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Chile Overview & Where to Stay
Seventy seven. That’s the number of days that Mac & I spent in Chile. The most out of any other country so far! We did a bit of everything in this country and definitely tried to take advantage of all there was to offer! We spent a week cruising down the northern coast of the country before arriving in Valparaiso where we spent a month volunteering at a Bed & Breakfast. From there we had another short week which we spent on a lake near the base of an active volcano before relocating to a gorgeous farm on another lake near a volcano where we spent another month volunteering. Upon leaving the farm we headed as far south as we would in South America to the island of Chiloe for some hiking in the National Park. After that, it was back up to Santiago where we spent our last few days in the country getting ready for our upcoming flight to New Zealand! Cities, farms, parks, deserts, small towns, you name it, we were there!
Chile was definitely the most affluent of the countries we visited, so we were happy for the volunteering opportunities we landed that helped offset our accommodation costs. Over our 77 days, we spent a total of $1945.66USD (working out to a daily average per person of $12.63USD). If you exclude the days where we didn’t pay for accommodation, our daily average increases to $27.69USD. Chile is not an inexpensive country, but we made it work for us by choosing to travel slow and not go overboard on the activities.
In the chart above, you can see how big of a portion “Lodging” accounted for – and that was only 24 of 77 days that we were there! I shudder to think how much more we would have spent if we hadn’t volunteered!
Check out my recommendations below for where to stay. And as always, scroll to the bottom for some of my favourite pictures from our time in Chile!
San Pedro de Atacama
Our first stop in Chile was in the desert town of San Pedro. We stayed at Hostal Vilacoyo. For 16,000CLP ($22.80USD), we got a private room with 2 single beds & shared bathroom (which was a bit far from the room). This hostel had a nice outdoor lounge area with a decent kitchen and wifi in the common areas (not in the rooms).
Location: Tocopilla 387
Related Posts: Valle de la Luna – Version 2.0 Chile
Antofagasta
Antofagasta isn’t really a tourist town, so the lodging options were fairly limited. We stayed at Hostel Riojanita, where for 15,000CLP ($21.40USD), we slept in yet another private room with 2 single beds & shared bathroom. There was a kitchen here, but it wasn’t for guest use which was a little annoying. We persuaded the family that lives there to let us use the kitchen for 10 minutes to whip up a tupperware dish for our upcoming overnight bus ride.
Location: Baquedano 464
Related Posts: Cruising down the Coast of Chile
Coquimbo
Hostal Nomade is part of Hostelling International, so if you’re a member, you can get a bit of a discount. The normal rate is 20,000CLP and the discounted rate is 16,000CLP. We made a deal with the owner that if we stayed for two nights we could pay an average. So for 18,000CLP a night ($25.60USD), we got a private room with a double bed & shared bathroom. The kitchen here was great & there was a huge dining area to eat in. The house is a converted mansion, so it was pretty cool to wander around. Breakfast was included, but it wasn’t anything to write home about (all processed & packaged foods, nothing fresh).
Location: Reg Coquimbo 5
Valparaiso
The Bed & Breakfast we volunteered at in Valpo was called Allegretto. We worked in exchange for accommodation, so we didn’t pay to stay here. Because it’s a bed & breakfast, the rates are higher than what we’d normally pay. A bed in a 6 bed dorm room was 10,000CLP, and the prices went up from there (to 38,000CLP for a double room with king-sized bed & ensuite). Breakfast was included (bread, jam, cereal & fruit).
Location: Lautaro Rosas 540
Related Posts: Valparaiso Outings – Vinsa del Mar & Concon, Valparaiso Street Art – A Photo Essay, The City of Hills
Pucon
Hostel Chili Kiwi has only been open for a little less than a year, but already it’s a pretty popular spot amongst travelers. It’s situated right next to the lake and you can even see Volcan Villarica from the common area! Mac & I paid 16,000CLP ($22.80USD) for 2 beds in a 6 bed dorm room. There are two kitchens in this hostel – one in the main building, and another out back by the tree house (yes, you can stay in a tree house here too!). There was a fireplace in the common area which kept the place nice & cozy (and was also a key factor in drying out our sopping socks & shoes after hiking in Huerquehue). The staff here were all super friendly, and there was a great binder that had recommendations for all sorts of activities to do in the area. It wasn’t crazy busy when we were there, but we heard that that changes drastically in the summertime!
Location: Roberto Geis 355
Also recommended: Ecole, Hostel El Refugio
Related Posts: Playtime in Pucon, Parque Nacional Huerquehue
Puerto Varas
We stopped in Puerto Varas for one night between the farm & Chiloe. We stayed at Hostel Pistachio, just up the hill on the way out of town. For 16,000CLP ($22.80USD) per night, we got 2 beds in a 4 bed dorm. This hostel is fairly new, so a few key things were missing. Namely, blankets! A thin sheet and a light duvet does not make for a warm bed (in a room with no insulation!). The kitchen was fairly small with limited counter space, but the eating & lounging area were decent.
Location: Del Salvador 581
Also recommended: Casa Margouya, Casa Azul
Chiloe
Chiloe in the winter months isn’t exactly teeming with tourists. For this reason, Mac & I considered ourselves fairly lucky to have found accommodation. We stayed at a hostel in Dalcahue (a 30 min bus ride from the capital city of Castro) called Hostal Lanita.We forked over 20,000CLP ($28.30USD) for a private room with shared bathroom. This was another place where the wood stoves used for heating were fairly inefficient – we were quite cold going to bed and waking up in the morning! It also didn’t help that the hot water heater wasn’t super powerful. I had my fair share of cold showers in Central America, but it was over 30C there… it’s definitely not the same experience at 12C!! Aside from that, this place wasn’t too terrible. The kitchen was large & there was a huge dining table too. Both were conveniently located near the second wood stove which made the room nice & toasty.
Location: O’Higgins 50, Dalcahue
Also Recommended: Though we didn’t stay in Ancud (the biggest city in the north part of Chiloe), we stopped briefly to check out 13 Lunas. If we had more time (and if there were other travellers there!) we definitely would have considered staying there.
Related Posts:Hiking Chiloe National Park & More
Valdivia
We were happy to have found Aires Buenos in Valdivia. This hostel is founded on the permaculture principle which we had learned so much about on Lago Rupanco. We stayed in a 4 bed dorm room for 19,000CLP ($27USD) per night. The kitchen was located outside right next to the garden (with a friendly resident duck!). Breakfast was included (bread & jam, with a yogurt & fruit dish too).
Location: Garcia Reyes 550
Related Posts: Forts, Mazes & Beer.
Santiago
We stayed at two different hostels in Santiago. Our first was at Hostelling International’s venture in Santiago – Hostel Cienfuegos. The 6 bed dorm was pretty standard (17000CLP – $27USD), and the eating & lounging areas were huge. The kitchen was also quite large but didn’t have a fridge for guest use. The gas stove was also a bit temperamental.
The second hostel we stayed in was called La Casa Roja. Housed in a huge converted hotel/mansion, this place was oozing with historic flair. Insanely high ceilings and ornately carved wood trim made for a really neat feeling throughout the hostel. The kitchen was HUGE, and there was a large backyard complete with a pool, climbing wall, large grassed area etc. La Casa Roja also has a bar for its guests, serving up pints of Chile’s finest beers. Our 10 bed dorm was 16,000CLP a night ($22.80USD).
Location: Hostelling International – Cienfuegos 151
La Casa Roja – Agustinas 2113, Barrio Brasil
Also recommended: Hostel Happy House, Hostel Princesa Insolente
Related Posts:Santiago Shake Ups
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