Users' blogs about Brazil

80%

it is not located in the city center, but st. theresa is one of the most beautiful places in rio, a place even the carioca come to to enjoy the view over the city and the sea and have a drink at one of the various bars. the sunset is amazing. since it is taking the bonde (tram that goes up the hill) is the fastest way up and down the hill. once you've reached the foot of the hill the subway station 'gloria' is in walking distance. community kitchen, 3 bathrooms (one very nice, the other two could use renovation), a pool (only seldomly cleaned, but good for skinny dipping after living it up all night), 2 PCs in the living / dining room, where if you're lucky the older staff members are going to pick up their guitar and play with you; samba is everywhere in rio. sometimes very loud at night, since the bars are opened long.

60%

the location is not ideal, the beach and the city center are in an exeptable distance, but you'll have to be in for a walk or accept the confusing public bus service. the arrival from the airport is very difficult if you try to use the public transportation, and also takes very long (1 hour ore more, depending on the traffic). and cabs are very expensive, also cab drivers try to trick you, something you can hardly shirk. after arriving at the airport we tried to take the bus, but that led us to nowhere. so we got off early and catched a cab. after we noticed that the driver was taking us all around town, we got out of the cab and refused to pay the whole price the driver charged us. then we hopped on to another cab, where we had the same problem again. price negotiations and fixations before driving mostly don't work, especially if you're portoguese is not good, the drivers wind their way out of it. and this is a phenomenon that we could observe in every bigger brazilian city we've visited during our trip (rio de janeiro, são paulo, fortalezo, santos), nothing typical only for fortaleza, which is why we tried to go by foot or take the public transportation service, at least most of the time. the hostel itself is nothing special, the staff (family business) is very nice and helps you with everything you need. a sparse breakfast is included. nonetheless it is an insder tip for surfers, they can also provide tips for the best spots to windsurf, surf ride or kite surf.

78%

90%

Nice and clean.

%

88%

I stayed here at the end of Carnaval 2011 for 3 days and chose the hostel because of its location in Ipanema. Some of the reviews I read were negative but I actually found the hostel quite nice. The rooms were ok but clean, bathrooms clean, and staff very nice and helpful. The best part of the hostel was really the location in Ipanema. Great experience!

12%

Terrible place. Awful location. Climb 2 steep blocks from bus stop. Need GPS to find it. Incredibly hostile owner. Do not stay here! Owner's son is great. Nothing else is. The worst of 9 places we stayed at in S. A. (including 4 B&Bs).

40%

I was shocked when I got in that dirty, disgusting place. Waited around 20 min for somebody to open the door, because there is nobody at the reception. Had booked a female room, but there was only one huge open place with old bunkbeds and matresses separated by a couple of robes. Left the place and there was no other hostel to go to as it was Easter. Luckily I had a friend to stay at, otherwise I would have to get a flight back to my city. I do not recommend this place to anyone.

100%

Very good hostel, very clean and staff was awesome :)

98%

Great place, great atmosphere. A decent bed to sleep at night, and people to hang out if your not sleeping. The price is extremely good, and the location is wonderful. Its close to everywhere, and the neighborhood is prety safe for Rio. Metro station and bus lines close, places to eat and supermarkets also. I only think they should have more bathrooms, but it wasnt a big problem.