Hostel Torre Bahia

Genuinely the worst hostel we have ever stayed at. Please please do yourself a favour and avoid. I do not understand the positive reviews, if I could score it 0 I would. The building is very old in an area that feels unsafe, particularly so at night. Nothing feels clean. I'm not sure if the bathroom was ever cleaned during our stay as there was always grime on the floor. We asked for sheets to be changed when we first got the room because there was debris all over the bed from the old roof. They changed them without any issues which was one positive. The new sheets were still worn and stained, but atleast they were clean. On our first night it rained and we woke up due to water dripping on the bed. It's a cheap hostel so we didn't make a fuss. The next night there was a downpour and our entire bed was flooded to the point water was spilling onto the floor. We went downstairs to find someone and were moved to another room that had water coming down the walls but not on to the bed. We also met a guy staying on the floor below who said water had soaked through the bunk above his bed and started dripping on to him. We asked for a refund given the rooms were uninhabitable. Instead of any sort of apology for the state of the rooms we were told this is 'nature' and that not even five star hotels would give money back. The woman continued to repeatedly berrate tourists from Europe and England and said it's always "you people" that cause problems. She wishes she could reject people from certain countries but cannot due to the booking.com system. She initially refused to give our money back but then called booking.com to cancel the remainder of our stay. She begrudgingly gave us the money back for the remaining nights but not a refund for the night of waking up to a soaking wet bed. The water on the bed was one thing but it was how we were spoken to afterwards that really shocked me. I understand it must be frustrating to speak to tourists who don't understand Portuguese but we are paying for a service and have never been treated so badly in Brazil or anywhere else.

The good: The owner didn't speak English but seemed really sweet. When I accidentally locked myself out of my locker she found someone who could break the lock and then gave me a new lock free of charge which was going above and beyond. There were several friendly domestic cats on the property which pleasantly reminded me of home. Unlike some other reviewers I didn't feel they made the place unsanitary. They all had litter boxes out in a shed behind the garden and I couldn't smell cat pee anywhere else in the hostel. The bad: The rooms were unbearably hot at night. Only one small fan. Much of a hostel smelled like human bee and the whole place was full of pests. When I saw cockroaches in the shower. The neighborhood also felt extremely sketchy compared to other hostels I stayed in while in Salvador. Overall: My booking was nonrefundable but I still left early and booked a different hostel because the conditions here were so unbearable for me. That said, this is my first trip to Latin America so it's very possible my standards are the problem. YMMV

#WARNING#DIRTY# The hostel is really dirty and under all the beds were big spiders. She has three cats running around pissing everywhere the public kitchen smells like cat urine and is really nasty. We asked polite if it was possible to clean our private room when I showed under the bed was full of spider webs and bugs. But the female owner got really mad and told us to find another hostel. (just so lazy people) I was really shocked by this and was wondering what these people are doing in the hospitality industry. The people that own this place are just really lazy and only want to cash out money on tourists and not do any work. Unfortunately this place is not worth staying the people that work here are dishonest and lazy and I would not recommend anyone staying here with this corrupt minded people

The hostel is located in the heart of Salvador, a 10 minute walk from the historic Pelourinho district which is marvellous! Beautiful houses, churches and great night life. The hostel itself is in a lovely colonial mansion, with a blue and white exterior and high ceilings, and there is always a nice breeze to keep it cool. The rooms are tidy and pleasant, and they get cleaned everyday unlike a lot of hostels. Breakfast is included and is the usual fare of bread, eggs, fruit, juice, coffee, etc. You can also easily get buses from just outside the hostel door that go to Barra, the beaches, Rio Vermelho, the station, the airport, etc., which is really handy. The staff are helpful, the atmosphere is great and the price is reasonable. Would definitely recommend!

The pousada is located right in the centre of Salvador, 10 minutes walking from the historic centre, 10 minutes walking from the beach and 10 minutes by bus from Barra beach. The neighbourhood offers good restaurants, theaters and museums, gay friendly envirinment and a fantastic fruit market. Our room had stunning views of the Bay, specially at sunset. We had nice breakfast included and we used to cook dinner there as there is free acces to the kitchen. The owner Neuza is was a wonderful host, we ended up having long conversations in the kitchen. We definitely will go back to Salvador for Carnaval and we will stay there as the Carnaval is seen from the windows of the hostel so apparently you dont even have to get out of the hostel.

Neuza and her family are really welcoming. They make sure you feel at home ! to get to the point I can say that the pousada and all rooms are spacious. Also the breakfast is pleintiful (coffee eggs, cake, natural juice, fresh fruits). The location is good, like 10min walk to the Pelourinho. There are a supermarket and fruits/ vegetables market at 5min. ||I recommend this place for people looking for a family and friendliness atmosphere !

I was very happy to stay in Hostel Torre with Neuza. It's perfectly located in the center of the city, you can reach Pelourinho in 5 minutes walking, the sea and beaches are close and there is a nice authentic vibe in the neighbourhood. The price was really good and included breakfast, which I loved! But the best was Neuza, who made me feel like at home and helped me a lot - not only about how to find attractions, music and so on, but also got me some contacts I needed for work. Thank you for everything, I'll be back soon!

A central hostel with a wonderful and lovely owner! Thank you for making my stay so comfortable. Felt like family.