Stayed here for ten days in May. Got mugged and lost my phone + wallet, so I had to use their phone…read moreto make several calls back to the USA. Wasn't easy, but eventually, I made it back home. 2 months later, I get an email from the hostel. Attached was a low-res screenshot of some charges and an invoice for ~$100 USD. They claimed I owed them payment for the international calls I made at the hostel. Additionally, they made a couple of claims to justify my debt: (1) I had no social media, and (2) they "did try to communicate our awareness of the cost" (their exact words). (1) is not true. I had social media, but how am I supposed to access it without either my phone (for 2FA login purposes) or my email (requires my phone to login)? So that is a moot point. (2) is also not true. Every time I asked to use the phone, for anything, the person working said of course, and handed me the phone. No one in the hostel ever mentioned anything to me at all, in my ten days there, about the cost. Paying for phone usage was nowhere on their website or in their terms, and I never saw something like that enforced or even talked about. So that is also a strange thing to lie about. To top it all off, they found my dad's boss online, and then contacted him to try to get me to pay? Very unprofessional behavior. *Despite all of this*, and despite no real way to enforce a flimsy charge like this, I paid the invoice. In exchange, I would strongly encourage anyone reading this to *stay literally anywhere else in Rio*. The hostel really isn't good enough to make up for such poor management. At first, I thought it was strange that Brazilians would act so miserly. And I have nothing personally against the non-working Brazilians I met, who were all very nice. But when you find out the hostel is, in actuality, owned and founded by a certain (((other))) group of people, this management makes way, way more sense.

Voted the #1 hostel in Rio as well as Latin America...and I can see why…read more One friend arrived before two of us and he described Discovery Hostel as a house. When we arrived, I could see what he meant. You walk into a reception area which is in the living room area. You'll find that other people staying here will hang out and talk in the living room. There's a kitchen which you're able to use or store your perishables. The kitchen serves a complimentary breakfast during the early morning and has a bar with cheap drinks during the evenings. The rooms are clean. What I loved about the rooms was that there is a nightlight and power outlet at each bed. I stayed in the all female room which had two bunk beds (3 beds high) and a private en suite bathroom. My only gripe was having to stay at the top bunk (they're difficult to get up and down). This room is the only room with an en suite. Other than that, there are other male/female dorm rooms and I believe two private rooms for two people. Staff is helpful and friendly. Take advantage of their help for events and activities. Events and activities are updated daily at the reception board. You pay a bit more for some of the activities, but it usually includes transportation. We went to Marcana for a futebol/soccer match which turned into a hostel outing. Another night we went to a club in Lapa. WHAT TO KNOW: *Cash only!! You cannot pay anything by credit. *Price is right. We each paid 164 Real (About $55) for 3 nights. *Check-in is not until 2pm and they do make you wait until then. *Complimentary wifi...though it was a bit spotty for me. *Bring your own towel and lock for your storage locker. If you forget either, you can purchase a lock or rent a towel. *Short walk to Lapa and the colorful Escadaria Selaron steps. *Metro station located half a block away so sites like Copacabana, transportation to the Christ statue, etc. is just a ride away. *A cat lives at the hostel so beware if you have allergies.

A hostel next to ipanema beach. What I liked: - daily happy…read morehour with free caiprinhas - location (less than one minute from beach) - friendly staff (although not all speak English) - safe - they have all female dorm - they offer nice trips (best to pay in cash with local reals, upon arrival) The overall guest is young (younger than 30) and in January mostly from Argentina. Definitely will return. Do note, not suitable for Light sleepers. The reception is good in throwing parties with loud music.

Fun place to stay! Clean rooms, awesome staff, very safe. There is also a single room with a…read moredouble (maybe queen) bed available for couples. Two blocks' walk from Ipanema Beach. Amenities on the block include a delicious lanchonete and laundry service. Shopping nearby, by foot or bus. I'm saving my pennies to go back!

The place is great. Good location, few minutes walk to the train. Not that far from the beach. The…read morestaff is so nice and helpful. Excellent customer service. Free wi-fi & breakfast. Breakfast is from 7am-10am. The pool is nice. They have a restaurant and the food is very tasty, fresh, and homemade. The Hot Burger is very good. The drinks are strong and yummy. For carnaval theres a parade that passes by the street the hostel is on. Good view from the balcony. The room I stayed in was in a 12 bed room. It was nice and clean. Great use of space and I still had privacy. Overall great place. I would definitely stay there again.

The food is really good and so are the drinks, can't really complain about anything. The only thing…read moreI can complain about is not having enough space in my stomach for more.

Just the best hostel I stayed at down in Brazil…read more Warm and friendly staff, clean and simple spaces. Located in the heart of beautiful, bohemian Santa Theresa. Terraces, a small bar, a lovely open plan kitchen. Doesn't look or sound like a frat-house dormroom, but rather an old boutique hotel off the Quarter. Couldn't recommend highly enough.

Excellent hostel for young people. Very clean! Friendly staff. When we was there they make discount…read morefor as.

This was my first time staying at a hostel. It was a great experience…read more The hostel was secure (locked gate), clean, and in a good location (top of the hill, so more quiet than Lapa at the bottom of the hill). The walk to the Lapa arches is about 7-10 min (going back is a little longer, it's on a hill) The room I stayed in had about 6 bunk beds. The two nights I stayed, there were only 2 of us the first night, and 4 the next. There were other rooms in the hostel, so there were more people there. The bathrooms were clean as well as showers. The breakfast was good, fresh food, homemade. The wifi worked ok in public areas (living room was comfortable. I spent a lot of time there watching World Cup games, and talking with other travelers). Wifi signal was a little spotty in the bedroom. There is a computer you can use in the living room. The best place about this hostel is the family that runs it. Everyone was really nice and fun to talk to. They are very helpful and accommodating. The woman who runs the hostel is absolutely amazing, she even had one of her sons give me a ride to the airport. Unbelievably friendly. I would stay here again in a heartbeat.