Sao Paulo newbie AirBnB question

[topjohn5]

Hi All,

As a newbie coming to SP and the Rio I have a question on the areas to stay in SP since the stay in Rio will be near the beaches, obviously.

I will stay in an AirBnB in SP...which areas of the city are the places to locate?

[lopesv2]

I have never stayed on an airbnb in SP, so take it with a grain of salt, but my favorite neighborhoods are:

 

Pinheiros (near Fradique Coutinho or Oscar Freire subway)

Jardins near Avenida Paulista

Itaim near Avenida Faria Lima is a fancy neighborhood but it is very business oriented, which I do not particularly like

 

Have fun!

[Riobard]

7 hours ago, topjohn5 said:

Hi All,

As a newbie coming to SP and the Rio I have a question on the areas to stay in SP since the stay in Rio will be near the beaches, obviously.

I will stay in an AirBnB in SP...which areas of the city are the places to locate?

There are dozens of legit areas and endless choices. I have done 5 neighbourhoods and happy with all. 

How long visit? What activity focus? Proximity to spa brothel ‘sauna’ venues important, ie, to avoid really long distant ride platforms?

Preferred mode of transport? I do Über but often Metro subway as it’s good quality and I ride free as senior. 

The thing I try to avoid is virtual biometric registration check-protocol if the host is not on the spot to facilitate this … face and fingerprint scans etc. The tech can be dysfunctional and you might be talking through an intercom to a static-y voice in rapid Portuguese. The last time this happened I was on the phone with the host’s subhost’s sub-sub-host to trouble-shoot and it took an hour following an exhausting trip just to get from the street entrance to the elevator, to the unit keypad that itself was the easy-peasy part. Many places indicate this mode of check-in after you have committed and paid. Not always simole; never again. Some hosts are just fucking morons and don’t advise you ahead of time what all the steps will be. They consider it part of the adventure; I don’t. 

[Riobard]

* simple [spell correction]

[floridarob]

MANY Airbnb units in this bldg. Is fairly new and I've never had problems bringing a guy back even though their rules want passports/id of any other gsts or visitors.

I like Republica the most....I've stayed in the place on this listing, is very nice....

They are building a new tower next door, so I don't know how the construction noise is, when I was there last, I stayed in an apt on the back side, no park view but no noticeable noise.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/47882389?source_impression_id=p3_1641767434_M4z3mY2vev%2BxqNKE&guests=1&adults=1#availability-calendar   this is on the back side

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/37767755?source_impression_id=p3_1641767493_hEKl3PR9ViFDpvcp&guests=1&adults=1#availability-calendar  This is also on the back side

Super comfortable beds, great internet, black out curtains, great a/c, views from the roof top pool are amazing.

[Novarunner]

Does anybody know how much it would cost to purchase an apartment like that?  If it rents for $34 per day, back of the envelope American rental property math suggests a value of about $100,000 USD.

[bcdaron]

I would stay in Republica, it is super gay!

Republica has a concentration of gay bars where guys congregate on the street for a huge gay hangout Friday-Sunday. In addition to bars there are 2 video cabins with hustlers and it's not too far from Lagoa (8 minutes by car/ 20 minutes by foot).

I usually choose an Airbnb at the Setin Downtown in Republica. It's the tallest building with nice amenities, and as long as you let the hosts know your bringing a guest you should be fine. For a whole month you can get rooms for $500-800 USD. It's so popular I see guys posting pictures of the pool on Instagram because it has a great rooftop pool with a view.

[msclelovr]

I don’t claim to understand your “American rental property math” @Novarunner   
 

For property owners, it’s not just a question of the income yield as property prices in Latin America are often seen as a currency hedge. I know that in Argentina and Uruguay good properties are always priced in US $ and they seem to hold their value. It’s a long time ago now but back in 2003, a condo (1 bed, 1 bath) with ocean/beach view in Leblon cost $250,000 - but I was dating a smart Carioca I’d met in Europe and he advised me on the purchase.

[floridarob]

16 hours ago, Novarunner said:

Does anybody know how much it would cost to purchase an apartment like that?  If it rents for $34 per day, back of the envelope American rental property math suggests a value of about $100,000 USD.

It is in the Setin bldg, I asked the price before and if I remember corrctly they were 75-100k, they are only studios...next door they are building 1,2 and 3 br

[SolaceSoul]

I also prefer to stay in República, but it might be considered too dangerous, grimy and seedy for many other people’s tastes. It reminds me of old school Times Square, pre-Guiliani. I personally don’t ever want it to change, but it is going through a bit of a rapid gentrification period — so all the fun might be over soon. When the seedy bars, video booth shops, street hustlers and hooker trannies are replaced with avocado bars and cupcake shops — then you’ll know it’s over. 

[lopesv2]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:46 PM, Novarunner said:

Does anybody know how much it would cost to purchase an apartment like that?  If it rents for $34 per day, back of the envelope American rental property math suggests a value of about $100,000 USD.

Your ballpark is not that bad. 

Setin Downtown republica studios are listened from 450k to 550k BRL

 

https://www.quintoandar.com.br/condominio/setin-downtown-republica-republica-sao-paulo-3keys50qep?utm_source=google&utm_medium=performance_max&utm_campaign=D.01.RMSP.Sao_Paulo.Rent.PerfMax&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiOHajdWo9QIVChCRCh2rMwbEEAAYASAAEgKxDfD_BwE

[Novarunner]

17 hours ago, msclelovr said:

I don’t claim to understand your “American rental property math” @Novarunner   
 

For property owners, it’s not just a question of the income yield as property prices in Latin America are often seen as a currency hedge. I know that in Argentina and Uruguay good properties are always priced in US $ and they seem to hold their value. It’s a long time ago now but back in 2003, a condo (1 bed, 1 bath) with ocean/beach view in Leblon cost $250,000 - but I was dating a smart Carioca I’d met in Europe and he advised me on the purchase.

It feels sort of weird to be using this part of my brain while logged onto this website but my “American rental property math” is really nothing more than that one can typically rent a property at a monthly rate equal to about 1% of the property’s value.  In this case, $34 per day equals about $1,000 per month which suggests a property value of about $100,000.

I’m not dating him but the smart and very, very attractive Carioca that is currently helping me learn Portuguese - he was outstanding when it came to helping me name the part of the body - was horrified when I mentioned that I would like to split time between here and something small but nice in Leblon.  His reaction puzzled me considering that I stayed in/near Leblon two of the three times I’ve been to Brazil and he and I have been out to eat in Leblon frequently.  Maybe he just thinks Leblon is overpriced or not someplace he would actually want to live.  Or, more likely than not since he speaks pretty decent English but typically converses about transactions that do not involve the sale of real estate and my Portuguese is still very much limited to body parts and what one might do with those body parts, we probably just misunderstand each other which is why I’m going to go back to trying to find trash television in Portuguese to watch in preparation for my next trip on March.  Suggestions are welcome if anyone has a show they would like to recommend.

[Riobard]

@Novarunner, do you know the app Subtitles Viewer? You can sync written subtitles to just about any movie or TV program. You won’t get the auditory Portuguese language but you may find it useful to see the text play out in concert with English soundtrack. 

[Novarunner]

On 1/11/2022 at 5:05 AM, Riobard said:

@Novarunner, do you know the app Subtitles Viewer? You can sync written subtitles to just about any movie or TV program. You won’t get the auditory Portuguese language but you may find it useful to see the text play out in concert with English soundtrack. 

Thx!  I’m actually getting to be pretty good at reading Portuguese (thanks Doulingo) and even better at texting in Portuguese (thanks Grindr).  My auditory comprehension needs improvement and my pronunciation still needs a great deal of improvement though.  Tips for improving either one from those that have learned the language are very welcome.

Quem não joga não ganha.

[Primeone385]

On 1/10/2022 at 9:40 AM, SolaceSoul said:

I also prefer to stay in República, but it might be considered too dangerous, grimy and seedy for many other people’s tastes. It reminds me of old school Times Square, pre-Guiliani. I personally don’t ever want it to change, but it is going through a bit of a rapid gentrification period — so all the fun might be over soon. When the seedy bars, video booth shops, street hustlers and hooker trannies are replaced with avocado bars and cupcake shops — then you’ll know it’s over. 

What area is this again ? Sounds delightfully fun.

[SolaceSoul]

7 hours ago, Primeone385 said:

What area is this again ? Sounds delightfully fun.

República. It has its own Metro stop. 

[Latbear4blk]

7 hours ago, Primeone385 said:

What area is this again ? Sounds delightfully fun.

Look for Praça da República. I was there back in the 80s. All my friends recommended me to avoid the area. Fortunately, I ignored their advise and hang out there before and after going to a nearby disco. I am not sure of the dance club name, I think it was Homo Sapiens. I made a few acquaintances in the Praça and ended hiring the first GP of my life, and the only one for several decades. He took me to a seedy hotel a couple of blocks away, and delivered not very good sex. Sweet memories. 

[Primeone385]

These are the experiences I want and need @Latbear4blk. is it possible to have this in Brazil, Colombia, or The DR in your opinion?

[Latbear4blk]

7 hours ago, Primeone385 said:

These are the experiences I want and need @Latbear4blk. is it possible to have this in Brazil, Colombia, or The DR in your opinion?

Yes, just be extremely careful. I can easily mingle, and never wear anything expensive, anything that could make me a tempting prey. And yet, I was and am very cautious. If you look as an outsider and/or wear anything expensive, do not go alone, or even better just do not go to seedy places.  

We may be disregarding an important circumstance. When I hang out in Praça da República I was in my mid 20s, very close to the boys' age. As now I am an older gentleman (although unbelievably sexy), I would be extra cautious when exploring these places. 

[msclelovr]

Just FWIW…but two attractive young men were robbed last night at gunpoint in São Paulo and had their phones taken (but were not hurt).

It happened to Andres Camilo and his boyfriend, Max Emerson. Many people here will know of them. Andres just reported on his IG.

[scott456]

2 hours ago, msclelovr said:

Just FWIW…but two attractive young men were robbed last night at gunpoint in São Paulo and had their phones taken (but were not hurt).

It happened to Andres Camilo and his boyfriend, Max Emerson. Many people here will know of them. Andres just reported on his IG.

Scary...

[Riobard]

I always carry a reasonably decent decoy phone and decoy $bill/card-fold that are both essentially dispensable and in my outside lightweight full-length pants pockets where I hope a thief would consider the logical place for a pedestrian to store belongings but not, to date, any encounters such as requests or demands to have them removed from my person. I assume, possibly falsely, that a robber would not stick around long enough to inspect the contraband. The felon would quickly see some cash tucked into the cheap wallet thingy. The hope is that would be an acceptable tradeoff for my personal security and life to remain intact. 

My undergarment is a bathing suit or lightweight shorts with pockets where I fold up and distribute some higher denomination cash and functional credit cards. Usually at least one large enough pocket in the undergarment to conceal my true phone. Essentially I would need to be frisked to reveal these genuine valuables. 

[Latbear4blk]

45 minutes ago, Riobard said:

I would need to be frisked to reveal these genuine valuables

That almost sounds like a Jean Genet's fantasy. 

[mixer17]

On 1/21/2022 at 10:36 AM, msclelovr said:

Just FWIW…but two attractive young men were robbed last night at gunpoint in São Paulo and had their phones taken (but were not hurt).

It happened to Andres Camilo and his boyfriend, Max Emerson. Many people here will know of them. Andres just reported on his IG.

They're dumb-asses.  Max had asked for "tips" on being a tourist/where to go in Brazil and when given advice on safety measures by commenters had pretty much dismissed these people and said it was not the kind of advice he was looking for.  The posts that followed did not show any kind of caution in their part.  While I do not relish in other people's misfortunate, I cannot help but think they asked for it. 

[mixer17]

On 1/22/2022 at 4:20 AM, Riobard said:

I always carry a reasonably decent decoy phone and decoy $bill/card-fold that are both essentially dispensable and in my outside lightweight full-length pants pockets where I hope a thief would consider the logical place for a pedestrian to store belongings but not, to date, any encounters such as requests or demands to have them removed from my person. I assume, possibly falsely, that a robber would not stick around long enough to inspect the contraband. The felon would quickly see some cash tucked into the cheap wallet thingy. The hope is that would be an acceptable tradeoff for my personal security and life to remain intact. 

My undergarment is a bathing suit or lightweight shorts with pockets where I fold up and distribute some higher denomination cash and functional credit cards. Usually at least one large enough pocket in the undergarment to conceal my true phone. Essentially I would need to be frisked to reveal these genuine valuables. 

Great Idea.