Kionda Surf House

The location is great, just a block from two beaches. Praia do indaia is so good it feels like a natural pool. Luana welcomed us warmly, and the place is very family oriented. The rooms are comfortable enough if you're not looking for luxury. We had no trouble with the shared bathroom, even though that hadn't been explained very clearly beforehand. It was clean, the shower was hot, and it stayed that way. We missed breakfast because we were so tired, haha, but it looked really good. We had some cake and coffee later. I was nervous after reading other reviews, but once we arrived, those concerns seemed completely wrong. I also agree with leaving street shoes outside reception or washing your feet, given all the sand and mud around. The only letdown was that the room locks sometimes wouldn't open. I'd happily come back.

For my first hostel stay, I found it really easygoing. The owner was friendly from the first phone call, and the place is very close to the beach and a market, while still being peaceful. It's simple and family run, but it delivers what it promises and the rooms are comfortable. There was a hot shower, and I was pleasantly surprised by the breakfast. I'd recommend it if you don't need luxury; it met my expectations.

Breakfast was supposed to run from 7 to 9, but we waited until 8 for him to finish preparing it, then had to go get the bread because he said he'd woken up late. It was poor, and the milk was curdled. We left early because we were so stressed. I have nothing good to say about this stay, and the price doesn't match what was offered. He doesn't seem to care what people think. It's easy to make money that way. We came as a family to rest and ended up stressed the whole time. The owner asked us to take off our shoes, which was fine, but the floors inside the hostel and rooms were dirtier than the street. My six-year-old daughter and my stepdaughter had colds and had to go barefoot on a cold, dirty floor, while the owner and his son wore flip-flops. Then he told us this wasn't an inn but a hostel, and that the bathroom was shared, which the listing hadn't said. He asked for 80 reais more for a private bathroom, then offered a supposed deal for “just” 50. When we went to shower, that shower was broken, so we paid extra for a bathroom we couldn't use properly and ended up using the shared one anyway. Reviews showed that the shower had already been broken for two years, so the owner hadn't bothered to fix it. We booked for four adults and one child but got a room for four. He said he'd bring a mattress so someone could sleep on the floor, then disappeared. We all squeezed into a stuffy room with a weak, dusty fan that looked ready to fall, an extremely dirty floor, and bedding that looked like it hadn't been washed in five years. Nobody slept, I felt very unwell, and my bronchitis flared up. It was noisy too. I've never felt so uncomfortable anywhere.

There was a dead cockroach in the bathroom and another in the room, and the cleaning was poor. I also didn't feel it was very secure. The gate isn't kept locked, and a rope mechanism lets people open it from outside, so anyone could get in at night.