Hostel Reviews or ‘Where To Sleep Around The World’

As we head round the world and find places to lay our heads, we thought we’d tell you what they were like. If they were good, we’ll let you know, and if they should be condemned, we’ll mention that too. So if you need a place to stay, check here and see what we’ve experienced!

If you’ve stayed at a hostel you’ve loved or hated, please email us and we’ll be sure to add your review on to our list! Just let us know the following info. Country: City: Hostel name: Address or URL (the more specific the better): Price Rating: Budget, Midrange, Pricey (with price if you know it) I Stayed : (when you were there) Comments :

Argentina Hostel Reviews

City: Bariloche
Hostel Name: Perikos Youth Hostel
URL: www.perikos.com/
Address:555 Morales
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm AR$65)
We stayed: Mid February 2012
Comments: This place offers great value for money. Dorms are good sized and have specific bathrooms so there is minimum wait. Each bed has its own reading lamp and plug socket, which is a nice touch and a big locker for storage.
The kitchen is very well equipped (it’s the first hostel we’ve stayed in that had an oven), with lots of cupboard and fridge space for everyone. The communal areas consist of the kitchen, a TV room with three computers,Ddirect TV and hundreds of DVDs, a lounge area and a garden with a huge barbeque.
The laundry service is the best we’ve come across – same day and only AR$25 for a huge basket.Wifi is very fast and available everywhere.
The staff are very friendly and helpful. The hostel is affiliated with an excursion centre next door, but they don’t try to sell the tours to you – they are more than happy to recommend things around town that you can do for free.

City: Buenos Aires (San Telmo)
Hostel Name: Circus Hostel
URL: www.hostelcircus.com
Price Rating: Midrange (Private double room US$64)
We stayed: Mid January 2012
Comments: This place is more like a hotel than a hostel. The room had it’s own en-suite bathroom, and was cleaned every day. There were lots of plug sockets for charging things.
Downstairs, there’s a fairly large common room with a pool table, large TV, lots of sofas and computers which you can use for free. There’s also a bar / restaurant which was very reasonably priced (1 litre of beer for around 20 pesos / $5 – compared to 10 pesos in the supermarket, and 50 in the local bars). There’s a small swimming pool / garden which is great for lounging around.Wi fi is available in the common areas and we could get a weak signal in our room.
Location is pretty good. San Telmo is a destination in itself (and the Sunday street market is not to be missed). It’s also only around a 15 minute walk to the centre of town. A note – The Buenos Aires tourist map is oriented East-West instead of the regular North-South!
The only minor downside to this place is that it can be a little noisy at weekends if your room is on the same side of the hotel as the bar.

City: El Calafate
Hostel Name: Hostel del Glaciar Pioneros
URL: http://www.glaciar.com/
Price Rating: Super Budget (Dorm AR$50)
We stayed: Early February 2012
Comments: We really liked this place! It’s comfortable, with lots of room.The location is a little out of town (around a 10 minute walk), but if you arrive by bus, they seem to be waiting for prospects and will take you.
The rooms are clean with a good layout – two bunkbeds and four large lockers. All the rooms are along the length of a corridor, with the bathrooms at one end and the huge common rooms and kitchen at the other. There arelots of showers, so you never have to queue and they didn’t run out of hot water.
The only gripe is the lack of plug sockets in the rooms (many people have mentioned this). If you need to charge things, then you need to sit with your stuff in one of the commen areas (and possibly wait for a socket during busy times!)The wifi here is the best we have come across. It’s very fast, and doesn’t drop connection.
There is a also a laundry service here, but it’s expensive(AR$45 – almost as much as a nights stay.)
A plus for cat lovers, the hostel had three in residence when we were there – so cute!

City: Jujuy (San Salvador de Jujuy)
Hostel Name: Yok Wahi
URL: www.yokwahi.com/
Address:168 La Madrid
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm AR$60)
We stayed: End February 2012
Comments: The only thing good about this hostel is that the staff was very friendly and able to provide as much info about local places of interest as the tourist office. But other then that we do not recommend it, surprising as it is listed in Lonely Planet.
While the rooms are are fairly large, and all have balconies, the mattresses were very stained & dirty, and we were not provided with sheets, even though we asked for them and were told yes. They looked so bad we checked for bedbugs – thankfully there were none. The rooms were also very hot overnight, despite the fan being on. There are a few small lockers available outside the rooms but only for daypacks and some were broken. The dorm rooms also did not lock.
Though the place was empty, the staff shared our bedroom, which was very strange. It felt like the place was their house – it was two brothers and their girfriends. They controlled the tv all day, playing video games on it at night and loud music in the morning.
They also had a puppy, which though super cute, was allowed into the guest bedrooms, and was chewing on bags & shoes. The showers and toilets are all downstairs, and you have to walk through the common room and kitchen to access them. The showers themselves were fairly clean and hot, but the toilets (gents) did not have a flush, (you must reach inside the cistern, and pull a little plastic lever) and the ladies never had toilet paper.
The common rooms are a small seating area with a TV, and a garden/bar area at the back. The kitchen is fairly functional and seemed well equipped, but the staff cooked there most of the time.
Wifi is available throughout the building. There is also one computer for guest use.
The location is fairly good –it’s around a 10 minute walk to both the bus station, and the main square.

City: Mendoza
Hostel Name: Mendoza Backpackers
URL: www.mendozabackpackers.com/
Address:San Lorenzo 19
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm AR$55)
We stayed: End February 2012
Comments:We had mixed feelings about this hostel. It’s in pretty good location, just a few blocks down from the main square.
Our 4 bed room was clean but super tiny, only 18 inches between the beds! There were lockers outside the room where you can store your things, but you couldnt get 4 rucksacks in the room with you, whihc was a worry . The six bedroom dorms on the first floor are much bigger, but also a lot noisier.
There are only four toilets, one male and one female on the first floor plus two others. The top floor one with shower doesn’t lock.
The common room is one of the best that we have come across. There is a fully stocked bar (with the facility to charge things to your bill), a table tennis table, plenty of seating and a nice little garden/balcony area. The kitchen however is very small, and poorly equiped – we didn’t try to cook, as it seemed impossible.
Wifi is available and there are plug sockets in the common areas.
The staff are all very friendly, and most spoke English. They have a wide range of excursions that they can book along with buses, and your next hostel. If you book your next hostel through them, then you get the first night half price. They also take credit cards, with no additional charge.

City: Puerto Madryn
Hostel Name: Hi Patagonia Hostel
URL: www.hipatagonia.com
Address: Av. Roca 1040
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm AR$75)
We stayed: Early February 2012
Comments: This place is pretty fantastic. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the manager, Gaston (possibly the friendliest hostel owner I’ve ever met!) He went through all of the tours, etc that it’s possible to do in Puerto Madryn, plus gave us the lowdown on the best bars and restaurants. The hostel will also rent out bikes for AR$50 per day.
The building itself is a house, not a purpose built hostel. This actually works pretty well – as there’s only a few people staying, it creates quite a nice family vibe. The dorms are pretty comfortable with 6 beds and these are cleaned with beds made every day. Lockers are provided and with big bathrooms there never seems to be an issue with having to queue. Wifi reception is good throughout the building. All of the dorms have mutliplug sockets.
There is a communal garden, which has a hammock, bar and sunbathing area (which seems to have sun most of the day). There is also a large common room containing a kitchen, huge dining table, TV, public computers and a climbing wall. They offer an all you can eat barbeque some night for AR$50, which was excellent.
The only slight negative is that they ask you not to bring alcohol in as they have their own ‘Aussie Embassy’ backyard bar. It sells litre beer bottles on AR$16 (compared to AR$8 in the supermarket). Not too bad but would still prefer the choice.

City: Salta
Hostel Name: 7 Duendes Twin
URL: http://www.hostelsieteduendes.com.ar/indext.html
Price Rating: Budget (Dorm AR$50)
We stayed: End February 2012
Comments:This is a pretty good little hostel, around a 15 minute walk from the main square, and a 20 minute walk from the bus terminal. A taxi costs around AR$15.
The rooms are fairly spacious, which a bunk on either side of the room. Lockers are provided inside the room with shelving space on top. The rooms also have remote controlled fans.
The two rooms that overlook the patio can be a little noisy if there are people on the patio, or if the TV is on downstairs.
The common room is fairly standard – an area with tables and chairs for eating, a few sofas and a TV with cable. There’s also a little patio area with a few pieces of garden furniture.
The kitchen is very big and very well equipped, with two fridges and all supplies.
The hostel does suffer a little because of lack of bathrooms. There are two on the first floor, and one on the ground. This wasn’t too much of a problem when we were there, as it was fairly empty, though it could be a bit of a pain during busy times. However, the bathrooms were very clean and well maintained.
The staff are all very friendly, and reception is manned 24 hours a day.
Wifi is available downstairs, and in some of the upstairs rooms. It’s very fast and reliable.

City: Tilcara
Hostel Name: Club Hostel
URL:http://www.clubhosteljujuy.com.ar/servicios-1.html
Price Rating: Budget (Mixed Dorm Room AR$50
We stayed: Early March 2012
Comments: This hostel is a real little gem. It’s around a 10 minute walk from the bus station, and is fairly clearly signposted.
The 10 bed dorm is very large, and has its own bathroom (though there are other bathrooms dotted around the hostel). It’s all pretty clean, and security lockers are provided. The room also has a remote controlled air conditioner.
The common area is a large dining area with seating for all guests. It has a definite family vibe, and all of the guests ate together a few of the nights that we were there. There is also a garden area, with a few chairs, a hammock and a small swimming pool.
The kitchen is fairly small, with two gas rings and a small oven. It’s fine for one person at a time to cook. It’s all clean, and there’s plenty of equipment.
The staff are very friendly and helpful, and good English is spoken. They join with everybody for dinner, which creates a really nice athmosphere.
Internet is a little slow, and there are not many plug sockets around. There is one computer in the common room for guest use.

City: Ushuaia
Hostel Name: Freestyle Hostel
URL: www.ushuaiafreestyle.com
Price Rating: Budget (Mixed Dorm Room AR$80 / US$20 pppn)
We stayed: Mid January 2012
Comments: This is a true backpackers hostel, in a goodlocation (though this is not difficult in Ushuaia it’s pretty small!) There is a downstairs common area for eating and watching the TV,a medium sized kitchen (quite busy at “peak” times!), and a massive common area upstairs, with an amazing view, pool table, table tennis table and plenty of sofa space.
Wifi is free and available throughout the hostel. There are three pay computers as well.
Dorms are good and ours had it’s own bathroom and fridge, with big bag lockers. There is no bar, but various beers are available from reception at decent prices. (AR$15 / $4 for a litre, compared to AR$10 in the supermarket.)