Located at -22.9230881095, -43.1885051827 (use coordinates in the FlyTo selection of Google Earth), Casa Aurea is a great retreat from the heavily populated tourist areas. It sits upon the hills of Santa Teresa where the winding cobblestone streets and an old-fashion tram gives the neighbourhood a historical charm. Although plenty of guides warn you about the hills of Rio, Santa Teresa is an exception. Following the tram tracks from Arcos da Lapa, it takes about 20-30 minutes to walk up to the casa. On the near by streets of the Casa are a few small grocery stores, restaurants and other various stores I didn't get a chance to venture into.

At a quick glance, the casa has 13 rooms with a variety of accommodations ranging from dormitory style to private rooms with washrooms. There are plenty of communal areas which add sociability to the place. As well there is a guest kitchen to incase you want to dine in. A fridge near the main kitchen is stocked with a small variety of drinks. This is their honour bar which you take a drink and mark down what you have taken. Downstairs near the other guest rooms is their computer room with one PC. It has internet access and I believe wireless access in case you bring your own equipment. You get a key to the front gate so you can come and go as you please.

Although I have nothing really to compare it to, in my opinion this is a great place to stay and an incredible find. I visited the casa between February 18-23 (Carnival 2007) and being my first visit to Brazil (& South America), I didn't know what to expect. I was uneasy from the get go. When I found the place online, they offered a Carnival special of $600.00US for 5 nights. I think it was a pretty good deal since the vacancy rate could be low because of Carnival. But when they asked me to wire transfer 50% of the stay as a deposit, it seems very risky. With no protection or guarantee if something went wrong (as a credit card would), it left me with a bit of anxiety. But, no guts no glory. If something did go wrong, I think I could manage. Arriving in Rio twice I found my self thinking "I'm going to die". Heading up to the casa and realizing it’s on a hill made me a little jittery. Then finding the Casa and not seeing any signs that said Casa Aurea didn't help either. Was it all a tourist trap? Did I miss something and now I'm in a pickle? Hence, "I'm going to die". But those thoughts start to fade when you are greeted by the host (who reminds me of Richard Attenborough) and spend at least one night there.

I guess what is nice about the place is the people you meet and the atmosphere there. The age of the guests seem to range from the age of 25 to 50 with a majority of them being 25-35. The host of the Casa, Cornelius, has a motto, "Make your self at home". Everyone at the casa seemed okay with this concept since they left all their belonging around the communal areas (Books, laptops, etc). I could say it actually felt like home. One more fantastic part about staying here is the guidance you get from the host. He can help you navigate around Rio as well use his resources to get you things (In my case, a ticket to the Sambadome). Sure this sounds like a concierge, but it feels more personal.

The only complaint I have (which has nothing to do with the Casa) is transportation up and down the hill. Sure there is the bonde that runs every half hour, a few buses, taxis and white VW mini-buses that past me often, but I wasn't completely certain about them. The bonde run on specific hours, taxis are not reasonable if you're solo, not sure where the bus stops, and the VWs, not sure how they work. I should have, but that's my problem. At least I got a great workout walking up and down.

Over all I would recommend a stay at Casa Aurea, I enjoy my stay and I hope everyone there had the same sentiment. Visit them at
[--]