Manaus Jungle Hostel

I'm giving full points because everything was as promised and I had a great time. I was the only person in the lodge at the time, and still got full transport from Manaus across the river to the lodge and back, full meals, full tours and a whole cabin for myself. The food was good, the guide spoke english and everybody was super friendly and did everything to accommodate me. For only $100 per day, I say good job! I should note, if you're used to 5 star hotels then this is not for you. It's rustic, but hey, you're in the jungle. Unfortunately, the official website is inaccurate and inconsistent (this is the only big minus) so make sure you really clarify your expectations and what the agency provides through correspondence with the manager.

We were there about the time of World Cup. We paid for: 1. Pick up at the airport ($150 which was an exorbitant price) but the driver never showed up. After many calls to the company they quit answering so we had to take a taxi at our own cost. 2. The "Hostel" on Av. Getulio Vargas no longer exists if it ever did. The taxi took us there and it was completely closed up and all signs removed. We had paid some $600 for accomodations there. We wound up cramming three people into a tiny room in a different hotel which we arranged for at the last minute. 3. We had scheduled for a trip to the jungle hostel up on the Rio Negro after the World Cup was done. For lack of any better meeting point, we had to take a taxi to a public square and wait around for an hour while Leonardo's team waited for others to come and then loaded people into private vehicles. We drove and then went by pirogue to the resort which was completely flooded (river was very high so not their fault) having to walk everywhere on boards between buildings (which could have been done much better than they did). The only good thing there was the fish meals and the adequate, fairly new room/house we were put in. We were out on several poorly run expeditions (fishing -- none, shining crocodiles -- non seen) and one trek through the rain forest which was the only good part of the trip) At the end I requested reimbursement for the failed airport pickup and the non-existent hotel. He promised he would send half of what he owed us through PayPal but to this date, despite numerous reminders he has done nothing. I have been extremely patient with his excuses hoping he would reimburse us but all to no avail. I would strongly advise against using this fly-by-night company which grossly overcharges for services, then fails to deliver, and then fails to reimburse client payments despite repeated promises.

Our experience of Manaus Jungle hostel is unfortunately very similar to that of Spenmcc below - we went to Manaus in June for the World Cup, and booked a room at the Jungle Hostel, but when we contacted Leonardo Mendes prior to our departure, he told us we wouldn't be able to get to the game on time, because of security on the river (which we saw no sign of when we were there). Instead, he suggested converting our booking to a hotel in the city, but we would have to pay£800/night, or transferring our booking to his house, which he was renting out, and would enable us to be in the city close to the stadium, with our own room and bathroom. We opted for the latter, and turned down his offer of airport pick up at an extortionate £130 per person, taking a taxi instead which cost us approx £20. He then demanded up front payment for our stay, saying he couldn't guarantee it otherwise, and even then I had to ask him over five times to get an address. When we did, it turned out that it was his cousin's house Noemy that we were staying at, and whilst she was absolutely lovely and made us feel very welcome, it became apparent that Leonardo had arranged for a considerable number of people to stay at her house, and we would be sharing one bathroom with 30 other people. We were the first to arrive and so had a room to ourselves on the first night, and that evening Leonardo came to the house and told us about the one day trip on the river - we were interested and he said he'd do a special price for us, which turned out to be just under £90 each. At the time, we didn't know any better, and thinking we didn't want to miss the opportunity to go swimming with dolphins and seeing the meeting of the waters, we paid. The next morning at breakfast, we met some other people staying at the house, who were also going for the day trip, and who had been charged £75 pounds each - when we spoke to other people on the boat, the amount went as low as £30. At breakfast it became apparent that Leonardo had convinced them to transfer their booking, using the same line of reasoning he gave us. That same morning, Noemy offered to arrange for us to stay at a hotel in the city centre, because she said there were going to be a lot of people arriving, and 'it would be better for us' at a hotel - I think she suggested this because Leonardo was trying to squeeze in as many people as physically possible into the house (there were even mattresses in the kitchen), and she was, quite frankly, a bit embarrassed by the conditions we would find ourselves in. We took her up on her offer and that evening after the river trip she drove us to a hotel where she had booked a double room with ensuite bathroom, at no extra cost to us. I feel Noemy really looked out for us, and turned what could have been an ordeal into a lovely trip. In contrast, it is my impression that Leonardo has absolutely no qualms about conning and ripping people off - had I known that before I booked our trip, I never would have had any dealings with him, so I hope this review serves to warn others. Stay somewhere else, don't give your money to a con artist.