Housi Perdizes by Charlie

We were excited about the location near the park, but our first day was soured by the check-in. We arrived around 9 a.m. after a very early flight, and found out this is an apartment residence for rent, not a hotel. The receptionist was rude. We understand that check-in time couldn't be changed, but she wouldn't hold our bags so we could explore the city during the five-hour wait. We had to drag two suitcases around São Paulo or find somewhere else to stay. When we came back, she had an attitude and made check-in take a very long time, asking us to email our IDs even though we'd handed them over in person. We tried to get Trip to reach them to discuss canceling or changing our booking, but couldn't get anyone on the line. Then the power went out during the longest check-in process I've ever had, which stretched it past 30 minutes. Update: The apartment owner refused to check us in and didn't reply to verify our documents, but asked us for the apartment code, which we had never been given. After an hour of trying, it turned out we couldn't check in at all, even though we'd booked and paid more than a month earlier. A waste of money and a beautiful day in the city. I'll never book here again and will warn people I know to stay away.