Favela Chic Hostel

Favela Chic Hostel is a lot more than an ordinary hostel, it feels like another tourist attraction in Iguassu. The host is wonderfully welcoming, and everything about the place is great. You can see the staff working hard to keep adding better facilities and services. Every so often, a local band called Davy Jones shows up and plays great rock hits and lovely songs while guests hang out around the bar. Great fun!

The relaxing, bright, hip feel of Favela Chic is unique, and the hostel is clean and very well run. I especially liked the bar, where you can spend time with other travelers, and the delicious breakfast Nicholas cooks. Nicholas, the owner, is incredibly friendly and goes out of his way to make guests comfortable and share useful local advice. He knows the area and understands what travelers need. My girlfriend and I had a great stay. I can’t recommend the place highly enough.

We spent a great evening chatting with Nick and the other guests at the hostel bar, then stretched out in two incredibly comfortable hammocks. Nick had already arranged a private tour of the Argentinean side of the falls when we arrived, and afterward he pointed us to a great local restaurant. I’ve traveled across Europe, South America, and other parts of the world, and Favela Chic Hostel has everything I look for in a hostel. Nick is an interesting, kind, and helpful owner. The place had only been open a few months, so it seemed like it would keep getting better as he developed it. The atmosphere was amazingly positive. It’s about a 25-minute drive to the Argentinean falls and 10-15 minutes to the Brazilian side. Breakfast is a standard English one too. What more could you ask for? I can’t recommend it highly enough and can’t wait to see how it does.

I’ve been traveling for over 20 months and stayed in a lot of hostels. This is the first one that made me feel I should write a review. Favela Chic is sublime, and it’s the kind of place other hostels should aspire to be. The location and amenities are great, and the converted van makes a brilliant private room, but what really makes it special is the atmosphere Nick has created. It’s intimate and homely, with a cosy bar, a fire to sit around, and a real sense of belonging. Nick is a traveler himself, and he’s one of the coolest, most relaxed, friendly, and enthusiastic hostel owners I’ve met. He genuinely wants to meet you and works hard to make everyone feel welcome and at home. That feeling seems to spread among everyone staying there. You might not want to leave. I didn’t. Definitely check it out.