Hotel Unique

The Hotel Unique is like nowhere else. It is a hotel that instantly grabs the attention. Designed to resemble a beached ship, the sleek, modern Unique provides a one-of-a-kind place to stay from which to explore Sao Paulo. There are 85 rooms and 10 suites.  

It looks like a giant slice of concrete watermelon and is an instant draw with its gravity-defying, upturned moon-shape structure, with minimal wall supports at either end. Each room features a plush queen-size bed, iPod dock and DVD player, flat-screen TV, Jacuzzi and glass-enclosed rain shower, all set against soothing shades of off-white and natural wood. Large porthole windows extend the Unique's visual metaphor of a luxury ocean liner.

The real highlight is up top at the Skye Bar and the restaurant surrounding the pool. It is only open to hotel guests until 6pm, after that, the fashion-conscious Paulistas queue round the block if they have not secured VIP guest-list access. It is a great place to be and the Sao Paulo 360-degree skyline competes with that of Manhattan, providing a perfect backdrop for partying. The restaurant serves a delicious mix of Brazilian, French, Italian and Japanese fusion food. Try the mixed sushi and sashimi plate for two...

The soundproofing is very good, so no problem hearing ambient noise once back in the cocoon of your room, or the sound of helicopters - South America’s biggest city means big business - helicopters constantly hover overhead ferrying the Sao Paulo's elite from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

The hotel is in Jardins (the Beverly Hills of Sao Paulo, but flat). It is a short stroll to the Ibirapuera Park where the Paulistas promenade or work-out. The Unique is close to both the financial district on Paulista Avenue and Avenue Luis Carlos Berrini and luxury shopping streets such as Rua Oscar Freire.

“Trendy, audacious, beyond imagination, cool…”