Hostel Boipeba Surf

The setting is beautiful, surrounded by native forest, but the place itself was a terrible experience. It was very dirty and unhygienic, with no signs and little care for the property. There was one shared bathroom for the four hostel guests, but people from the campsite used it too because their bathroom was apparently out of service. The person in charge cleaned it once a day, except for one day when it wasn’t cleaned at all. It was covered in mildew and smelled of urine and feces. The kitchenette, which is also the family’s kitchen, was filthy and seemed to pose a high risk of contamination. They brushed their teeth in the sink guests were meant to use for cooking. The first night, one of our assigned beds broke when we got into it, so we had to sleep on the floor. The person in charge offered no solution. The place also lacks basic amenities.

The campsite is a long way from the village, and nobody told us that beforehand. It also isn’t suitable for camping in heavy rain, since the tents flood. There’s only one bathroom, and the setup is poor: no toilet seat, mirror, or place to hang clothes or towels. The couple who run the place aren’t friendly and don’t seem very proactive.

The room was listed for six people, but there were seven of us, and the kitchen was inside the room. At 6:00 AM, when they started using it, the noise woke us up. The air conditioning was never turned on, so we slept with the windows open and woke in the night because of mosquitoes. Getting there was unpleasant, too: the hostel is about six blocks uphill, with poor signs, and it’s dark at night. I needed my phone flashlight to make the climb. There was no water for showers, so we had to walk six blocks down to a pousada that let them use its bathroom. The Wi-Fi never worked, and they didn’t lower the price for these conditions. They blamed it all on the island, but after I changed hostels, the new place had water, Wi-Fi, and the usual amenities. They offered me a refund but never transferred the money. This felt like a complete rip-off, and they should be ashamed to charge for these facilities.

It’s a peaceful spot a few minutes from the town center, with access to the beach in about 10 minutes. The location is fantastic, and the hostel owners were very helpful, always happy to answer questions. The campsite volunteers were great as well. Good value, and I’d definitely stay here again on my next trip to Boipeba.