes.
I’ve also eaten at Evvai, another Michelin spot, which had a better-tasting menu than D.O.M. One fun feature about Evvai is that each course comes with a postcard that you can fill out with a friend's address; the restaurant then mails it back to the United States.
Hon Maguro serves amazing omakase. Kitchin in JK Iguatemi, one of the best malls in the Jardins area, is another good sushi spot.
Dengo is a chocolate and coffee spot also located in JK Iguatemi. Their chocolates are just absolutely delicious.
