Originally Posted by
hardiwv
You mean the cost of a taxi? GRU taxi service (Guaru Coop) is very reliable and efficient. A taxi ride from GRU to Hyatt hotel will cost you about R$110 and Guaru Coop accepts all major credicards. It will take about 40min depending on time and traffic. Guaru Coop operates with fixed price and no meter, you will pay before you board the car at the taxi's company kiosk.
http://www.guarucoop.com.br/eng/index.html
I agree that the taxi company is reliable. You can pay the driver if you pay in local currency but it is better to use your credit card and prepay at the kiosk. That way your receipt will show the actual destination and address where the driver will take you. You will also know that the amount of the fare cannot be increased by the driver. I think the fare is a little less than R$110 estimated above.
I use the cab company each time I visit Sao Paulo which is usually every month. Only once did I have a problem and that was about six years ago when I use to pay the driver in cash.
Originally Posted by
hardiwv
Another alternative is the Airport Bus service which charges about R$35 and stops in front of the hotel, it will take about 1h of journey.
I agree, this is a good alternative. On trips when I am with friends, they prefer to take the EMTU bus which I do to please them. It is a clean and comfortable bus. The bus is air conditioned.
Originally Posted by
hardiwv
About money exchange, I always withdraw money from one of the ATMs with my Dutch-issued bank card so no hassle of rates or commissions. I guess rates at GRU will be better than if you exchange money at the counter of Hyatt hotel...
If you have an ATM card, use a bank machine at the airport. Look for an HSBC or Bradesco Bank machine and you will not pay any local bank fee. The rate you will get from the machine is the posted exchange rate.
The cambio (money changer) at the airport is a rip off. The rates they charge (exchange rates) are outrageous. They harp about not charging a fee to change money but the rate they give you more than includes a fee. The cambio at the airport is as bad as the rate you will get at most hotels (which is terrible).
There are select cambio's in Sao Paulo where you can get a much better rate than the "official" rate. You must, however, change at least the equivalent of U.S. 1,000.00 with each transaction to get a good rate.
I hope this helps.
Have a good time in Sao Paulo.