Girassol Hostel Vila Madalena

The location in Vila Magdalena is a real plus, with a supermarket and bars nearby. The rest of my four-night stay was a letdown. I booked a private room, but the private options were dirty or in poor shape, so I chose a room with more beds instead. You can pick any clean, available room when you arrive, and each room has one key, but I still didn’t get what I paid for. The hostel felt empty and eerie. I barely saw anyone: an older woman in her 50s with a dog was there for the first two days, and a couple showed up one day. I saw the cleaner once, but never met any other staff. For the final two nights, I was the only person in the whole hostel, which wasn’t the social hostel experience I’d hoped for. Check-in was self-service, and the entry code I was given didn’t work. There was no reception, and I had to wait for someone to answer my messages. Later, management messaged me asking for an extra fee because they said “we were two people.” I was alone the whole time. I explained that, but got neither an apology nor a reply. I rarely leave feedback, but this place was something else.