Hello Everyone, I am going to be visiting Family in Lima this September and figure since I'm in South America I should go to Brazil. The cheapest flight plan I have have found would a be a round trip LAX to Lima and having another round trip, Lima to Rio. The Lima-Rio flight is $622 from what I was able to find on Fly.com.

The next thing I am trying to figure out is my living situation, I have a friend who's dad lives in Rio and if that friend comes I will just stay at his dad's, but if not I need to figure out where to stay. I want to be in Rio for New Years as well as Carnaval and would like to stay there in between. Are hostels the way to go as far as keeping costs down? Are the safe ways to find people looking for roomates there, I'd be open to that if the cost is reasonable. I am going to look into local surf there, but if there is some good surf around I would like to bring my board, would this be an issue at a hostel(either because of space or theft)?

Thanks everybody, this will be my first trip I have to plan so all advice is welcome.

You're going to stay in Rio all the way from NYE through Carnaval? Not visit other areas? Hope you have deep pockets. For both NYE and Carnaval you should expect much higher than normal rates, minimum stay requirements and possibly advance payment required. Are hostels the way to go? I think you know they typically cost less than regular hotels but they will still have many of the above requirements during these two peak times, when hotels (and hostels) get a big chunk of their profits for the year. You might check the Lonely Planet Thorntreee discussion board and/or guide books for recommendations of specific hotels. You likely will want to stay in the Ipanema or Copacbana area. You do NOT want to stay near the Samboadrome, where the big Carnaval parades take place (an area to visit, not in which to stay). You will need to book accommodations several months in advance, so don't wait until late this year and expect to find anything available without paying a big premium. People have already started booking.

Surf not great in Rio itself (and it's not the cleanest water), but some decent waves outside the city (e.g., Buzios). I don't have experience traveling there with a surfboard but would tend to be wary, given the high cost and difficulty of travel by plane, taxi, etc., as well as chance of theft even in a hostel. You will find surf schools and rentals in the area.

I'm not oppsed to seeing other places but I would like to be in Rio for those occasions and figured that traveling between different places would burn up more money(making it cheaper to stay in Rio). I read over a site that said $650-$900(US) is doable in Rio, would you agree with that?

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For a several week stay, accomodations, food and local transportation costs will run you 2-3 times this. Brazil is an expensive country even for budget travellers.

Rio in particular is as expensive as New York although at least the foreign currency exchange rate to the US dollar has gotten better. Moreover, the OP wants to go about prime time. If the OP is on a budget I'd suggest going to Rio in May or September. Also, if the OP is a US citizen don't forget the need for a Visa before you travel.

If you have a place to stay that is not using any of that sum.
If not, just a few days over Carnaval will be R$1000 minimum.

http://wctbrasil.com/

I have to laugh, there is a tee shirt shop I always visit that is at the intersection of Arpoador and the Copa. Last time there were these two young surfers working there that heard the Rockaways in NYC was the ultimate for surfing.

lol... I never been but read somewhere that Rockaway Beach is the frequented by lots of brazilians living in NY.

You must be talking about one of the shops at Galeria River (http://galeriariver.com.br/site/).

I have lived most of my life near this neighborhood: sunsets from Arpoador can be really spectacular and Galeria River is a center for Beach wear, but the waves in Brazil (and at Arpoador in particular) are not the best for surfing, to say the least. Most surfers there spend most of their time sitting on their boards, not surfing.

Try this hostel/surf school (which rents boards, I believe) in a Rio neighborhood a bit ("west" they call it, but really south along the coast):
http://www.riosurfnstay.com/
The neighborhood isn't as convenient to the tourist sights as maybe Copacabana or Ipanema (the main tourist neighborhoods), but it can be done by local public bus.

"Hollister, California" clothes are popular (many pirated, of course). I laugh when I saw "Holister Surf School." If surf's up in Hollister, isn't that a bad sign for the State of California?

Too true, the OP's budget would have been tough even when Brasil was cheap 10 years ago. To give him an idea on "prime time" costs I normally rent my firend's apt. round the corner from the Marriott for US$50 a night although he normally charges US$100 a night. For NYE and Carnaval it's US$2,500 for 10 nights and even for me it's still US$2,000 for next NYE.