Aquarela do Leme

Unique, Authentic Rio experience I really enjoyed my one-week stay at Aquarele do Leme. The staff is great: super helpful and friendly. Even the owner, Thibault, is very nice and accessible. The terrace is the best. I enjoyed my coffee up there every morning. The breakfast included eggs, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and assorted fruits, plus all of the normal stuff. The coffee is excellent and was a pleasant surprise, given that this is a budget hotel in the middle of a favela. I never felt any danger whatsoever walking up and down the 5 minute hill to Leme and Copacabana. I really appreciated the scrupulous and diligent cleaners and I'd be happy to stay here again. Muito obrigada!

This place has everything. The attention to detail is spectacular. The view is wonderful, each room has a balcony and a hammock. The couple who run things, Marielle and Tibout, are super helpful and friendly. I've spent some new years eves here and will be back again.

I had an amazing stay at Aquarela Do Leme, which I contribute to the owners, Marielle and Thibaut, who goes out of their way to accommodate the guests of their establishment; their staff is likewise of this mindset, which further magnifies the hospitable atmosphere. Additionally, they have a working area, great for digital nomads, of which there where quite of few staying for this reason. There's also a rooftop a gym-area, lounge area and a rooftop bar with a great bartender; shout-out to Adriel :D ! The hostel is bright, has great views and a even greater location, being situated at the beginning of the tourist-friendly Babilonia area, just 5 min north of the superb Leme beach, where I spent oceans of time. Moreover it's a short walk of max 15 min to the nearest subway station, whereby youre connected to the rest of the City of Rio. I ended up spending 3 months at the hostel, although my initial plan was to stay for about 6 weeks, and I guess this stands as a great testimony to the exceptionally pleasant environment facilitated by the owners, staff and guests of Aquarela Do Leme. For the same reason, I met quite a few returners, and I now believe that I'll be yet another returner at the end of this year! See you all soon, and thank you for a great stay!!

No towel inc. R$10 extra

Strange atmosphere for a hostel! Breakfast was the highlight each day, great choices. Dorms were okay, but did smell like they were cleaned with dirty water some days. The atmosphere was a bit strange, this is not your usual hostel, it is also a family’s home. Their children would be screaming and shouting and watchingTV in the common area really very loud. Which means hostel guests could not relax there. The children seemed to do what they want. When you first arrive you don’t receive much information, like where is the terrace, there is a gym on the roof, they offer a washing service, what time is breakfast etc. it is also essential to be added to the WhatsApp group so that you don’t miss information. Volunteers were lovely but there is a high turnover rate - this also impacts the atmosphere. The location is great, be prepared it is within a favella at the very top of a very big hill but the environment around the hostel is great and Leme itself is a lovely part of Rio

I stayed in Aquarela do Leme Hostel for about 9 days with my mom. At first we were relieved to see a colourful hostel with friendly staff, but later on we were disappointed. Hostel is not that clean. The worst thing is that you have to wash your own dishes after you eat breakfast that you paid for. There's no dishwasher and there was dried up leftovers on forks, some plates etc. The tables where you eat aren't cleaned either. And the breakfast was the ongoing disappointment. At the start of our stay we had cheese, tomato and cucumber, eggs, oatmeal and bread. After 4 days of stay, they stopped serving cheese, tomato and cucumbers, all we had were runny eggs. The bigger disappointment was that the staff said they didn't have mango, cheese, tomato and cucumber because they haven't gone to the market (which is like, maybe 10 meters away). The reason they don't serve mango is because there's too much work at cutting them up. And we had no cheese, but the staff had it on their plates, leaving you with the option of disgusting runny eggs, bread or oatmeal. Forget the pretty photoshoped pictures you see. The cushions on the common areas haven't been cleaned, I think NEVER. The whole place looks like a hippie's crib, not a profesional hostel. And the staff is ful of volunteers that aren't paid, but get a place to stay if they cook and do other work. For a 9 day stay we only got our towels cleaned once. It wasn't all bad. The view from the rooftop terrace is outstanding, the staff is truly nice and friendly. But it bothers me when it gets rated wonderfully just for friendly staff. The hostel isn't as clean as it could be, it should be renovated as well, they need a dishwasher and a bigger breakfast buffet. Another note from my mom - she as a botanical enthusiast was furious that the plants weren't watered, so she watered them herself.