Buenos Aires Hostel Reviews

I've stayed in 3 HI hostels in Buenos Aires:

All included a locked Luggage Storage room from which I've never had anything stolen, computers with internet (usually Windows 98 and functional enough to check email and facebook, pretty OK WiFi, included breakfast, and a kitchen.

Tango City Inn in San Telmo $10 USD a night (dorm price)
Piedras 680

The Gringa is in town! When my plane landed in Buenos Aires September 9, 2009, I slept a couple hours in the airport, then headed to my pre-booked hostel. Although check-in wasn't until 2pm, they let me go to an empty bed at 8 in the morning, where I face planted until a much more reasonable hour.



With adorable little rooms, lovely staff, and a downstairs chill-out area with a pool table, bar, and air conditioning, I quite enjoyed my stay here.

Although I love San Telmo, it wouldn't be my first choice as a place to live. But then again, I'm deeply in love with Palermo.

Tango Backpackers in Palermo (prices listed above) $13 USD a night (dorm price)
4601 Paraguay

Prices in a chart on my next blog

As I have been living in Tango Backpackers so long (there have been 3 managers), the review for this hostel is much more well-rounded, giving the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When I returned from Bolivia, I stayed with a friend for a little bit, but I wasn't really meeting people, so I moved into a hostel in Palermo. And I have been living here for 6 months now.

The staff here are awesome. If they seem a little tired, it's probably because some old lady named Grisella kept complaining about every tiny little detail. (GO TO A HOTEL!)

The hostel is made up of several connected buildings, and is twisty-cool. The lobby has couches and tables, a bar, and is a great place to meet people. There is an awesome rooftop terrace with chairs and tables. The downside to this hostel is that it's noisy. It's a little bit more of a party hostel, and the traffic is very... trafficy. I was a little overwhelmed on arrival (after having lived on the 12th floor of a nice apartment in relative silence), so after a week, I decided to move to the quieter hostel (Palermo Suites) 4 or 5 blocks away. But when they offered me the breakfast job at Tango Backpacker's, I came back. I've definitely gotten used to the noise.

The hostel is also under new management, and things are improving drastically.

The kitchen is on the roof, and a little bit grungy. It is getting more utensils/pots/pans, and is now much more cook-friendly, although I despised it for the longest time, as it only had one pot, and no knives. Arg.

Tiny problem: this hostel has has a couple cases of bed bugs. Nothing in the last month or so, though. And I only got a couple bites in... what was it... December? They left a happy face and a frowny face on my leg. But in the summer, it's either mosquitos or bed bugs. It's hard to escape being bitten here. (No mosquito diseases in this part of the continent!)

I met some awesome people here, including a group I ended up calling "my family," my two best friends, as well as my rock band.

The best part about this hostel (and Palermo Suites) is location. I. Love. Palermo. It's about 3 blocks from a subte (subway) station, and right by where about a gazillion busses stop, close to about 3 supermarkets, and there are restaurants/take out places galore. I'm going to dedicate a whole blog entry to Palermo, later on.

And the best thing of all: if you get up between 8-10am, I have breakfast waiting for you! And I give beginning tango lessons here in the hostel...

Palermo Suites in..., well... Palermo $13.50 USD a night (dorm price)
Charcas 4752

I stayed here a couple days. Quiet, clean, with a fairly decent kitchen. I probably would have stayed here if I hadn't scored the Tango Backpackers job. A little more subdued with smaller, separate common rooms for studying/reading. Also very close to another subte station, and lots of busses.

HOSTELS I KNOW ABOUT BUT DIDN'T STAY IN:

Millhouse - central downtown $12 USD a night (dorm price)
Hipolito Yrigoyen 959

I have heard that this hostel is basically "The Party Hostel," and it has been described as the hostel where the teenagers and early twenty-somethings come to get drunk or laid or both. People of this ilk recommend this hostel to their friends with a "You HAVE to stay here." I have no desire to visit, thank you.

Florida Suites - central downtown $11.50 a night (dorm price)
Florida 328

Although I haven't stayed here, I have visited, and seen the facilities. I was impressed. My "Traveling British Friend Emma" has said this is the best hostel she has stayed in in her life, including Europe. Centrally located on a pedestrian street full of shopping and restaurants, hostel has a large travel agency, a number of computers, lovely rooms, and feels very clean.

So - Non-HI Hostel Reviews (updated a bit after the rest of the post)

Pax Hostel

Salta 990, San Telmo.
http://www.paxhostel.com/

There's also a hostel called Pax that I've been to, but not slept in.
40 pesos ($10.50) a person for a dorm, 60 (15.75) for a private.

The kitchen blows, but the bar downstairs is really nice - very social, with bean bags and such.  The rooms are fairly decent as well, and it's right near the Independencia subte station.


OK

Well, I think that about does it. I'll update if I think of anything else. I would love to get reviews of other hostels in the B.A. area, if you've got any!

Hostelling International

THE HOSTELLING INTERNATIONAL CLUB:

hihostels.com
Kind of a plug, but only because they deserve it. (I'm not getting paid to advertise for them.)

Hostelling International is a sort of community of hostels that adhere to certain standards; they give discounts and benefits (such as a travel agencies) to their members. (Hooray!)

If you're going to be traveling in South America for an extended period of time and living in hostels, you will want the Hostelling International card. It pays for itself:

To get the Hostelling International card:
The card can be bought at any HI hostel when you arrive for 60 Argentine pesos. ($16 USD) Or if you like planning ahead, you can buy it online, and have it shipped to you. (Keep in mind, shipping times apply, so plan ahead!) Go here: http://www.hihostels.com/web/membership.en.htm
Of course, hostelling International over-advertises, and says there are a whole lot of great benefits, but in reality, it's mostly just cheaper hostel stays and event/tourist discounts. There are HI hostels all over South America.

They've had a free travel agency in all the HI hostels I've been in, and they have significant discounts on some bookings. (Keep in mind, the travel agents get a cut of the price. But the price is usually exactly the same price you would get elsewhere.) All in all, you get pretty darned good deals with the card, and the activities are pretty fun, too. (Pub crawls, full moon parties, tango shows, sky diving, etc.)
The free travel agency (free whether or not you have an HI card) can book HI hostels for you all over South America, bus/plane tickets, as well as activities/parties within the city. Again, you're getting quality (but touristy, naturally) activities at the same price you would be getting if you bought a ticket at the door, but there are probably cheaper options that can't afford to pay HI to advertise for them. The HI card can discount activities by 5-15%.

If you're traveling with a friend, you can most likely get away with buying one card for the both of you.

All the HI hostels I've stayed at (saving one in Bolivia sans hot water in the morning, but which gave me a lovely electrical shock when attempting to turn on the water heater) have been pretty darned decent. (Why anyone would put anything electric in a shower defies logic.

Each hostel has a different vibe, and you can check individual hostel benefits and pictures on the website.

Here is the current Tango Backpacker's HI Hostel Price Chart in Argentine Pesos (divide by 3.7 to get USD) - (Tango Backpackers is reviewed in my previous blog


......................Non-Memebers....HI Weekend....HI Weekday
DORM (4-6 beds).....49.....................43..................41
SINGLE .................110....................94..................90
DOUBLE.................170....................145...............141
TRIPLE...................225....................192...............189

The current promo is: Pay 4 nights, get the 5th free. (as of April/May 2010)

You can pay in pesos or USD. You get a better deal paying in Pesos, because they give you a lower exchange rates than exchanging money in the banks.

Because these hostels are often fully booked, I would recommend, especially during high season, (Sept/Oct until March/April), booking your hostel in advance online, and paying the teensy-tinsy fee, then paying in full when you get to reception. It's worth it to have a place to crash when you get into a new city. Also, if you're planning on staying in a nicer hostel for a while, make sure you've booked a bed at LEAST 3-4 nights in advance. A lot of people have forgotten to extend their stay, and then have had to move hostels, because their bed has been spoken for. When I was still paying to stay in the hostel I'm in, I would make sure my reservation stretched one week ahead of me.

HOSTEL REVIEWS:

I've stayed in 3 HI hostels in Buenos Aires:

All included a locked Luggage Storage room from which I've never had anything stolen, computers with internet (usually Windows 98 and functional enough to check email and facebook, pretty OK WiFi, included breakfast, and a kitchen.

Tango City Inn in San Telmo $10 USD a night (dorm price)
Piedras 680

The Gringa is in town! When my plane landed in Buenos Aires September 9, 2009, I slept a couple hours in the airport, then headed to my pre-booked hostel. Although check-in wasn't until 2pm, they let me go to an empty bed at 8 in the morning, where I face planted until a much more reasonable hour.



With adorable little rooms, lovely staff, and a downstairs chill-out area with a pool table, bar, and air conditioning, I quite enjoyed my stay here.

Although I love San Telmo, it wouldn't be my first choice as a place to live. But then again, I'm deeply in love with Palermo.

Tango Backpackers in Palermo (prices listed above) $13 USD a night (dorm price)
4601 Paraguay

As I have been living in Tango Backpackers so long (there have been 3 managers), the review for this hostel is much more well-rounded, giving the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When I returned from Bolivia, I stayed with a friend for a little bit, but I wasn't really meeting people, so I moved into a hostel in Palermo. And I have been living here for 6 months now.

The staff here are awesome. If they seem a little tired, it's probably because some old lady named Grisella kept complaining about every tiny little detail. (GO TO A HOTEL!)

The hostel is made up of several connected buildings, and is twisty-cool. The lobby has couches and tables, a bar, and is a great place to meet people. There is an awesome rooftop terrace with chairs and tables. The downside to this hostel is that it's noisy. It's a little bit more of a party hostel, and the traffic is very... trafficy. I was a little overwhelmed on arrival (after having lived on the 12th floor of a nice apartment in relative silence), so after a week, I decided to move to the quieter hostel (Palermo Suites) 4 or 5 blocks away. But when they offered me the breakfast job at Tango Backpacker's, I came back. I've definitely gotten used to the noise.

The hostel is also under new management, and things are improving drastically.

The kitchen is on the roof, and a little bit grungy. It is getting more utensils/pots/pans, and is now much more cook-friendly, although I despised it for the longest time, as it only had one pot, and no knives. Arg.

Tiny problem: this hostel has has a couple cases of bed bugs. Nothing in the last month or so, though. And I only got a couple bites in... what was it... December? They left a happy face and a frowny face on my leg. But in the summer, it's either mosquitos or bed bugs. It's hard to escape being bitten here. (No mosquito diseases in this part of the continent!)

I met some awesome people here, including a group I ended up calling "my family," my two best friends, as well as my rock band.

The best part about this hostel (and Palermo Suites) is location. I. Love. Palermo. It's about 3 blocks from a subte (subway) station, and right by where about a gazillion busses stop, close to about 3 supermarkets, and there are restaurants/take out places galore. I'm going to dedicate a whole blog entry to Palermo, later on.

And the best thing of all: if you get up between 8-10am, I have breakfast waiting for you! And I give beginning tango lessons here in the hostel...

Palermo Suites in..., well... Palermo $13.50 USD a night (dorm price)
Charcas 4752

I stayed here a couple days. Quiet, clean, with a fairly decent kitchen. I probably would have stayed here if I hadn't scored the Tango Backpackers job. A little more subdued with smaller, separate common rooms for studying/reading. Also very close to another subte station, and lots of busses.

HOSTELS I KNOW ABOUT BUT DIDN'T STAY IN:

Millhouse - central downtown $12 USD a night (dorm price)
Hipolito Yrigoyen 959

I have heard that this hostel is basically "The Party Hostel," and it has been described as the hostel where the teenagers and early twenty-somethings come to get drunk or laid or both. People of this ilk recommend this hostel to their friends with a "You HAVE to stay here." I have no desire to visit, thank you.

Florida Suites - central downtown $11.50 a night (dorm price)
Florida 328

Although I haven't stayed here, I have visited, and seen the facilities. I was impressed. My "Traveling British Friend Emma" has said this is the best hostel she has stayed in in her life, including Europe. Centrally located on a pedestrian street full of shopping and restaurants, hostel has a large travel agency, a number of computers, lovely rooms, and feels very clean.

OK

Well, I think that about does it. I'll update if I think of anything else. I would love to get reviews of other hostels in the B.A. area, if you've got any!

Hostel, Sweet Hostel: Tips & Etiquette

I have been the proud occupant of the loft above Room 36 in Tango Backpacker's for almost 6 solid months now. Rufus (the afro wig who lives atop my hatrack who wears aviators and a clown nose) scares the crazy cakes out of me every morning before my glasses make my face. (He often pretends to be a real boy.) My mediocre art adorns the walls, home-made pillow cases made from old t-shirts and a big blanket made out of two fuzzy fleece airplane blankets are tossed haphazardly on the bed, and several shelves made from wooden crates which people leave all over the roads here line the walls. Life is good, and it kind of feels like home, in a weird, friendly but hostelly way.

RUFUS


So here are some things I've learned about B.A. hostels from 6 months of living here (and general info from 2 or 3 more months wandering about South America.)

HOSTEL ETIQUETTE & COMMON...STUFF

"You may very well be well bred
Lots ot etiquette in your head" - "Peter Pan"

Be nice to the staff, and they will be nice to you. (Your mommy should have taught you this when you were three.)

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR - Do not complain about the crappiness of the coffee. If you feel you must, "politely suggest": leave a polite note, make a polite comment to the manager, or GO TO A HOTEL.

The way you lay claim to a bed in a room with several beds (if they aren't already assigned) is by putting something of yours on it. This is a pretty recognized "marking of the territory," if you will. You keep the same sheets until you are ready to check out, at which time you take the sheets off your bed, and take them to reception, and hand back the key. This is the way you say "I'm done!" And the cleaning lady knows which bed to make up for the next person, so that when they arrive, exhausted from a 24 hour bust trip from Iguazu, they don't have to be told their bed isn't ready.

You don't take other people's stuff. It's part of the "Backpacker's code." (It's also part of the "Great Code of Life," but I'm going to try to steer away from sweeping ethics.)

Don't leave your valuables in plain view. Lock them up. There is always someone who has no compunction about snagging that laptop you left on top of your bed.

Each bed generally has a locker assigned to it, which varies in size. Bring a fairly sizable, unique padlock with you so that yours doesn't look like the easiest to pick. Do not bring a combination lock. These can be picked. Halfway through my trip, I found out that the diary-lock I had bought in a crappy market could be opened by several independent sets of tiny keys I happened to have with me (i.e. the free locks/keys that come attached to your luggage. Luckily, I wasn't robbed. Because of a faulty lock, at least.)

When you store your food in the fridge, put it in opaque plastic bags, and PUT YOUR NAME AND THE DATE ON THEM. People eat food in fridges if it isn't labeled, because it becomes unclaimed "free game."

Wash your own dishes. You're a grownup. Unless someone specifically tells you otherwise.

Many hostels have a book-trading shelf. You turn in your old book, and get a new one. In Argentine hostels, it's free. In Bolivia, you often had to pay 5 bolivianos (around $1 USD) to trade a book.

Most hostels have a laundry service for an average of $10 ($3 USD) per grocery-sized bag. Some hostels charge per kilo. Don't bring laundry detergent, and don't buy it, because I haven't ever seen a self-service laundromat. You usually turn your laundry it into reception sometime before 11am and get it back sometime after 7:30pm. But not on weekends or holidays, so make sure time your clean undies count with your departures. There are also laundromats (lavandarias) all over the city, but they end up being a little more expensive because the hostels usually get a deal.

You can rent towels at reception for a pretty standard price of $5 pesos. (A little less than $2 USD)

Introduction to my Travel Blog about Buenos Aires and Beyond

OK, Blog. I think it's high time to write you.

As I've now decided to live in Buenos Aires, and now have what is called "experience" in certain circles, I've been getting more and more questions from friends and friends of friends about "what to do" in Buenos Aires: where to live, where to eat, where to tango, what to see...

So...

Instead of typing up the same email to a whole bunch of people, (this writer hates "copy paste" letters) I want to write a Very Useful Blog in which I can give an exhaustive account of what I have learned here, to save people the headache of looking for a diaspora of information.

This blog is intended to help travelers bound to South American (and specifically Buenos Aires) get information about the city of Buenos Aires, and more generally, South America. I've only been to South South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay. (Listed in both alphabetical order, and conveniently, in my order of favoriteness.)

Current Articles:
Hostels:
Hostel Reviews
Hostelling International
Hostel Tips & Etiquette

Visas/Shots

The agenda of future blog articles is:

Looking for an Apartment/House/Roomshare

What the heck I'm doing here, and why I'm staying

Food
Tango
Money, converting money, false money, and small money.
Tourist attractions in B.A.: what to see while you're here
....(ie. San Telmo Market, Museums, The Big Metal Flower, Bike Tour, Ricoletta Cemetery)
Working as a visaless ex-pat in BA
Party/night life
Castillano/Lunfando (Argentine Spanish and Argentine Slang)
Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires
Plugs, Phones, (how the #s work) Technologies, internet cafes, and Computers: what to bring, what to buy
Helpful Things to bring
Hints for living cheaply
Spanish schools: learn fast, cheap, and well.
Flights
Latin Men/Women
Transportation: The Subte, Busses, Taxis, and the Guia
Safety, security, theft, robbing of things
Medical Information
Couch Surfing, WOOFing
Helpful websites


And don't miss out on:
Bolivia
Uruguay
Chile
Argentina outside of Buenos Aires

I only really resolved to start this blog yesterday, so this list is only a beginning. To all my as-of-yet-non-existant readers: any suggestions as to what to add? Any pre-emptive questions?

A few disclaimers: I am putting up Google ads on my blog because I want to get a little cash out of this deal. In all honesty, I'm not expecting friends and family to keep up with this blog, because most of them probably won't come here. So, basically, I'm hoping to be useful, give free advice, and to have big companies pay me for being useful. If I link to amazon, I get a 15% of the proceeds. If you click on the adds, a dime in my pocket. Such is life. I hope the ads aren't too annoying.