Hostal Alto Yali

The rooms were average, which seemed fair for the price, but I don’t understand the high Booking.com rating because the service was terrible and the rules were frustrating. Check-in before 2 p.m. wasn’t allowed. I’d messaged ahead about the time and got a reply saying they could help us, but when we arrived they still wouldn’t let us in early. Our room got very cold at night and there were no heaters. The bathroom’s hot water tap wasn’t working when we arrived, though they did fix it. They refused to give us extra towels. Breakfast cost $14, but came with very little egg and avocado, and they wouldn’t provide more even if we paid for it.

After three days in Uyuni and tours around the desert, we really needed a quiet place with comfortable beds and a hot shower, and this hostel gave us a good place to rest. The staff were kind and helpful, and breakfast was good. It’s a short walk from the center, with a French place nearby for croissants or baguettes if you’re too tired to go to a restaurant. There’s also a fence for the hot afternoons. They’ll store your luggage if you arrive early or need to stay after checkout, and you can shower and relax in the common areas. For tours that leave before breakfast, they provide a snack for the road. One payment detail caught me out: they accept only Chilean pesos, even though Booking showed dollars and they quoted a dollar price. They charged the higher rate for that day. I expected my reservation to lock in the price, but instead of the $332 shown, I paid $342, which was $10 more.

The owners were so kind and helpful. I’d definitely recommend the place.

Really good value for what it costs.