Have you ever slept inside a piece of art work?  Check in to the Hotel Unique and you'll understand.  Brazilian architect Ruy Ohtake is the genius behind the semicircular 6-floor building. So many design hotels are cool once you're inside but from outside they often look like nothing special. Unique Hotel is a complete experience that starts even before you get inside. The lobby is a huge as the nave of a cathedral.  For me space and calm are the essence of what I expect from a top class hotel.  When I took the elevator the first time and arrived to the 3rd floor I couldn't wait to see how my room would look like. When I arrived on my floor I had to walk inside a very dark corridor with only a few rounded windows bringing in a limited amount of concentrated light.  Strange and appealing.  The teasing was all to discover my room a complete success as well.  When I opened the room's door I could see a very bright space with again a rounded window and minimal design furniture, mostly white.  The shape of the window is the kind of detail that makes feel that I'm in a unique place.  Behind the bed there's no separation between the wall and the ceiling, it's actually one rounded surface that reminds me of a half-pipe for skateboarding.  The bed was a delight of softness and king-size-ness.  Then in the bathroom more goodies were waiting for me. I got inside the bathtub and activated the waves functions while watching Fernando Meirelles' "City of God" on the TV next to me.  Later on in the afternoon I went with a friend to the bar on the roof top to enjoy the best view possible on Sao Paulo's skyline. I took a few photos of her jumping 'above' the buildings in the background. The bottom of the swimming pool is red instead of the traditional blue and that's neat.  Hotel Unique can be easily considered as one of the coolest and most inspiring hotels in the world.

-Yvan Rodic

Av. Brg. Luís Antônio, 4700 - Jardim Paulista Sao Paulo - SP, 01402-002, Brazil