Hotel Holiday Inn Parque Anhembi

In the north of Sao Paulo, close to the stands of the sambodrome where the carnival celebrations take place, and just next to the exhibition centre. The nearest underground station is Tiete. The airport is 20 mi away: allow 45 minutes.

The stay is free for children under 12. A free shuttle takes the guests to the Tiéte underground station as well as to the shopping centre, from 8 am to 9 pm. No less than 13 bedrooms are adapted for the physically impaired and some corridors are for smokers.

Member of the Holiday Inn chain, which belongs to the InterContinental Hotel Group, the Holiday Inn Parque Anhembi opened in 2004. This really ugly 13-storey yellow building with never-ending corridors boasts 780 rooms. To be honest, the whole district desperately lacks charm. The facilities and equipment are abundant for a city hotel - an indoor, unheated rectangular pool (5x12m) to be found underground (a surface area of approximately 646 sq ft, 1 m deep, open from 7 am to 10 pm), a beauty and hair-dressing salon, a top-rate gym and a sauna, in short, enough to relax in the evening after a long day spent exploring the city. Towels are provided at the pool.

The rooms at the Holiday Inn are functional and rather modern. Spacious, fitted with carpet, they all have white walls decorated with abstract paintings, and they include a double bed or two singles, two blue armchairs, a black bed-side cabinet, an desk chair on wheels, a desk and a closet with shelves and compartments, an ironing board and a (free) safe with an electronic code. The equipment and facilities are complete with individual air-conditioning, a telephone, wireless Internet access (for a fee), a mini-bar fridge, tea and coffee facilities and a satellite TV with 47 channels. There is no balcony (which may be a good thing considering the height of the building) but there is a large window giving an unrestricted view of the motorway and waste land of the district, but also of the sky-scrapers of Sao Paulo which stretch out as far as the eye can see. Only then do you realize how gigantic this incredible megalopolis is. The sound-proofing equipment leaves little to be desired.
The bathroom, clean and pleasantly decorated, includes a shower with one fixed and one flexible head, a string to dry clothes on, a handle for elderly or disabled people, a toilet, a bidet, a hair-dryer, bathrobes, tissues, a magnifying mirror, hospitality products, scales, a shaving and tooth-brush kit, cotton buds, a comb, a nail file, in short, enough to let you forget your toiletry bag! However, there is no bath tub. Room service is available 24 hours a day.

The restaurant Camauê serves international cuisine from 6 am to 11.30 pm. Breakfast is nice but not very varied and there is a crowd! For dinner, you have the opportunity to enjoy some delicious pizzas: 2nd Italian city in the world, in Sao Paulo the pizzas are indeed just as good as if they were prepared in Italy! The lobby bar, open from 10 pm to 12 midnight, is a convivial place where you can have a drink while watching a sports event, thanks to its large TV screen.