Paulistanos are rather fond of this São Paulo institution – a hotel that has become synonymous with the city, despite its all-Italian roots.
The Fasanos are fourth generation restaurateurs, who moved to Brazil’s mega-city from Milan in 1902 to build their gastronomic empire, starting out with just a simple brasserie. Its flagship Fasano, named after great-grandfather Vittorio Fasano, is touted as one South America’s finest Italian restaurants.
The hotel’s design credentials stack up well too. Its striking neo Art Deco clock tower-façade (crafted from imported-English bricks) is the product of revered Brazilian architects Isay Weinfield and Marcio Kogan, whose mid-century European aesthetic infuses its 27 floors. The lobby is all rich caramel tones – dripping in leather, with no expensed-spared travertine marble and a striking long copper fronted desk. The look is toned-down in the luxurious apartment-like rooms – outfitted with mid-20th century Milanese furniture, Eames chairs, parquet floors, walk-in-closets and Egyptian cotton linens. Worthy of a mention too, are the expansive wall-to-wall white marble, minimalist bathrooms, and two-person marble tubs (so deep, you might just struggle to get out).
Take relaxation to the next level, literally, at its penthouse spa and rooftop indoor pool, which afford epic views over the city’s high rises and lush greenery of the Fasano’s historic, Jardin district address. Also a luxury shopping haven, Jardin’s very own Bond Street is the Rua Oscar Freire – conveniently a two-minute fashionable stride away.
For one of the city’s most stylish nightcaps, check into the hotel’s late-night jazz bar, Baretto, where blues, bossa nova and some of the best single malts in the city are on the menu, every night of the week. If you’re lucky, you may catch Bebel Gilberto or Jamie Cullum tinkling on its grand piano’s ivories.