After having got used to the Latin American customs guys telling you they’d prefer to give you a passport stamp for a permanent stay (with them that is) there are lots of other things I’ve gotten used to during my travels in Latin-America. Especially the hostels and the family homes, which happened to become more than just a place to stay for me. Many of them felt like home.

I always try to stay with local people, but a hostel works well too. I don’t go to those huge party hostels, because I prefer the more cozy ones. The smaller hostels. Here’s what I think about staying at these kind of places.

Con’s!

1. Arriving at night

I always seem to end up entering the room, which I share with about 10 other persons, as the last one in the middle of the night, meaning it’s all dark and everybody is asleep. I don’t want to brutally wake them all up, so sometimes I’ll have go to bed without brushing my teeth or taking the mascara of my eyes since my bag is out of reach and I can’t find the light switch. A hand will be there hanging above my bed since I might have the bottom bunk and most likely someone is also snoring – where the f* are my earplugs?

2. Flip-flops in the shower

Since hostels aren’t always the most hygienic places I always take a shower with my flip-flops on. Some places are really clean though, but after all, the showers are the places where you really want to enter with flip-flops. End of story!

3. Same story over and over again

So every time you enter a new hostel and meet new cool people you’ll always find yourself answering – and asking – these 5 questions:
1. Which country are you from?
2. Which places did you just visited?
3. Where are you going to now?
4. How long are you traveling for?
5. Are you traveling by yourself?
At the end of the conversation, if you’re lucky, the names will be given, though normal traveling people remind you by your country instead of your name. I’m lucky that my name is easy in Spanish and Portuguese, so the local people do remember my name, but really, can you remember all the names of the travelers you’ve met?

4. Lockers

You don’t know the people you’re sharing a room with, so you’re always hoping the hostel has a locker for you to store your valuable things in. I haven’t had any bad experiences so far with valuable items in the hostels (they did once take my clean socks and a hairdryer), but that’s also probably because I don’t stay in big party hostels. To me it just seems a bit annoying that you have to open and close your locker sometimes at least like 10 times a day whenever you need different things.

Pro’s!

1. Sharing food

Since I travel by myself I always find someone who’s cooking for their friends and invites me over to be the third or fourth enjoying their hostel home made meal. Sure saves me a lot money and definitely gives a good vibe while getting to know other traveling people.

2. Exchanging tips

There’s always someone during breakfast or whenever you’re around at the hostel who’d love to tell you about their recent travel experiences. It might come in handy, since you’ll probably go there too. That is if you haven’t just been there.

3. Cheap, cheaper, cheapest

Hostels always tend to ask fair prices for a night in a shared dorm. Prices can depend on if the dorms are mixed, how many people fit in to the hostel, if you want breakfast, and if you want to be close or farther away from the city center. I normally spend about 15 euros (max) per night in Latin-America.

4. Laundry service

Almost all the hostels have a laundry service, which is perfect since I don’t like to spend a lot of time on hand washing my clothes. The only bad thing is that clothes might get hung up somewhere to dry and someone else could take your socks. True story. My precious clean white socks 🙁

5. Jamming

In the evenings hostels can get pretty cozy, especially if they have an outside patio. I spent many nights sitting in a hostel with people I just met, having a beer, playing guitar and singing Kumbayah!

List of recommendations on where to stay in Latin-America

Argentina

• Buenos Aires
  Hostel Kilca – The best place in town if you ask me. It’s small and cozy, but still big enough for even a nice party. There’s a swimmingpool and a bunch of hammocks to relax in.
• Bariloche
  Casa de familia, Amapola – Amazingly nice people. It’s as if you’re at home. He speaks English and she speaks Spanish, so it will be a good language practice 🙂
• El Bolsón
  Hostel Joy – The owners are kind of weird, but friendly though. It’s a hippie town and it’s the place to be during your visit.
• El Calafate
  Hostel Nakel Yenu – I L-O-V-E-D this place. Go there, definitely!
• Mendoza
  Hostel Casa Pueblo – A hostel with nice staff and it’s pretty cozy too!
• Salta
  Hostel El Argentino – Very quiet hostel, but comfortable.

Chile

• Puerto Natales
  Hostel Paulette – Very sweet lady owns this hostel. She can do your laundry for a very cheap price and you can leave your belongings with her if you’re planning on doing the Torres del Paine trek.
• Puerto Varas
  Hostel Casa Azul – Close by the city center and what’s quite handy is that around the corner you’ll find the Alsur rafting company.

Brazil

• Rio de Janeiro
  Apartment of Ana Maria in Laranjeiras  – (through Airbnb) Really good price during the carnaval period.
  Hostel Copacabana4U – Very close to the Copacabana beach and right next to the Metro station. Amazingly clean hostel with fantastic bathrooms and good beds.
• Ilha Grande
  Pousada encanto de estrelas  – Good location and most of all lovely staff. Say hi for me to Tatiana!
• Buziós
  Pousada Mallorca – Very nice owner (Venicius) and good vibe. The beach is located at 500 meters from the pousada.
• Campo Grande
  Hotel Nacional – Very cheap to stay and a great breakfast. Good for location to start your Pantanal trip!
• Bonito
  Catarino’s Guesthouse – Great service and nice private rooms. The best breakfast in town!

Panama

• Bocas del Torro
  Mar e Iguana Hostel – read my review 🙂

Costa Rica

• Uvita
  La Cusinga Eco Lodge – Lovely place to stay in the middle of the Costa Rican jungle to wake up by the sound of Howler monkeys.
• Corcovado
  Corcovado Tent Camp – Glamping at the beach.
• Puerto Viejo
  The lazy loft – A hostel right above the best club in town. Get’s a bit loud at night if you want to go to sleep on time, but has a great location and they rent out bikes.
• Tortuguero
  Hotel Cabinas Icaco – Private rooms for a cheap price. Located at the beach.

Nicaragua

• San Juan del Sur
  Hostel Casa de Oro – Great price, good location and relax vibe. Free breakfast!
• Laguna Apoyo
  The Monkey Hut – Beautiful!
• Granada
  Hostel San Jorge – Close to the central market. Don’t walk around there at night though, get a taxi.
• Leon
  BigFoot hostel – for the party people the BigFoot hostel in the center is great, but if you’re there to surf stay at the relaxed beach hostel of BigFoot where they also have a pool!
• Isla de Ometepe
  Little Morgans – Really cool buildings made out of wood near the beach. Many pets walk and fly around, so if you like the farm/home experience this is great!

Honduras

• La Ceiba (harbor to Utila)
  El Estadio – Very friendly owners who have a simple hotel with good WiFi.
• Utila
  Parrots Dive Center apartments – A lot of choice in apartments (for free with a course and some against payment).
• Copan
  Don Udo’s – Very cheap and giving you the feeling you’re staying with a local family at their own place. Oh, and big beds!

Guatemala

• Antigua
  Holistico Hostal – A cozy place with a great breakfast.
• San Pedro de Laguna / Lake Atitlán
  Mikaso Hotel – A view on the lake, free hot tubs, pool tables and simply the most beautiful place to stay at on lake Atitlán!
• Lanquin / Semuc Champey
  El Retiro Lodge – After a bumpy ride through the jungle of Lanquin you arrive at the Retiro lodge where you can enjoy the nature around you but also choose to party at the local bar. The private apartments are great!
• Flores
  Los Amigos – owned by really friendly Dutch people!

Mexico

• Palenque
  Hotel Naj Kin – very simple, but cheap!
• San Cristóbal de las Casas
  Hotel Casa Mia – a comfortable place in the heart of San Cristóbal.
• Huatulco
  Azul y Blanco – The most friendly staff and comfortable rooms. In the center of Huatulco close to the taxi stand. Cute dog greeting you in the lobby and a good kitchen to use.
• Oaxaca
  Hotel Oaxaca Mágico – Not too far away from the main square and simple rooms. Not the most cheap rooms, but very comfortable and nice breakfast.
• Puerto Escondido
  Zicatela Bungalows – The most relaxed place to stay at near the beach. This accommodation provides lovely little bungalows with a swimmingpool infront of your front door! The beach is only 500 meters away and the local restaurant is great.
• Tulum
  Los Mapaches – a simple, yet beautiful lodge with jungle houses made out of wood. Free bike rental and amazing breakfast!
• Playa del Carmen
  Casa de los Sueños – a gorgeous home in the calmer sidestreets yet near the Quinta Avenida. Kitchen en pool included 🙂

I’ve been adding names to this list during my travels in Latin-America. If you have any pro’s or con’s for hostel experiences please do share them here 🙂

Ah yes, one more tip. If you love staying in cozy houses of local people then check out airbnb.com
It’s a pretty new concept, but it allows you to spend some days with the locals and it’s not expensive at all. You can find hostels on the Airbnb website too by the way, but family homes there are by far the best!

About Renate Rigters

Ever since I left my home country I felt at home at any other place I went to. I enjoy getting to know more cultures by talking to strangers and hearing their philosophy about life. Speaking with gestures when you can not find a shared language, finding places only the locals go to and learn about their customs and values. Hanging out with local people makes me happy. The experience of every new place is a step out of your comfort zone where I like to wander around until it feels like a second home.

• Mail
|
• Web
|
• Twitter
|
• Facebook
|
• More Posts(369)