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Hostelling International Vancouver Central
Category: Hotels & Travel Hostels Hostels [Edit]
1025 Granville StVancouver, BC V6Z 1L4
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 685-5335
9 reviews for Hostelling International Vancouver Central
9 reviews in English
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Review from Opal L.
8/22/2009
I've stayed here twice and the second time, I was there for a conference. This is a top-notch hostel. I've stayed in hostels in Japan, Greece, the U.S., Italy, Thailand, and other countries. This hostel was very clean and operated efficiently while the front counter staff were friendly and helpful when you need their assistance.
There are 4 people in a room, several private bathrooms (showers, no tubs) in the hallway, lockers in the rooms, free wi-fi, full kitchen (although not as big and industrial looking as in other hostels), free breakfast (it's pretty good), and the usual towel & linens.
Also, the location is great, just steps away from Granville station, lots of shops, and a nice walk to the water. It feels safe and at night, there are a lot of young people milling around because there are quite a few night clubs and restaurants open very late.
Finally, there is a bar on the ground floor that has loud music but the people booking your room over the phone are quite open and honest about it and will warn you about it if the only room left is a room on the second floor. I was nearly booked on the second floor the first time I stayed here but they managed to get me a room on a higher floor by the time I checked in. Oh yeah, make sure you book the room and don't gamble on just walking in and hoping you'll get a spot. -
Review from Jen A.
9/9/2011
This was a great hostel. The staff was super nice and helpful. It was clean enough and I liked the private bathrooms. I stayed in a 4 person room, which was ok but very crammed. It is acceptable if you just need a place to sleep and shower. They have huge lockers in the room and the beds are pretty comfortable. However if I were to come back and had a little more money I would pay for a private room.
The location was really great, close to everything and I liked that Grandville street is closed during weekend nights. The breakfast is actually really good, they have a huge selection, however not much room to sit. They have free wifi too, but it didn't work too well on the 4th floor. -
Review from Tai W.
1/13/2009
Our radiator didn't work and our windows leaked cold air, which was hard in January right after a snow storm. That was the only thing that kept it from getting the fifth star.
The breakfast includes bagels, peanut butter, a variety of cereals, and more.
The location is amazing and the hostel provides lots of information sheets about cool things to do and how to get there.
We were on the fourth floor, so we didn't hear the club that is in the same building, but I could understand it being audible on the 1st or 2nd floor. It definitely brings a more club friendly scene into the hostel and the neighborhood (there are atleast six clubs within a block).
Wi-fi was spotty, but worked about 2/3 of the time.
I would do it again if I were in town. -
Review from Chanda I.
7/6/2010
this place had all u could look for in a hostel:
-prime location - you are literally right in the middle of everything. at night the streets close down and everyone walks up and down the street doing the nightlife thing.
- sink in the bedroom
-private single bathroom with shower
- living room, tv room
- free wi-fi
- planned outings
-safety. after 11pm, the building is closed and you have to show your room key to get back in by ringing the doorbell.
- free breakfast
-and does storage for your bigger luggage items
*does get hot and stuff in there when it's hot out
staff are friendly. we had one staff guy who gave us all the wrong information, including the wrong place to park but the other guy gave us the scoop on where to park for free. this is downtown so they recommended parking in a hotel parking lot for 17/day but then we were told where to go for the free street parking, a 15 minute walk from the hostel. -
Review from Megan H.
9/3/2008
Okay, So I've stayed at a few Hostels in Vancouver now and know a bit more about the scene.
Location:
This Hostel is downtown on Grainville St. It is within walking distance of most everything; Grainville Market, Stanley Park, Canada Place, Gastown, Robson, Davie. It is also very convenient for taking the bus (anywhere in Vancouver, including UBC,Tsawassen ferries & airport) or the Skytrain or Seabus.
The Scene:
Here is basically your college club scene, with dance music blasting from all the clubs until at least 4am. Loads of drunk girls wearing next to nothing, and yuppie guys trying to take them home.
The facilities:
I was in a 4bed Female Dorm, which was nice and clean. Very stuffy and hot during the heatwave though. Bathrooms were readily available and clean, private single occupancy toilet & showers. Free towels, no deposit on key card, computers with internet, and a free breakfast every morning.
(toast, muffins, fruit, coffee)
Hope this helps you in your search for the right hostel, whatever you do DONT stay down near Cambie/Hastings I don't care how cheap the hostel is. Yikes! -
Review from Yeonkyeong Y.
1/18/2011
Very impressed with their cleanness of their toilets! I would forgive almost any flaws with clean toilets. lol. But besides, they don't have such flaws anyway. The location is central, the staffs are friendly. All small details are well taken care of. All in all, the experience was excellent.
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Review from G G.
8/14/2010
My friend and I decided to venture into Vancouver for some "international" adventures and were on a scarce budget. We'd never stayed at a hostel before but decided to give it a try. We booked the four bed room and were prepared to have to share the room with others.
The Hostel was easy to find upon arrival, however parking was a bit more difficult to navigate as it was all metered or pay parking. My friend ended up going inside to check in and ask about parking as I waited in the car at some pay lot down the street. Upon check in, we were upgraded to our own private room with private bath... sweet! The people at the front desk recommended we park at the Holiday Inn covered and gated garage for $20 a night. A way better deal than $4.50 an hour at the meters.
Or room was on the first floor (but really second) and I was a little weary of the potential noise from the clubs at night. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find how quiet our room was given that we could see Granville from our window. The hostel was located in the center of most attractions and within walking distance. Once we parked and gained an idea of where everything was, it was more convenient and economical to walk. Besides, taking a stroll down the streets provides a better way to get acquainted with any city.
The staff were friendly and available to answer questions ranging from where the bar/dance scene was to what areas to stay out of (unless seeing people defecate and shoot up is your type of hood). Towels are given out at the front desk and they had a pretty decent selection for a free breakfast. Love that they had fruit. Surprisingly, their coffee was respectable. Tasted fresh and full bodied... didn't taste cheap and watered down.
One of my favorite things about this hostel was seeing people from different cultures and backgrounds share communal space and interacting. Listening to the different languages, especially in the morning at breakfast, was like a symphony! -
Review from Rachel J.
6/24/2010
I've never stayed in a hostel before so maybe I'm going to be a little spoiled after this experience. First off, great location especially if you wanna party (which I of course did). Bars, clubs, and young people from all over the world roaming around. Second, the staff was very friendly. The guy checking us in made us promise to trash our room and get in a fight with someone on the street and told us not to let him down. We did neither, i'm sure he was of course joking, but it made us laugh. The elevator was tiny but it worked and if your going to complain about a tiny elevator then you might need to pull that huge stick out of your ass and get a life! (Their were people that were complaining about that) The hall ways were clean as well as our room. There were clean linens, blankets, & pillows on the beds. Also there were lockers in our room but make sure you bring your own lock. And you really should use your lock, especially if your new roomie, that you've never met, assures you that you don't need to bc you can trust her(this really happened!) Clean bathrooms with showers and a sink in the hallway, also a sink in your bedroom room. We didn't have any trouble with the a/c unit. I was also very thankful that when I tried to get upstairs without a key they weren't havin it. All I had to do was give them my room number & show them my ID. That made me feel pretty safe. For breakfast there were bagels, toast, pastries, cereal, etc. Can't complain about free food. Free WIFI that worked just fine from our room. It wasn't fun waiting in line for a shower the next day but , HELLO I was staying in a hostel. And it's not their fault the french guy in the bathroom was randomly cursing very loud every ten seconds. All this to say I'd stay there again and again. There's also an Irish Pub next door called Johnnie Fox's. SO fun. Go there, but watch out for that crazy Canadian liquor tax-YIKES! Vancouver is amazing, everyone should go there!! And this hostel is the best, seriously :)
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Review from jonathan g.
4/4/2009
first time in vancouver, and we stayed here... it is a bit dark in the hallways in each floor, but they get 5 stars they have private bathrooms in the hallways which is a PLUS for a hostel! the rooms are what you expect shared bunk beds with lockers... towels and linen included... free wi-fi in the hostel! it is great location in the middle of the granville street... where there are lots of bar, clubs and restaurants to try... one thing though if you want peace and quiet don't stay here.. there is a club right next door and it stays up late about 2-3 ish... if you don't mind a bit of noise it's a cool place to stay and enjoy the city!!
