Origenes Hostel — Hotel in Santiago

Worst hostel in South America

Considering it’s price this is an absolute disgrace.

To start with we arrived in a meter taxi at 2am and the driver tried to scam us adding 9000 pesos to the 11000 fare - the hostel owner came out and supported the driver!

That was the last time we saw any member of staff in a 4 night stay until check out, there was no one on the ‘24h’ reception the entire time. We were locked in in the mornings and had to find the keys to get out, and left knocking on the door for 40 minutes locked out one night. Nothing was cleaned throughout our stay, two people left and there beds weren’t even made let alone cleaned 3 days later. Someone must have briefly come downstairs in the morning because the breakfast of 2 pieces of bread with butter, some water and a bit of cold egg was waiting on dirty crockery. Whenever we tried to contact the hostel by phone or email they either didn’t reply or came up with an excuse for the problem or there being no staff on site. (Including when we were locked out - the said the door bell was broken which we could hear ringing along with the phone ringing and our knocks on the door!!!!)

The whole place is freezing cold, colder than the outside air. No hot water in the showers at all, sometimes no hot water in the taps to clean pots which is disgusting. Kitchen is basic and I found a rat or very big mouse in one of the cupboards. Theres no one here staff or travellers so obviously no vibe. There’s nothing entertainment or comfort wise in the common areas just 2 old sofas. Toilet and bathroom aren’t clean. The bin next to the toilet was never emptied and smelt terrible - it is next to the sink where you would ideally want to brush your teeth. Walls are thin and the whole place is run down. There’s only 1 plug socket in the dorm which is annoying. No mirror over the sink it’s in a separate room which is also quite annoying and unusual. WiFi stops working sometimes. It isn’t even in a particularly good location it’s half an hour to the centre and 10 minutes walk to the nearest supermarket or met, no nearby banks. Beds would be comfy if it wasn’t so cold.

£9 a night for what ?!?! Awful. You couldn’t pay me to stay here...

I only spent one night here but I had a pleasant stay. The owner and other staff member from India are lovely guys, always keen to make sure you're comfortable. The location is decent - a few minutes from Cumming metro and a 20 minute walk from Plaza de Armas. There isn't a whole lot to do in Santiago, so having a nice play to stay was the main aim for me, and Origenes was a good choice. The place is colourful and spacious with lots of spots to relax, and feels very homely, with a quiet chilled atmosphere. The showers were very nice and there are small lockers in the common areas. ||||The reason I haven't rated this place higher is because although it's shabby-chic, some stuff could be improved. The WiFi was OK, a little erratic and doesn't really work in the dorms. The dorms themselves are large but the bunks (at least mine) were wobbly and unsturdy. There are only two toilets for the entire hostel, which wasn't ideal, and while the building is gorgeous (old and traditional with high ceilings and colourful comfy furniture throughout) it is crumbling in many places, everything wooden including doors and dorm floors groans and squeaks so you're constantly disturbing other people, and the breakfast is very basic, a small slice of cold omelette with 2 small bread slices and a small pot of chopped fruit which is left out and uncovered for hours until you're ready to eat. The morning I left, while using the toilet, the plumbing upstairs started to leak quite badly through onto the hostel bathroom floor.||||I would definitely return and I would very much recommend others to stay here, but don't expect perfection....

I'm from Germany and stayed at this hostel for two weeks and this were the best two weeks for me. The family-atmosphere invites you to spend the evenings in the courtyard with others, to cook together or to play darts. For breakfast there is a large selection, for vegetarians too. The rooms and bathroom are very clean. The hostel is very centrally located, so you can get everywhere quickly and easily. If you do not want to cook by yourself, the cafeteria offers a different menu every day. This is not included, but it tastes very delicious. I would recommend anyone to visit this hostel and I would go back...