Hostel Ilha Da Magia

Great.

This was the worst hostel experience I’ve had. I booked one night for January 27-28, 2021, and only stayed because it was the middle of the night and there was nowhere else nearby. I arrived at midnight and left at 6 a.m., just after sleeping there. I gave it one star because the site wouldn’t let me continue without a rating. The place looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned for months. There were no COVID-19 safety measures. Trash was on the floor, and the bedding looked like it hadn’t been changed in months. Thankfully, I had brought my own sheet. Bins in every bathroom were overflowing with paper that could have been there for days, maybe months. The showers, stalls, and toilets were dirty from other people, and the kitchen was filthy too. It seemed like they didn’t know what cleaning meant. The hostel should be inspected by the state health authorities and perhaps shut down, especially during a pandemic. I booked through Booking.com, but the staff cancelled my reservation as soon as I arrived. I only noticed after leaving, when I went to submit a review and saw the cancellation.

It felt like there was no consideration for guests. We were missing so much, including fresh sheets, toilet paper, regular cleaning, and storage lockers. The only locker area was blocked by a bunk bed so they could fit more people in the room. There was no assistance or support, and no staff around. The owner took our money on arrival and then never showed up again. An older man spent the day in front of the TV, controlling the remote and watching what he wanted. We couldn’t tell if he was staff, a resident, a guest, or just there to keep an eye on things. He wasn’t helpful; the only thing he did, when he felt like it, was take out the kitchen trash. A cleaner would arrive taking photos and loudly complaining to the owner that we were dirty and didn’t tidy up. She didn’t even go into the rooms to clean them. She cleaned the bathrooms once a day, even though 30 people used them, so they were filthy again the rest of the day. The building itself was very old and falling apart. It had worn paint, mold, and dirt everywhere. A broken bunk was propped up with a brick, the bedroom outlets didn’t work, and there were exposed wires. It was a makeshift dump, and they acted like they didn’t care what guests thought. Maybe they figured the low price meant they were doing us a favor. There are much better options in Florianópolis for the same money.

A truly awful stay. I wouldn’t recommend this place even to my worst enemy. There was nowhere to put our belongings, and the beds were crammed together to fit more guests. The stove barely worked, the small pots were caked with grease, and the service was terrible. The reception area was left unattended. My friends and I unfortunately fell for the pitch and had to stay here. Don’t make the same mistake we did!