With the Chilean peso’s steady appreciation, finding shoestring sleeps has become difficult here, but some options remain. Under new ownership, the improved Albergue Backpacker’s Paradise (Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1022, tel. 061/240104, backpackersparadise [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$7 pp) is still a crowded hostel facility, but for the price it has its public. On the plus side, it has adequate common spaces with cable TV, cooking privileges, and Internet access.
Along the shoreline, east of the racetrack at the foot of Quillota, Hospedaje Costanera (Rómulo Correa 1221, tel. 061/240175, hospedajecostanera [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$11 pp) has drawn favorable commentary. Hospedaje Mejicana (Mejicana 1174, tel. 061/227678, yoya_h [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$15/23 s/d) has also made good impressions.