Jace and I arrived in Puerto Natales with no hostel reservations and had planned to just walk around the city looking for a place with open beds. We met Carissa at the airport and she said she was hoping to stay at a hostel called Erratic Rock and that we could join her on the quest to find it. I had heard the name through my Google searches of places that rented equipment so we agreed and headed into town from the bus terminal. After a few wrong turns, we eventually found ourselves in the cozy living room of Erratic Rock. We were greeted immediately by Julie who said they had three beds open for us! We signed up for two nights and were given the grand tour.
Within the first few minutes of getting settled in we immediately agreed that this hostel had the most “homey” feeling we had experienced yet. I`m not sure if this was because almost everyone spoke English or that there was an attached pizza restaurant next door. But whatever it was we knew that the relatively pricey room rate ($20 usd per night) was well worth it. Also included in the price is an amazing free breakfast every morning, complete with homemade bread and omelets! Another great feature is that they put a lot of emphasis on catering to the people who are hiking at Torres Del Paine. Shower time is cut off in the morning so hikers can use the bathrooms and breakfast is served as early as 6:30 am. You are also able to rent all the gear you need right next door in the Erratic Rock rental shop.
Now let´s get back to the pizza… Since our arrival in Chile, we had struggled to find a meal worth writing home about. Hot dogs are by far the most popular street food and with our budget, that was about all we could afford. By the time we had reached Puerto Natales all I wanted was some nice comfort food. During the tour of the hostel, Julie mentioned that Base Camp (the restaurant next door) was an extension of the hostel and that we could order real “American” pizza there. I kid you not, my eyes practically filled with tears! We threw our stuff down, ran over to the restaurant, and promptly devoured two pizzas with our new buddy Carissa. Paul, the cook, makes one delicious pizza pie; complete with thin crust and yummy toppings of your choice for only $6,000 pesos (about $12 usd).
Aside from the pizza, rentals, and free breakfast, the hostel has many other awesome features. They have free towels and wifi, including a computer that has a slot for SD cards. They are also very conscious of the environment and enforce recycling and even have reusable grocery bags for use. Now all of this is really neat but the greatest part about Erratic Rock is the people who work there. You will usually find one of the two Julies (one French and one from Oregon) helping guests check-in and providing invaluable insight into the area. They also make a mean loaf of bread! Bill, one of the owners, also helps out with breakfast and is full of advice as well. He has a whole lot of charisma and his love for Patagonia is very clear. Bill, like Julie, is also from Oregon so there was no shortage of west coast representin´. Erratic Rock provides a pretty sweet opportunity to volunteer, so the building is also buzzing with loads of interesting people from across the world who share in the hostel´s passion.
So if you ever find yourself in Puerto Natales I can´t recommend Erratic Rock enough! They offer a free information session on hiking Torres Del Paine every afternoon at 3:00 pm, so even if you just swing by you won´t regret it. Pizza awaits you, my friends…. I know I will definitely be back!
Check out their website: www.erraticrock.com
The upstairs living area, complete with hunky dudes and a free computer.
The main entrance/living area downstairs…
Your eyes are not deceiving you, this is a massive VHS collection!
