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.