Best Luxury Hotels in Sao Paulo

Renowned for housing the largest Presidential Suite in Latin America, the skyscraper Tivoli is the place to be for superb views. The restaurant, SEEN, is 23 floors up, with 360-degree panoramas and award-winning chef William Ribeiro at the helm. There’s also a sushi bar with a sake menu and a relaxed bistro. Rooms are decorated in browns and creams, with contemporary simplicity and urban-chic touches. Tivoli Mofarrej’s Antara Spa offers Thai and Asian inspired treatments, including acupuncture, shiatsu and thalassotherapy. Don’t miss the craft drinks at MUST bar; the bartender Jessica Sanchez has been named best in Brazil and South America.

This hip design hotel rises upward on the city horizon and while the interiors may be minimalist, they reflect the area’s tropicality. Guests can take a dip in hot tubs secreted in a pretty Japanese garden, admire the suspended orchid garden, recline in barside spaghetti-like rope chairs and nibble on caviar in the sophisticated restaurant. The Japanese theme extends to the calming bedrooms; notably, the toilets which are equipped with high tech jets, dryers and heated seats, as well as contemporary Japanese style wall screens. Expect excellent service throughout the Emiliano and in its spa.

Another example of modernist architecture, Hotel Emiliano is the work of native designer Arthur Casas. The decor pays homage to Rio’s mid-century heyday, with neutral tones and a minimal approach. A restaurant, Emilie, serves forward-thinking Brazilian-French fusion cuisine and features a huge tropical living wall. On the rooftop, a long, narrow infinity pool overlooks Copacabana Beach. Treatments at the Santapele Spa are all about rebalancing the body and are based on the three pillars of relaxation, revitalisation and detoxification. Crisp white linens and tan leather armchairs are found in the bedrooms, along with Santapele toiletries (Emiliano’s own brand).