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The city of São Paulo is often overlooked by travellers to Brazil, seduced as they are by images of the country’s alluring beaches and the famous sights of Rio de Janeiro, yet to miss out on São Paulo is akin to visiting the state of New York and skipping Manhattan. Brazil’s largest city has much in common with the Big Apple; both are cities of vibrant energy, multicultural inhabitants, excellent restaurants, and numerous exciting sights and sounds.

Pousada Zilah’s bedroom.

One naturally expects to find excellent hotels here among the highrises that extend as far as the eye can see, and yes, they are here. What one does not expect to find is a charming little guesthouse in a historical home tucked away on a quiet side street just a few hundred metres from busy Avenida Paulista, the city’s most impressive boulevard. Welcome to Pousada Ziláh, the life’s work of the amazing Dona Lúcia Amarante, who has given more than three decades of dedication and determination to create a quiet retreat for visitors to São Paulo seeking accommodation in something other than an anonymous room on the 23rd floor. The pousada makes a striking impression even before guests arrive at the old wooden doors that mark the entrance into a private oasis of calm in a city known for its hustle and bustle; the lush vegetation that graces the property is already visible on approach, as is the unique privacy wall with a window from the street into the world of Dona Lúcia. Like many other items at the pousada, including solar panels for power and recycled water for the garden, the doors are reclaimed and reused to leave a lighter footprint on the environment.

Pousada Zilah front garden.

Pousada Ziláh, named after Dona Lúcia’s mother, who was herself an innkeeper, is one of the few grand old houses of a bygone era that survive in a city of skyscrapers. There are only six guestrooms in this country house in the middle of a city, most of which have private patios on the ground floor or terraces on the first floor. Rooms are furnished, keeping with the uncomplicated atmosphere; ensuite bathrooms are spacious, some of which have French doors opening to the gardens surrounding the house. Abundant breakfasts include tropical fruit, toasted homemade bread, eggs, cheese, homemade cake, fresh juice, coffee, tea, and smiles, and all served on a pretty patio that is a continuation of the front garden where occupants of the koi pond add spots of colour to the greenery.

São Paulo is an enormous city, but the aforementioned Avenida Paulista and its adjacent district known as the Jardins (the Gardens) are the core of the city’s business, dining, shopping, and entertainment for the well-to-do, much as Madison Avenue is in New York. It is, therefore, extremely convenient to be based so close to the avenue yet idyllically removed from its busyness. Surprisingly, Pousada Ziláh is the only guesthouse in the entire city for international visitors; given its small size, it makes a perfect place for a full buyout for family or friends travelling together.

The idea of having a fully staffed private home in the middle of the city at a relatively bargain price is nearly incomprehensible. Still, it is a reality at Pousada Ziláh. For travellers to São Paulo who seek basic but immaculate accommodation without sacrificing convenience in location, Pousada Ziláh is their place of choice. Given the excellent flight network connecting São Paulo to the rest of the world, many guests start and finish their trips around Brazil by staying at Pousada Ziláh both at the beginning and end of their travels.