My dad and I stayed at Thiago's hostel during the World Cup 2014 and had such an amazing time. I saw the listing on Airbnb and loved the pictures of the views and the clean rooms and immediately booked a place. To be honest, upon being dropped off by the taxi driver at the foot of the road where I was told the hostel was, I was nervous because I had not known that the hostel was in a favela. My dad and I began our ascent up the road leading up to the favela and were met by barefoot children all the way up to the hostel (which was a bit disconcerning at first since I didn't know much about where we were staying). But I soon met Vera, a relative of Thiago, who walked with us to the hostel and made sure we knew that although many favelas in Brazil get a negative connotation for being dangerous that this one had been "pacified" since 2009 (i.e. active policemen patrolled the favela at all times during the day and night) so that there was nothing to worry about. The other people at the hostel that I soon met were from all over the world (mostly Europe, USA, and Australia) and also reaffirmed how safe they felt in the home/hostel of Thiago and his family. The room we got did end up being extremely clean and Vera even offered to do all of our laundry. I think the 3 best things about this place were (1) the amazing breakfast that was provided to guests each morning consisting of all sorts of fruits, bread, cheese, meats, coffee, and juices, (2) the absolutely breathtaking views of the entire favela and all of Copacabana and Corcovado, and (3) the community of kids in the neighborhood who came knocking on our door to ask us to play barefoot street soccer with them. Overall, I highly suggest you stay with Thiago and fam to get a truly unforgettable and authentic Rio experience.