Real is again favorable to US Dollar
Last time I was in Sao Paulo in June 2011 the Real was 1.50 to the US dollar. I wrote an entry on ISG that I was in sticker shock. Hotels were $250 a night. Clinicas, similar to privados were $100 an hour. Night club girls were $300 to $400. Now the real is 3.10 to 1. Hotels I have used in the past are $125. Clinicas are now $50 or $60. Nobody seems to report on nightclubs anymore but I imagine you could have a fun night in Bomboa for $200. I recommend splitting the trip into two parts to deal with congestion. Get a hotel in Moema for the better clinicas. Move over to Paulista for the Bomboa, Sauna House and the Rua Augusta nightclubs. I also had a trouble with getting money from the ATMS. Citibank and HSBC were the only ones on the Star system. The Brazilian banks use Rede(?) and would not accept my card. In other words, you want a hotel near a Citibank.