Rio Hostel

The location was convenient, but the lack of privacy made the stay uncomfortable. The rooms and bathrooms were mixed gender, with no alternative for guests who would prefer otherwise. Staff also came into the room at random times without warning or knocking, which felt like a serious invasion of privacy. The shared areas and room weren’t clean enough, and communication was difficult because staff didn’t speak English, making it hard to get help or sort out problems. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who expects cleanliness, respect, and a basic sense of safety.

There were around 18 people squeezed into one room, so it was impossible to sleep. The cleaner who also works at the front desk was the only good part.

I stayed in room 3, bed V, from March 6th-March 9th. The lack of heating was the biggest problem. It was freezing, and I slept in a coat, hoodie, and two scarves, but still felt cold and caught a sore throat. When I asked for another blanket, the night shift boy refused, then gave blankets to two girls in room 3, beds K & I, the next day. There were 22-23 beds in the room, far more than the usual 8-14. Sheets were just laid over the beds instead of fitted, so my face ended up touching the mattress. Staff made a huge amount of noise while cleaning, moving lockers every day to clean underneath them. They woke me at 10am, and could at least have waited until noon. Staff were mostly rude, too. At 11pm they switched off the lights in the common areas, so you needed your phone as a flashlight to get to the bathroom. Toilet paper was missing about 50% of the time. They woke me on the last day because they hadn’t noticed I had made another reservation, though that could have been an honest mistake. The bathrooms weren’t clean, you couldn’t hang a towel on your bed for privacy, and there were hardly any tables or chairs to use a computer. The network and WiFi were both awful, though that was the least of the issues. Staff didn’t speak ANY English, and check-in took 15-17 minutes instead of the usual 5-7. I’d give it 1.5 stars. It could’ve been 4 if there had been any heating and the staff hadn’t been mostly bad.

For two nights, there were some good points: the place was very clean, the receptionists were friendly, and when my lock didn’t work, one of them gave me a replacement. There was a socket by every bed, a large fridge and what I needed to cook, plus separate rooms for women and men. They also let me leave my heavy bag in the storage room three hours before check-in, and only the receptionist had the key. The air mattresses were comfortable enough, but unbelievably loud whenever anyone moved, and I felt bad for the others trying to sleep. There were no bins in the room. The only light was a cold, harsh overhead light that made the black-walled room feel like a basement. The receptionists didn’t speak English, so I used Google Translate. Some beds are by the window, which could leave you sick the next morning, but closing it makes the room smell bad and get hot very quickly.