Che Lagarto Hostel Copacabana

Hostel does not care about the reviews that their customers write here. Easily the worst hostel in Rio. Young kids with no prior experience with a valid job present at the front desk. Impatient, unfriendly staff & extremely helpless. Wristbands given to travellers when staying there, this surely is madness & an easy target to criminals while walking around the streets. * Loud music all the time * Room had no proper lighting * Beds make a lot of noise at night * Unsafe lockers under the bed, very rusty and some of them completely useless. They charge you for this separately * Tiny, horrible, smelly bathroom with drains full of hair * No water at night * Kitchen with cockroaches everywhere * Dirty water inside the pool * Breakfast was okay, for 30R$ * Attractive price, not worth the pain * Book for 1 day not for an entire week

This time we were pleasantly surprised. It became cleaner, breakfasts became better (they added cheese and ham). Of the minuses: they removed the free welcome capirinha in the evening upon check-in. It used to be a good promotion.

Stay away from this place! The staff is very unfriendly, not helpful at all. They make you wear wristbands while you stay there, which made me very uncomfortable. It definitely makes you an easy target to criminals while walking around the city wearing it. The room had a leak in the roof. The floor got disgusting with the water and people stepping in and out, it took like a day for them to clean it up. The beds make a lot of noise at night. There are lockers under the beds, but they look very unsafe and old, very rusty and some of them completely useless. The bathrooms are also horrible, smelly with drains full of hair. They also turn off the water at night, so if you get there late at night sweaty and dirty, you can’t even shower before going to bed. The kitchen was the thing that grossed me out the most. Cockroaches everywhere! They don’t feel intimidated by human presence at all, they might sit with you and eat from your plate. The pool was pathetic, just an old jacuzzi filled with dirty water. The breakfast was okay, but it could use some improvements. The price is very attractive, but it’s not worth the pain… I felt like leaving the place on my second day there, but I would’ve lost the money I paid for it. BEWARE!

I stayed at the hostel for a few nights, and while its location just a few blocks from the beach is great, I must mention some drawbacks. The area can be a bit sketchy at night, and I felt the need to be with someone to feel safe during those hours. One of the issues I encountered was the additional charges, including an fee for a towel. This seemed a bit excessive. Moreover, the rooms lacked air conditioning during the day, and the windows didn't fully close, allowing street noise to disrupt the night's peace. On top of that, the presence of cockroaches in the kitchen was quite off-putting. I encountered them late at night while getting water, and it was rather unpleasant. Although the bathroom spaces were roomy, the absence of a table or hangers for clothes was inconvenient, not even soap is been offered. In summary, the hostel could use some improvement and attention. Considering the issues I encountered, I found the $130 price tag for a bunk bed during the holiday period to be overpriced.

The rooms are dirty with large layers of dust on the beds, lockers with locks are all broken, special requests are fulfilled very difficult and reluctantly, the breakfast is average without cheese or sausage for sandwiches.There are cockroaches in the room and in the kitchen.There is no capirinha on Sunday.

Luca, at the reception was incredibly helpful and patient interacting with non Portuguese speaking guests

The hostel was not prepared for a common tropical storm in Rio de Janeiro. There was an intense leakeage in the top flor. Several rooms got wet. People clothes, Electronics all wet. Until today, there was was no compensation for what happened. See images.

I just left this hostel to take my Uber to the airport and I’m actually shaking writing this review. While leaving the doorman/not the receptionist who welcomed me who was very kind during the day, but a bouncer like doorman wearing all in black refused to allow me to leave the premises he screamed and me and physically blocked the door, he then asked his colleague who was wearing the shirt of the hotel to also block the door. I tried to explain my confusion of the situation, told them my Uber was outside and I left the keycard on the front desk. They continued to scream at me in Portuguese extremely loudly and block my way out of the hotel. One of the men wearing the hotel shirt actually pushed me back up the step I was standing on and I almost fell. It was an extremely distressing situation. I asked a guest at who was outside the hostel for help and he explained that they were screaming at me for the keycard and the bedsheets from the room. I asked him to translate back to the security that I left the keycard on the desk (as I already explained) and that my Uber was already waiting outside for 2 minutes at that point and I had to leave straight away. Had the doorman simply explained to me at the start what he wanted this could have been avoided but I was met with screaming and aggression from the start. I have never been treated like this by a hostel/hotel before in my life and I have travelled a lot. This is definitely the worst experience I have ever had. Please avoid this hostel.