This was published 15 years ago
La Chimba Hostel, Chile review: And the Hoscar goes to ...
Steve McKenna discovers a cosy Chilean pad that offers a perfect antidote to serious jet lag.
WHAT La Chimba Hostel.
WHERE Santiago, Chile.
HOW MUCH Dorms: $20, doubles: $50.
WHY GO South America may be a dream travel destination for many Australians but the vagaries of international time zones make flying across the Pacific Ocean more of a trauma than a treat.
I left Sydney at 7.30am on Tuesday and, after a five-hour stopover in Auckland and a further 11 hours in the air, I arrived in Santiago at 11.30am - on the same day.
Having not had a wink of sleep on the flight, my body clock was in tatters and as much as I yearned to be pampered in a luxurious boutique hotel, the Chilean capital is one the priciest cities in South America and my budget couldn't afford such a hit.
Fortunately, a friend had made the same hellish journey a few months earlier and had discovered an ideal - and cheerfully cheap - recovery spot.
La Chimba may be a hostel but it feels more like a home away from home. It's tucked away on a quiet tree-lined street in the bohemian enclave of Bellavista and, unless you have the exact address, you'll struggle to find it, as there isn't a sign marking it.
Bougainvillea spills over the top of a steel gate that shuts off the outside world but, once you're buzzed through, you'll be struck by how chilled out and friendly everything is.
The staff at La Chimba are a blend of bilingual Chileans in their 20s and 30s and an older generation, who mill around, carrying laundry, smiling a lot and greeting you with bubbly "holas".
A barbecue area and sun lounges fill the front patio and on the ground floor of the multi-storeyed old mansion is a living room with an easy ambience, coffee tables, comfy sofas, a giant television, a stack of DVDs and a shelf containing guidebooks and literature in both English and Spanish.
Staying in hostels is often hit and miss, not least because the beds are often about as sleep-friendly as economy class. La Chimba's dorms have bunks but they don't creak and the mattresses are wonderfully comfortable.
It's the same story in the private rooms upstairs. You'll find it easy catching up on some shut-eye here.
La Chimba's charms haven't gone unnoticed on the budget travelling scene. It was ranked best hostel in Latin America by the website HostelBookers.com in 2006 and the following year it came in at third place in the Hoscars, the Academy Awards of the hostel world.
FREE STUFF Breakfast is included in the price and includes unlimited tea, coffee and bread rolls and jam - plus a dabble of fruit and yoghurt. You can top up your caffeine needs throughout the day at no extra charge and the hostel is renowned for throwing the occasional free barbecue. Internet is free 24 hours a day. Although there's just one computer terminal, laptop owners have access to super-fast Wi-Fi.
ADDED BONUS Santiago is never going to win any prizes for being the continent's most exciting city and most people use it as a launch-pad to reach more exotic destinations. Its centre - all plazas, statues, fountains, churches, parks and pedestrianised streets - looks like it was copied from a Spanish city planner's handbook but La Chimba's neighbourhood, Barrio Bellavista, is the most diverse and interesting in town.
Its grid of streets are dotted with eye-catching pavement murals and Mediterranean-style terraces laced with technicolour graffiti. Many double as art galleries, as well as salsa and reggae bars, where you can dance the night away.
If you prefer a more relaxed evening, the main strip, Pio Nono,has alfresco cafes and restaurants, which come 9pm, are mostly filled with loquacious Chileans.
In case I needed any reminding that I'd arrived in South America, on my first night two figures - one no older than 11, the other about 20 - came bounding down the street with drums tied to their backs and cymbals attached to their ankles.
They began twisting round and round at a blinding speed and a cacophony of rhythmic beats filled the air. It was brilliant but dizzying to watch and I was happy that, a few blocks away, I had a nice, quiet place to rest my weary jet-lagged head.
DETAILS La Chimba Hostel, 236 Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue. See lachimba.com.
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