20 Feb2012
Where to stay in Puerto Madryn – Hi Patagonia Hostel
When I decided to go to see the cute penguins in Punta Tombo and to get closer to more animals in Peninsula Valdes, I chose Hi Patagonia Hostel as my base for a couple of days while taking a ride through Chubut province.
Hi Patagonia Hostel is situated in Puerto Madryn town, in between Punta Tombo and peninsula Valdes so if you decide to visit both places like I did, it is the best place to stay overnight and then do the day tours.
What I liked about Hi Patagonia Hostel:
- Its location. Situated on one of the main streets Avenida Roca 1040, in the commercial area of the town you have it close walking anywhere in the town of Puerto Madryn. It’s just 2 minutes to get to the beach where from June to October you can literally hear the whales from the garden of the hostel. Hi Patagonia is just 5 minutes to the closest pizza/empanadas Halloween, and 10 minutes to the bank.
- It is easy to find the hostel when walking from the bus station, and it is not that far, some 30 minutes walking.
- Nice helpful and always smiling staff. Gaston, the owner of the hostel, is there to help you with all your needs. He can arrange tours for you, bus or plane tickets or other hostels bookings within minutes. And if you arrange a tour there, the bus will pick you up outside the hostel in the morning. Then Nacho, the guy working in the afternoons at the reception, is one of the best to have a good conversation with.
- You can book a bed/room online via email and 100% you will get an answer very quickly to confirm it. And then you will be welcome with a glass of water or a cup of coffee/tea, which I really enjoyed.
- Breakfast included from7.30 am to 9.30 am. Food for me is one of the most important things in life so if I stay in a hotel/hostel, I really appreciate to have breakfast there and not to think in the morning where to buy food. And the breakfast in Hi Patagonia Hostel was delicious! I loved different kinds of bread, with the cereal one being my favorite. And One of the marmalades, the one of dark colour, was so yummy! And of course, cereals with milk and a cup of tea!
tasty breakfast
milk, coffee and tea for breakfast
cereals and bread with marmalade
bread and cookies
- Clean big bathrooms, with nice sinks. And with all the things you need to clean and dry it all up after you use a shower so other people do not kill themselves there.
- The hostel is a vivid place full of life. There is a garden behind where guys pass the time eating and enjoying the daylight, or just surfing internet and then at night, at the same place enjoying drinks at the garden bar there. The atmosphere is super friendly, like at home, with the travelers singing, playing the guitar and just having a blast!
garden bar during the day
- Hi Patagonia is mostly famous for its BBQ’s. A couple of times per week, I think usually every second night, there is a big BBQ in the kitchen, the traditional Argentine asado with tasty vegetable salads. It is for 50 pesos and you can eat until it’s all gone :D Many people staying in the hostel prefer this kind of dinner, first, it is very typical all around Argentina and it’s always interesting to try traditional food, and second, the family atmosphere with everyone seated behind one table is something you don’t get very often when traveling. And then it is a great opportunity to meet new interesting people who could probably become your new travel buddies.
enjoying the BBQ
BBQ in Hi Patagonia Hostel
- Wifi all over the hostel, working pretty good. Another important thing, especially if you work online like i do ;)
- Room service every day. I just like clean places, that is all.
- You get linen and towels. Good to get a towel in case you carry only one and it needs to be washed!
- Toilet paper in the bathroom. Always! Not all the hostels have it.
- Hot water. I love hot showers, especially after visitin Asia where they were not common!
- There is a climbing wall in case you happen to visit all the nice places around and you would love to try some adventure inside
the climbing wall
- Your money can be exchanged in the hostel, if necessary.
- Bike rentals, sandboard rentals or even renting a car is possible in the hostel so no need to going far.
- Laundry service is also available which is a very useful thing when staying all the time just in the hostels.
- In the garden, there is a cedron tree and you can have a cup of tea from fresh cedron leaves, it smells like lemon and it’s very tasty (it was thet time I tasted it.)
cedron tree in garden of Hi Patagonia Hostel
- There are two kitchens, one is downstairs where your breakfast is served, the other one (with BBQ’s) is where you can cook any time you wish. A fridge and all other equipments needed for cooking, together with the cutlery are for your disposition in there.
- The rooms have individual lockers (a locker for each bed). If you have your own lock, it is the most you can do to protect your stuff when outside, just to be sure that it is safe.
one of the dorms
- There are a lot of maps, leaflets and other information about other towns in Argentina and hostels so you can plan your future trips easily.
- There are European plug adapters all over the hostel instead of the traditional Argentine ones. Easier for us, the Europeans so no need to bring one (not the UK ones.)
both European and North-American plug adapters in Hi Patagonia Hostel
It looks like I was not the only one who liked Hi Patagonia Hostel. The hostel won both the Best Hostel in Argentina in 2008 and Hostel No. 1 in Latin America in 2008 and Best Staff Award in February 2011 by Hostelworld.
My stay was a press stay. All the thoughts in this post are my own as usual. For more information, please check out Hi Patagonia website.
