Aquarela Do Leme Hostel — Hotel in Região Geográfica Imediata do Rio de Janeiro

Hostel with potential to be the best in Rio. It has some really excellent features, but lack of management & overall uncleanliness let it down. This is addressed as constructive feedback for the owners attention, as this hostel could be really something!

PROS + (there’s lots of them!); Modern hostel and facilities, private curtains for beds in spacious dorms, rich breakfast, lively atmosphere with rooftop bar, small gym with all the essentials, spectacular views, co-working space with strong internet and they offer daily tours. Great idea watsapp group for guests. Cool location, felt safe with family vibe and the 5min uphill walk is totally fine

CONS - Overall cleanliness needs to be improved. Seems like there’s only two cleaners for the big hostel and cleaning was subpar (I want to recognise the man was always so friendly). It shouldn’t reach a point that guests ask for the bathroom to be cleaned. Hand towels rarely changed in bathrooms. Seemed that beds were only changed (after) someone checked in- this was a constant thing? Need to hire a manager to maintain quality and keep things running more smoothly and professionally. It appears some responsibilities fall onto the volunteers but remember they’re short term invested in your business. Booking system should be more organised, always seemed to be some confusion and beds never made Kitchen is well equipped, it’s on the smaller side considering the number of guests. Suggest it’s cleaned throughout the day, not just once in morning Breakfast is rich and varied, could be helpful to have two volunteers running breakfast on busy days as sometimes ran out of food/ inconsistent daily delivery with some days excellent and others disappointing Could be more strict about quiet hours & smoking on rooftop only (people smoking on reception balcony which blows directly into female dorm) Volunteers were sleeping in the reception area? Maybe need to look at improving staff space Considering the number of volunteers, could be an opportunity to organise evening activities too. The rooftop is great place for this There was young kids in the reception area often late at night?

This feedback is aimed in a constructive way, it’s a great hostel with potential to be really excellent. Thanks and I hope to come back...

I stayed in Aquarela do Leme Hostel for about 9 days with my mom. At first we were relieved to see a colourful hostel with friendly staff, but later on we were disappointed. Hostel is not that clean. The worst thing is that you have to wash your own dishes after you eat breakfast that you paid for. There's no dishwasher and there was dried up leftovers on forks, some plates etc. The tables where you eat aren't cleaned either. And the breakfast was the ongoing disappointment. At the start of our stay we had cheese, tomato and cucumber, eggs, oatmeal and bread. After 4 days of stay, they stopped serving cheese, tomato and cucumbers, all we had were runny eggs. The bigger disappointment was that the staff said they didn't have mango, cheese, tomato and cucumber because they haven't gone to the market (which is like, maybe 10 meters away). The reason they don't serve mango is because there's too much work at cutting them up. And we had no cheese, but the staff had it on their plates, leaving you with the option of disgusting runny eggs, bread or oatmeal. Forget the pretty photoshoped pictures you see. The cushions on the common areas haven't been cleaned, I think NEVER. The whole place looks like a hippie's crib, not a profesional hostel. And the staff is ful of volunteers that aren't paid, but get a place to stay if they cook and do other work. For a 9 day stay we only got our towels cleaned once.||It wasn't all bad. The view from the rooftop terrace is outstanding, the staff is truly nice and friendly. But it bothers me when it gets rated wonderfully just for friendly staff. The hostel isn't as clean as it could be, it should be renovated as well, they need a dishwasher and a bigger breakfast buffet. Another note from my mom - she as a botanical enthusiast was furious that the plants weren't watered, so she watered...

Pros: offers a lot of activities (with extra charge) Cons: last-minute cancel before New Years and unprofessional communication

I’ve traveled to 10 countries and generally prefer to stay in hostels due to (1) cheaper cost (2) friendly community (3) service/help with information and planning and (4) free activities (such as a walking tour, DJ, dance class). I did a lot of research and this one came up with great reviews. It was the most expensive option I looked at, $90 USD a night (much more than the usual $15-40/night I’m used to), but I assumed that for this cost we would be saving by having a safe space to enjoy the holiday, by enjoying fireworks on the roof per the pictures, and hopefully buying drinks at their onsite bar. I got a message from one of the hostel workers who was kind to provide me with transportation suggestions and then invited me to what turns out to be an exclusive party at $90 USD with an open bar/food, open to whoever pays (discounted to folks with a reservation). Although this is a great offer for folks looking for that kind of deal, I was under a different impression when I booked, and I asked for more clarity on what is covered by our reservations vs what is add-on. The hostel worker seemed to be personally offended by my question and answered quite defensively, but I got my answer — beds, free bfast, use of the common spaces except NYE, and activity programing but at an extra cost. She then told me “Feel free to cancel anytime, but good luck finding that mythical hostel with an open bar on New Year's Eve or free tours. We're keeping it real here!” And then directly after said they were overbooked and cancelled my reservation. Quite unfortunate but it sounds like the wrong...