We stayed at the Melia Jardim Europa in mid Oct 2006. The hotel is a sleek looking building and located in the very safe Itaim area with lots of nice restaurants and shops including a few grocery stores and bank located across the street.

We felt quite safe walking around in this area and checking the restaurants and shops and didn't have any problems. That being said, you should always be aware of who is around you when using an ATM and not be showing off wads of money while you are on the street and be careful if you are walking into the center part of the city. The grocery store nearby is a great place for getting souvenirs such as brazilian coffee, chocolate bananas and brazilian wine.

We paid $70US/night for the hotel which was good value and included a nice breakfast with a lot of variety. The rooms were a good size and clean. There is a pool and workout area on the top floor with panoramic views of the whole city.

The internet is a bit pricey, like $8US/30min. If you walk a couple of blocks away, there's an internet place that charges $2/hr and is open until midnight.

There is a taxi stand beside the hotel. Do not use this stand, they are crooks. We were taken for a ride into the centre of the city and the meter was run up $25US for what normally should have been $15US. Just walk down the street a block and there's a better taxi service. For rides to the airport, you can also ask the frontdesk to arrange a fixed rate.