I hardly ever write straightforward “reviews” on this here blog of mine. Why? Simply put, I don’t write “reviews” because I don’t think they’re enjoyable for my readers or effective for companies. As an active blog reader myself, I find straightforward reviews pretty boring. If I wanted to read solely about how lovely or terrible someone’s experience was at a certain place, I’d hop right on over to Tripadvisor and do it there. My blog is not a reviewing platform and so I don’t like to write your typical “I liked this, hated that” review posts.
Still, if I have a worthwhile, unique experience somewhere I go, as a travel blogger, I feel like it’s my obligation to write about it and share.
So today, I’ll be telling you all about my experience at Nómada Eco Hostel in Valparaíso, Chile.
Unfortunately, I’ve never been an overly eco-conscious human. That’s not to say that I litter or don’t show concern for the environment, but I’ve just never really gone out of my way to make changes or take action, if you know what I mean. I recycle when it’s convenient and make eco-friendly choices when they’re available. But lately something about the lack of eco-consciousness among the general population in Chile actually infuriates me.
When I go to the supermarket with my reusable shopping bags and give them to the bagger, my groceries are first placed in plastic bags (only one or two items per huge bag) and then placed in the cloth bag. Before I even have a chance to ask them not to …
Oh yeah, and I can’t even recycle in my own apartment building in Santiago. Yeah that’s right, I’ve tried. I’ve asked the staff and I’ve even looked for recycling bins outside of my building on the street. My Chilean roommate actually laughed, brushed it off and said something along the lines of, “You have to give up. It’s not going to happen.”
Well, okay then ………
So I looked into it, and found that the closest recycling center to my house is over a mile away. I also found shocking facts like in 2010-2011 “96% of total collected municipal solid waste was deposited in landfills, and only 4% was recovered or recycled.” Apparently now they’re in the process of working on this…
Yes, I realize that us Americans also have a long way to go when it comes to recycling and being environmently friendly. We are FAR from perfect. What made me more conscious of these things was living in Europe for the past two years where they’ve really done a good job at making eco-conscious decisions simple, available and all and all pretty unavoidable. In Europe it was extremely easy to form recycling and reusing habits favorable to the environment.
Okay, but enough with my rant, let’s get to how Nomada Eco Hostel in Valparaíso fits into all this shall we?
First of all, I’m going to be upfront with you, Nomada Eco Hostel is not in the BEST location. Now, I’m not saying it’s dangerous or in a “bad location,” I’m just saying there’s better. This hostel is located about a 10-15 minute walk from the touristy center of Valparaíso AKA where you’re going to be spending most of your time.
So, then, why did I decide to stay here? I’ll tell you why. Because compared to my excessively polluted, lack of recycling life here in smoggy Santiago, Nomada Eco Hostel was a breath of fresh air. Quite literally.
Nomada Eco Hostel prides itself on two ideals- support for local culture and environmental sustainability. The owner of the hostel, Daniela Badilla, spent some time in Berlin, Germany (like I said before, GO EUROPE) and returned to Chile with a better understanding of the simple ways we can work to protect our environment. She adopted these habits, such as processes like separating waste and recycling, at her hostel, hoping to promote and encourage sustainable circumstances and environmentally friendly action.
Well, all of Daniela’s new methods seem to be working. Just earlier this year, the Chilean Government and National Tourism board awarded Nomada Eco Hostel as the first hostel in all of Valparaíso to obtain the “Seal of Sustainability.”
So, how exactly is Nomada Eco Hostel Eco-friendly?
- They separate waste by material such as aluminum, paper, plastic and glassware. In their kitchen they even have a small compost box for organic waste.
- The hot water in the showers and sinks throughout the hostel are powered by solar panels, reducing the use of electricity (and yes surprisingly, the water was consistently hot!)
- Most of the furniture in the hostel as well as the outdoor wooden terrace were made from recycled materials
- Outside on the terrace you will find a small organic garden where you can pick fresh herbs for cooking use.
- All of the lights in the hostel are equipped with LED bulbs.
- They offer alternative and eco-friendly local products for sale in their small souvenir shop.
Beyond their Eco-friendly practices, there are many other reasons to stay at Nomada Eco Hostel. The eclectic hostel staff are super outgoing, friendly and most live right in the building, meaning they are always around. Each night they organized different activities and offered to bring out the hostel guests to show them a local’s take on Valparaíso. One night they brought my group of friends to a small salsa club and did their best to teach us how to dance.
The hostel is open and bright with intimate sitting areas, creating a great social atmosphere. There is an outdoor terrace, equipped with grill, and during my time staying there another guest actually organized a group “Asado” or Barbecue. Everyone sat outside together jollily drinking wine, sharing stories and helping in the cooking process.
The showers were hot, the bathrooms were clean, and the rooms were spacious and homey. Overall, Nomada was an awesome and refreshing place to stay while visiting Valaparíso.
Information about Nomada Eco Hostel
- Location: Av. Brasil 1822 in Valparaíso, Chile
- Rooms: The hostel is on the smaller side with a capacity of 27. There are many different types of rooms available from private double to a 10-person dorm.
- For more information on Nomada Eco Hostel and their innovative initiatives check out their website and Facebook page.
- You can book your stay at Nomada Eco Hostel here.
Welcome to my AWESOME Accommodation Series, where I feature exceptional accommodation from my travels around the world. In this series I’ll highlight unique and memorable lodging that made a significant difference in my travels! As a traveler on a pretty tight budget, I’m a big fan a big fan youth hostels and alternative accommodation like AirBnB! Click here to see where else I’ve stayed!
Is finding environmentally friendly accommodation important to you when traveling? Tell me in the comments below!
Thinking of traveling to Valparaíso, Chile? Pin this post and save it for later!
Disclaimer: I received a free stay at Nomada Eco Hostel for purposes of this post. Still, as always, all opinions expressed are my own. I would only recommend something that I genuinely felt would benefit my readers.
This post contains affiliate links.
Welcome to Wanderful Wednesdays!
Consider yourself a wanderer?! Well then, this Blog Hop is for you!
Meet your hosts: Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This and Marcella of What a Wonderful World.
Here on Wanderful Wednesday we hope to promote an open and supportive community for like-minded bloggers- expats, travelers and all kinds of wanderers!
The linkup will take place every Wednesday at 8AM GMT.
Wanderful Wednesday Guidelines:
- Link up a wanderful travel related post below! One per blogger per week please!
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This week I’m highlighting Time Warp Lisbon by Different Shores! I absolutely loved Lisbon exactly for the reason that it’s not a cookie cutter European city. These old fashioned pictures brought me right back to Lisbon’s quaint cobblestone streets and vintage neighborhoods! If you haven’t already, be sure to go check out this post and spread the love! Thanks for linking up with us!
**Wanderful Wednesday Announcement- Facebook Group- add to our community with open conversations. If you would like to be added message me on my Facebook – Lauren Bonheim or Lauren on Location and I will add you 😀 .. Been having a hard time finding everyone by name on Facebook..
I love the idea of Eco accommodation. We do try to recycle etc and I honestly think ideas like this hostel has are the way of the future. I might even sacrifice in location for it!
That’s the spirit Mandy! Planet Earth is not suffering by global warming. The human civilizatoin is suffering by it. The planet is about 7 billion years old. Addapting to those new circumstances – created by ourselves since Industrial Revolution – is a reality and it will be our new normal. Besides, it is so much better to live with fresh air and fewer wastes than midst pollution and consumerism
This really sounds like a fantastic hostel, Lauren, and would come top of my list when considering where to stay in Santiago. I’m really shocked to hear about the lack of recycling in Santiago. In the UK we’re not as impressive as Germany for example but it’s second nature for most people these days. #WanderfulWednesday
Hi Clare, thank’s for considering us in your next trip to South America, however we are in Valparaíso, not in Santiago haha. Still, we can suggest nice place at the capital city. See you in this crazy little planet!
that’s a cool hostel. I have to say when I book a hotel I don’t usually think of eco-side of it. I try my best at time with recycling and reusing though
Thanks Tanja. We think this is an unstoppable trend. More than a business decision, it is a necessity.
I get so frustrated by the amount of people who don’t recycle here in the states, but then I remember when I was in Southeast asia and how bad it was there. I remember being in Phnom Penh and the streets were literally full of trash. it smelled so bad and it made me so sad. I asked someone about why all the trash was just laying in the streets and they said they have a trash system, but it’s very unreliable. AKA-comes whenever it wants, which is not often. ugh. it’s one of those things we take for granted here in the US because we’ve just always had it. Anyways, it’s great to hear that this place is doing its part to be eco-friendly. it always has to start somewhere!
Come to visit us Carrie. Valparaíso has itself a problem with its wastes and recycling is not mainstream here…yet! We hope we can contribute to make it more common in our community and hopefully in the entire Chile. If we – a small company – could reduce our carbon footprint by 50%, why does big corporations or the government can’t make it as well?
Such a great place to stay! The Jumbo we go to has the option of bag packers or not so we can luckily pack our own bags in our cloth ones! I am so sad that I can’t recycle too 🙁
Maybe a way to get it started is petitioning local authorities in your district or creating awareness among your neighbours and friends!
I sometimes feel guilty for not being a better eco-friendly tourist. I do think about it and have thought about looking more into it and how we can travel better. Since living in Germany though, I have gotten better because they are realllly conscious here about waste and I carry an extra plastic bag or two in my purse for the moment I might have forgotten my shopping bag. #WanderfulWednesday
We provide eco-bags for our guests my dear! Stay with us when you visit Valparaíso. Plastic bags are one of the main problems of today’s society. 🙁
I love the idea of an ecofriendly hotel! And I totally get your frustration! If I had to live under similiar levels of smog, I would try to change people’s behaviour too! Must be so annoying that so few people seem to take recycling seriously in Chile!
It’s true Van. There is a kinda of fun fact about Santiago’s smog: recently the local governor blamed the habitants, who supposedly were cooking too many barbecues…If you have wrong assumptions it will be hard to solve the problem. We at Nómada consider that recycling is an effective way to curb the wastes problem, by reducing the demand for new landfills.
I see why the owner went to Europe to learn about sustainable practices. I came back from an European trip and was surprised about some things I saw. You do not see a paper towels in restrooms. Thrash is disposed in the correct bin (paper, aluminium, etc.). In Vienna, there are fountains all over the city so you do not have to keep buying additional bottles. I am glad some of those initiatives are being implement in Chile.
Thanks Ruth! You are more than welcomed to get to know in first hand this experience. Come to Valparaíso. It will be a pleasure to have you here as a guest. 🙂
Thank you Lauren for the Linkup! Your stay in Chile looks beautiful and so colorful.
That’s such a creative way to raise awareness for eco-issues. Thanks for sharing!
Would love an invite to add to your Pinterest board.
Hi love the post. I would love to take part in Wanderful Wednesday. Struggling to find how to add the button? Would also love an invite to the Pinterest board. Thank you Tracy tracystravelsintime.com
I live in Naples, Italy where the trash is literally overflowing on some parts of the freeways… It’s infuriating!… Yet, ironic that the recycling program is very strict with distinctions between compost, paper and glass/plastic. Makes no sense!!!