Warm Salty B
Google
can't say enough good things about this place!||The hostel is conveniently located behind a secure locked gate in the Barrio Italia (a sector of Providencia) with lots of little cafes, clubs, restaurants and hidden gem spots within easy strolling distance. It's a super easy 10 minute walk to get to the Metro station (Santa Isabela) that will take you almost anywhere. (NOTE: you need to buy a metro card at the kiosk first and charge it with however much you think you'll need)||During the entire visit of 4 nights, we felt 100% safe, even at night in the area, but Ubers are not expensive in Santiago for the most part if you need to get to another part of town. (Tip: we had an amazing meal at a Korean/Gringo fusion restaurant called Pocha Bang Bang! I will be dreaming about their food until the next visit to Santiago)||At the hostel, we had a private room and it was clean and comfortable with a private bathroom and shower, which was great. There was a heater and extra blankets but we didn't really need them as it was late spring when we stayed there. I heard that the common rooms were lovely, but we didn't see them on this visit.||Breakfasts each day were more than ample with homemade pastries, delicious bread, jam, salami, ham, coffee, tea, eggs. They basically serve until everyone has eaten, even the late sleepers. Why go anywhere else? I have never been to a hostel that had such a generous feeling to it in every way.||The place itself is simple, but cozy, funky and comfortable and very, very cool. Like you were visiting a group of old friends that you just met. We loved that there is a large communal table outside under under a pergola covered in warm lighting and grape vines. In the evenings when everyone comes home from a long day of whatever, the fun really starts. We met so many great people, had interesting conversations with folks from around the world. We actually stayed "home" for our last two nights and cooked there just so we could enjoy the people and connections made. (the kitchen is available for cooking all day and it was fun how everyone kind of shared their food all together)||Spontaneous games, wine tastings, asados (bbqs for the uninitiated), dance classes, great conversations and fun galore can break out at any time as the hostel guests ebb and flow throughout the day and night. We just absolutely loved it!||I have to say, though, for all the great aspects of the hostel itself, the absolute BEST part of the experience was the owner, Ivan, who is a warm, welcoming, helpful super chill guy. He has the ability to just keep a steady cool vibe to the place at all times. He makes everyone, regardless of anything, feels welcome and at ease. That, for sure, is a superpower that not everyone has.||For us, this experience was ideal, especially considering how reasonable the price per night was and we won't ever stay anywhere else in Santiago! (we are from the US but live in Patagonia Chilena).||I wish we had taken pictures, but honestly, we were so in the moment, we hardly looked at our phones (which is saying a lot).
