Hostal Forestal

TODO MUY BIEN Y MUY AMABLES JUAN Y SU EQUIPO EN EL HOSTAL, ME SENTI EN CASA

Basic hostel in central Santiago - close to major sights. Only stayed one night. We walked up to Cerro San Cristobal then had a nice meal on the busy street on the way back to the hostel. We were advised not to go out walking after dark. Cars were being broken into along the street when we got up early in the morning to go to the airport. Very noisy at hostel at night - Pisco Sours were being served at 9pm & things got quite rowdy until curfew at midnight which meant we didn’t get much sleep. Decent breakfast which is impressive considering the price of a room. Room had enough room for opening luggage & also had its own bathroom.

The hostel has a great atmosphere and the staff are reallt friendly and nice. The activities they organised were very fun and helped me meet other people. Angie organised the beer pong, and was glad to take photos and videos, which is nice when you’re travelling solo. She was awesome. Would recommend wholeheartedly!

Pretty clean but slightly tired hostel. The reception staff were very helpful if you needed something. Not the most social of places but maybe that was just the vibe at the time! Nice location next to Forestal park and within walking distance to almost everything

What a great place! I would definitely stay here again. The hostal is centrally located, five minutes away from the subway and within walking distance of many attractions, shops, and restaurants. Transit is easy and inexpensive, so consider it as an option when visiting Santiago in addition to Uber. I had a sizeable private room with a comfortable bed and a washroom. The service was friendly and I had no problem leaving my luggage before check-in and after check-out. A modest breakfast was provided, though I only took advantage of the coffee and juice. On my first night I was invited to add my name to a sign-up sheet for tasting terremotos, the national drink of Chile. What a fun time! I enjoyed meeting other guests, who were visiting from around the country and across the world. If you happen to be staying on a Sunday, try checking out the changing of the guard in the morning at the Plaza de la Constitución (in front of the presidential palace, La Moneda); on your way back to the hotel, walk through the Lastarria neighbourhood and catch the open-air arts market.

This is a truly great hostel. The staff are friendly and helpful: Ivan, Juan, and Guillermo; and two of the guys played the guitar. A few times a week Juan would play his guitar and sing, and what a powerful voice he had. I could listen to him all day. The free breakfast provided every morning was excellent, and the atmosphere of the hostel was memorable. However, there was one person at the front desk (Scarlet) that was showing irrational behavior. In the beginning she was friendly and helpful, but then after a week, she turned dark and menacing towards me. She kept complaining that I changed my bed or dorm room, even when it was because of inappropriate behavior from another guest, and there were similar complaints from other guests. This morning she asked me if I "changed my room again?" I said everything is good. There are no problems. Then she said, "Okay, I will move you back to the room you were in last night." That seemed odd. I said, I did not ask you to. You do that without my permission. She responded, "I thought that is what you wanted." Again, strange. She didn't stop. After getting the email address of the manager, I went upstairs to write an email. Ten minutes later she came up to where I was sitting and continued to badger me. I said she was disrespecting me, and I asked her to stop. She left and then returned a few minutes later, saying that she talked with the manager and I must leave the hostel immediately. She said I was disrespecting her by feeling disrespected. That I was attacking her or mistreating her, but nothing specific was mentioned -- because it didn't happen. No one that she spoke with ever talked with me. Whatever she said behind my back, that person never even told me what I was being accused of, nor did they ask me any questions. Then she threatened me with the police. I was stunned. I asked to speak with the manager. She promised if I came to the reception desk, the manager would speak with me. When I came down, I was not allowed to speak with him. I continued to finish my email to the address provided, and then the police came. It did not matter what the truth was. They listened to her speak in Spanish and then said to me, it doesn't matter what happened. She asks you to leave so you must leave. I walked out and here I am writing this review. I had been there for a couple weeks and I got to know all the staff and they got to know me. They and a number of other guests who had been there a while could testify to my character. I have not heard back from the email I sent to the manager. It seems that whatever Scarlet said behind my back, was believed without question, even when there were guests present, witnesses. And there were video recordings from different angles. I have heard about this type of thing happening in the United States, but we are in Chile. How could a manager allow a guest to be thrown out by the police without ever asking the accused a single question. Is that the world we live in now?

Exactely what you hope for in a hostel! friendly staff

I loved the location and the staff was really nice. It’s close to a park and both fast food / restaurants.

So here are the little gripes I had about this hostel: 1) the sofa in the lobby is uncomfortable it's so bad, they could really change it 2) even from inside my bedroom, the door could only be locked and unlocked with the key. So not only is this inconvenient, it's not safe in case of emergency evacuation 3) they need 2 or 3 fridges, just one is not enough for the whole hostel Like I said, these are just minor points and I had a very pleasant stay. The staff isn't only polite, they talk to you like they're your actual friends. I would certainly go back.