(H)otels, (H)ostals, and (H)ospedajes

I mostly try to camp, in my van, why I spent thousands to ship my van to South America, and deal with the total insanity that was Peruvian customs, etc. But, there are times when I need to upgrade a bit, especially when I need WiFi, or maybe a hot shower, or just need to be in a city to take care of certain "business". So then the confusion began, hotels, hostals, and hospedajes, what the heck is the difference? And around Santiago, Chile, you can throw in motels as well. Ok, I realize that you seasoned travelers know there is a clear difference, but what about the rest of us? Once I really got on the road, used MAPSME, GoogleMaps and iOverlander to point me in the right direction, and then I quickly learned that these different types of accommodations are just that, different.

First, hotels in Peru and Chile are pretty much like hotels around the world, though obviously you do get what you pay for, 5-star hotels will cost you, whether in Cusco, or Paris, France, but they are nice, very nice. Here in South America, hotels have private bathrooms, WiFi in the room, TV, always hot water, and breakfast is included. And like in the USA, the "free" breakfast can vary, from great, to something you might expect in a Days Inn in West Virginia, USA. Hotels are always more expensive that hostals and hospedajes, but sometimes convenient WiFi and a hot shower is nice. Hostals, they are all over the place, from dirt-bag, backpacker dives (though obviously most backpackers are NOT dirt-bags), to wonderful places which if not for shared bathrooms for some rooms, these would definitely fit into the class of a hotel. For example, I stayed in Hostal El Nevado in Coyhaique, a fanstatic room, large, two windows, and did have to share a bathroom, but shared only with one other room in the hostal, and there were people in that room only one of the nights I stayed there. So yeah, biggest difference between a nice hostal and a hotel is that hostals have some rooms, if not all, with shared bathrooms. And in many hostals, especially those which cater to the bikers and backpackers, even sleeping quarters are shared, some have basically large dorm rooms, sleeping up to eight people or more. I have slept in a number of hostals, a couple, like El Nevado, were great, but, I am not a fan of sleeping in a room with a bunch of complete strangers. I do not mind sharing a bathroom, do that at every official campground where I have stayed, no big deal, but just not keen on sleeping in a big room with a bunch of other folks, however nice. I must also mention that one cool thing about some hostals is that I can park in their courtyard (or just yard or basically a field at times), sleep in my van, but use their facilities like bathrooms and WiFi. This is what I did all three nights while I was in San Pedro de Atacama in Peru. This can work great, and sometimes, you even pay less than those travelers staying in a room. And finally, there are these places called hospedajes, and they vary a lot as well. In big cities like Lima, Peru, you can rent a room in a hospedaje by the hour, are basically "flop-houses", frequented by highly questionable clientele. I did not stay in any of these places. What I discovered is that most of these places are pretty much dives, but are cheap, and if you just need a place to crash after a long day of traveling, guess they work. But I would much rather sleep in my van than stay in these places, Hospedaje Gaby in Aguas Calientes, Peru, was a dump, had to beg for toilet paper and a towel, and floor was not ever really clean. I think I slept with my cloths on, did not even trust the sheets. I generally avoided these places, so sometimes they are fine. I stayed at Hospedaje Dona Ruth in Villa Manihuales, on my way to Coyhaique, Chile, and it was fine. The room was tiny, the mattress sucked, but place was pretty clean, there was hot water, and WiFi. Plus, they served food, and it was a long day of driving, so it was nice to get a hot shower, and have something to eat, no menu, just what they were serving that day. I enjoyed it, so sometimes, hospedajes are not all bad, just not preferred. If you have the cash, usually you cannot go wrong with hotels, and hostals can be just great. The nice hostals have common areas like the kitchen, or just a common room where WiFi available, great place to meet other travelers. I avoid hospedajes, unless I look at the rooms first, and have no choice, definitely prefer camping to staying in these places, they can be real dives.

So when you travel in South America, you have many options of places to stay. I prefer to camp in my van, even wild camp where you just park somewhere, hopefully with a great view. But for those times when a hot shower and great WiFi are important, just check out your travel app, look around, and do not be afraid to negotiate, I often got a better rate than advertised, just asked for it. Happy travels! 

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