Abraço Carioca Favela Hostel

We were received with open arms in Leme. Gabriel met us and walked up the steps with us. It was quite a climb ( approx 200 steps) but once you get up there, WAUW. An amazing view over Leme and Copacabana beach took our breath away. Gabriel had kindly made us some lovely tuna sandwiches. We felt home after the first five minutes. Every day Gabriel brought us some fresh bread and told us the places to go and not to go. He arranged for us to go to a match in maracana stadium. During our stay he helped us arrange different activities and went above and beyond for us. During our trip, one of our group fell sick and had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. Gabriel arranged a private taxi to bring us to the hospital in Copacabana and kept in touch to see how she was doing. I think you get the point, Gabriel is an amazing host! In the beginning you might feel a bit scared or nervous in the favela. But trust us, after the first day you will feel this is the safest place in whole Rio, filled with kind people who would like to chat to you. The hostel is very clean and lovely. He has lockers (remember to bring your own lock) and the bathrooms are cleaned every single morning. The kitchen has everything you need and I dare say that the balcony is the most relaxed place you'll ever be. To reach the hostel is quite a climb, but the location is great. Only 10 minutes walk from the beach and near the busstop and metro station. At the bottom of the hill you can find a supermarket and other little shops. This hostel, the host, the favela is a hidden treasure in Rio. I would choose to stay here above any other place in Rio and I hope to come back one day to enjoy the friendliness and view of this hostel again!