Rio Forest Hostel

BEDBUGS! I cannot recommend this hostel, not only because of what happened during our stay, but because of how the situation was handled afterwards. During our stay, multiple guests in our dorm woke up with itchy bites. One of those guests had arrived before us, which makes the hostel’s later suggestion that the issue originated from our belongings particularly difficult to accept. We found an insect directly on one of the beds that strongly resembled a bed bug and kept it as evidence. We also documented dark markings on the mattresses consistent with bed bug activity. Photos of both are attached to this review. When we initially reported the issue, the hostel appeared to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation. We were offered an upgrade to a better room and informed that refunds and compensation would be discussed. At that stage, there was no suggestion that we were responsible for the problem. That changed as soon as we requested a full refund and reimbursement for the costs of washing and decontaminating our belongings. The hostel then suddenly claimed that the insect was not a bed bug, that there was no evidence of an infestation, and that the insect may have been brought in by us. The only basis provided for this conclusion was an inspection conducted by the hostel’s own housekeeping. No report from an independent pest-control professional was ever produced, despite our request. Instead, the hostel relied on the opinion of its own employees while dismissing the physical evidence we had documented and retained. What concerns us most is the inconsistency. If the hostel genuinely believed there was no issue and that we were responsible from the beginning, it is difficult to understand why we were immediately offered a better room and why refunds were initially discussed. The explanation only changed once compensation became part of the conversation. Bed bugs can unfortunately occur in any accommodation. What separates a good hostel from a bad one is how the issue is handled. In our case, we were left paying for laundry, and decontamination of our belongings, while the hostel ultimately denied responsibility and refund, while suggesting the problem originated with us. We are attaching photographs of the bedbug we found in our beds and the markings observed on the mattresses so that future guests can review the evidence and make their own assessment.

In unserem Zimmer haben wir in der zweiten Nacht Bettwanzen gefunden. Als wir zur Rezeption gegangen sind, hatte ich sofort das Gefühl, dass das dort niemanden wirklich interessiert. Erst nachdem ich darauf bestanden habe, durften wir das Zimmer wechseln. Auf meine Nachfrage wegen einer Reinigung hieß es nur: „Dafür haben wir hier keine Möglichkeit.“ Damit war das Thema für die Rezeption offenbar erledigt. Am nächsten Morgen wurde ich an der Rezeption nochmal auf die Bettwanzen angesprochen. Zuerst wurde behauptet, das könne eigentlich gar nicht sein, weil es keine Holzbetten seien. Nachdem ich ein Foto gezeigt hatte, wurde mir zwar geglaubt, allerdings wurde uns dann vorgeworfen, wir hätten die Bettwanzen von einer Wanderung im Wald mitgebracht. Absolut absurd, da Bettwanzen nicht im Wald leben. Das eigentliche Highlight: Keine zwei Stunden später waren bereits neue Gäste in genau diesem Zimmer untergebracht. Natürlich ohne, dass es gereinigt. Sucht euch lieber ein anderes Hostel!