If you go to El Firulete Hostel in downtown Buenos Aires between 8am and 4pm, look for an Argentinean version of Dave Chapelle. His name is Julian and he is a legend. The night staff is cool as well, but unfortunately I don’t know their names or any famous people that they look like. But the place itself deserves to be checked out regardless.

My friend and I stayed at this hostel for the first three nights we were in Buenos Aires. We got into town at 3:30 am and met up with a friend at his apartment. After a few hours of sleep we took a twenty minute trek with our backpacks to the middle of downtown. From the hostel door you are only a block away from the famous and busy pedestrian street Calle Florida with hundreds of stores, banks, and eateries.

Three blocks away is the Catedral stop on the D line of the subway (Subte), which is the newest, safest, most useful line in the city. The Obelisk and Plaza de Mayo are also only five blocks in either direction. Essentially, the whole city is accessible from its location and the immediate neighborhood is well developed and safe with everything you want or need around the corner.

Our three nights there were fine, but we did encounter a problem straight away. Where the hell is the door? We had forgotten the address, but knew it was on the corner of Maipu and Peron. A large ¨Hostel¨ sign told us we were at the right place, but none of the doors were marked. After some inquiries we discovered it was the unmarked blue door, number 208. Ring the buzzer and say your name to get in.

The hostel is actually on the second and third floors of an old building with large doors high ceilings, and great windows giving a lot of light. Somewhat consistent with the classical and classy design the atmosphere was very tranquilo. Overall the air was tame; not so much of the backpacker variety. The crowd was a little bit older. The thick wooden bar didn’t see too much action, unfortunately.

Take note though, they do have Guiness for 2 USD and some other beers that aren’t Quilmes or Brahma (You can only drink so much of these two popular brands here). That means no pungent body odor, no wild nights, no hostel feel, except for the fact that we were sleeping on small singe beds in an unadorned room listening to the compression brakes of passing buses all night.

For me though, I like the dirt, the grit. So I was a little disappointed with the vibe. That said, I think it was perfect for the other people there. Also, it is hard to generalize because the customers at hostels are always moving on and new ones arriving. We had to leave because they were booked full, so it could have been a weekend of debauchery and I wouldn’t know. But maybe it was just a few people sitting around watching television or drinking beers calmly like while we were there. At the end of the day though it is important to remember you are in Buenos Aires, so why would you want to stay in your hostel anyway when the nightlife and culture is so nice here. This isn’t the same as being in a backpacker haven in Guatemala.

Prices were competitive with other hostels in the city. Our room was a private double (24 USD together), although it actually had three single beds. A bed in a dormitory will cost 9 USD and a private double with bathroom start from 38 USD. Other amenities that are nice but common include towels and linens, a laundry service, two computers with internet, city information, telephone facilities, and a free breakfast with cereal, croissants, sweet bread, and toast. Also, there is 24 hour reception so you can return at 4:30 in the morning without worrying about waking up anyone to get in.