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Ocean Island
Categories: Hotels & Travel Hostels Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hostels, Hotels [Edit]
791 Pandora AveVictoria, BC V8W 1N9
(250) 385-1788
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 6 am - 5:30 am
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
12 reviews for Ocean Island
12 reviews in English
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Review from Caroline T.
8/9/2009
The first room I got here was large, a 6 person female only dorm. It was large, but so was the amount of luggage and fabric hanging around the room. There were 5 Danish girls in there and me, and I had the top bunk above a sick girl who was coughing the entire night through, poor thing. And even though none of this was the hostel's fault, the polite and v. cool front desk helper switched me to a co-ed. The next night, when I came in to crash at midnight, I had a nice clean bottom bunk in a beautifully clear, bright and interesting room thanks to little cubbies even though the room was full booked. It was on the bottom floor, closer to music, but it was quieter than the one on the floor above it. It was also larger and had a new bathroom renovation.
I love this hostel, it's filled with beautiful people, it's 24 hours, it's clean & happy, it's got cheap but healthy food at all times of the day & night and a great lounge area/ bar, a night life of it's own, it's got a great location in the hip part of town (NW is Chinatown,West is the shopping area, Southwest is the touristy center and where you are is the real Victoria, one of the most tastefully youthful, safe and eclectic cities in the WORLD!!)
I'm crazy about this hostel and it's style. Plus it's just up a block from Demitasse, a great brekkie/ brunch/ lunch place that is very Victoria and is a must on your trip.Listed in: Victoria
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Review from Bronwyn G.
North Vancouver, BC
4/9/2011
It was the first time in a long time I'd stayed in a hostel and my impression was that Ocean Island was pretty good for a hostel. Most importantly, nothing crawled on me. Yay!
I stayed in a 6-person/3-bunk-bed room and my only real objections were how cramped it was and the lack of bed-specific reading lights. Oh well.
There's a pretty big kitchen and a happening bar/resto on the main floor.
Biggest tips? Bring a headlamp, a towel, a padlock, shower flip-flops, and a travel mug. -
Review from Jenn W.
6/24/2011
OI is great! I was planning a solo adventure to Victoria and opted to go with Ocean Island for its social atmosphere and affordability.
The Pros:
Cheap! Clean. Friendly. And a great resource!
I stayed in one of their cheaper dorms that is directly above their cafe. They offer a lower price due to the likelihood of noise coming from their cafe and lounge, but I had absolutely no problems getting a little shut-eye during my stay.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. They're lounge is cool with a pretty good selection of beers (I'm a beer snob, and I wasn't disappointed). They've also got a bunch of printouts that they've put together themselves on places to eat, parks to visit, hikes to do, directions to Victoria staples, where to look for work, pubs to check out, etc. Being that this was my first visit to Victoria, and a solo one at that, I relied on these printout guides for most of the activities I joined in on. I wasn't disappointed. A great time was had!
The So-So's:
I can't say that this place has any real Cons. I have two small complaints. The first is that not every bathroom has an outlet (they're in the process of updating their bathrooms). On one occasion I had to go on the hunt for a bathroom with an outlet, but because of the multiple bathrooms on multiple floors, the hunt didn't take long. Second, I ordered their green curry at the lounge and it was the worst curry I've ever had. But even bad curry is good curry.
All in all, if I ever head back to Victoria, I'm definitely staying at the OI again. Good times! -
Review from Bobby T.
6/10/2011
Really enjoyed my stay here. Front desk staffed by really helpful kind people. Rooms were clean. Bathrooms were clean. It was inexpensive and conveniently located.
Skip the hotels and stay at ocean island. You didn't come to Victoria to watch tv.
(Warning!: second floor vending machine will run out of ketchup chips if you are not dilligent.) -
Review from Joey T.
10/25/2010
We loved our stay at Ocean Island! It was a very pleasant surpise after having stayed at some other hostels on our trip. The price was really affordable, MUCH cheaper than any of the hotels in town, which in turn made our trip that much more fun because we actually had money to be able to do things.
The rooms were clean, comfortable, and colorful. I love that the bathrooms get cleaned twice a day and that there are multiples on each floor. That was handy because it was just really easy to take my shower when I wanted, without having to wait.
We had a private room with a set of bunk beds, which was precisely what we asked for. It had a locker, shelves, places to hang up our coats, and a window fan. We actually left our window open the whole time because it was summer....and we were on the 3rd or 4th floor, so that wasn't a cause for concern (unlike another place we stayed).
I'm also very security conscious, so I love that the front desk was manned 24 hours a day, there was a locked door separating the rooms from the downstairs lounge/lobby area, the rooms had a good sturdy dead bolt and also a chain. There was not a single second of our stay where I didn't feel totally safe and secure.
The noise level wasn't that bad. There was only one incident that woke me up....some slamming of a bathroom door at 2 a.m., but everything settled down after 15 minutes. -
Review from Robin S.
Edmonton, AB
4/14/2010
I spent a night at Ocean Island while passing through Victoria, booking a mini double room for myself at a rate of about $40, and would definitely recommend it to others.
My room was on the second floor, decorated eclectically with orange and green walls, and was just big enough to fit in a mini fridge and a double bed, with a small bit of floor space beside the door, a few coathooks on the wall above the bed and some wire shelving above the fridge.
It was perfect for my needs - a bare-bones place with a comfortable bed to sleep in, and despite its small size, the room's window kept it cozy rather than claustrophobic.
With my check-in the staff handed me a coupon for 50 cents off any $5.75 entree in the cafe; the huge portion of green curry with vegetables and rice was pretty tasty and definitely good value for the money, especially since they didn't charge me extra for tofu.
The only complaint I have is that sometime in the night the washroom in my section was padlocked up and the shower in a nearby hall didn't really seem to have any cold water, so I spent a lot of time trying not to scald myself.
Altogether I had a great experience at Ocean Island Backpackers Inn, and will be returning - hopefully on one of the nights where they host bands. -
Review from Derek W.
8/8/2010 1 photo
Ocean Island is everything a hostel should be - cheap but clean, intimate but large enough to have options, young but with reasonable rules of behavior, and with a 24 hour desk but not 24 hour parties in the room next door. The location is central, closer to Downtown than to the touristy harbour and Empress.
I had a single room with a shared bathroom, and it was tiny - about ten square feet larger than the bed - but it had a huge window, and I didn't spend much time in it anyway. I paid CDN 54 including tax on a Saturday night of a long weekend, and I couldn't have got a hotel for double that much.
I would thoroughly recommend Ocean Island if you don't mind the hostel-style experience. -
Review from Stephanie L.
5/9/2009
My girls and I stayed here when we visited Victoria.
It's a really cute hostel that is surprisingly clean and nice. The bottom floor is filled with computers (that you have to pay for) for internet access, a mini-pub, and a communal kitchen stocked with everything you need to make a delicious meal.
The rooms are a bit tiny and cramped, we fit 6 of us in there on 3 bunk beds. Plenty of restrooms on every floor, each with a toilet, sink, and shower and bath tub.
There is a security code that unlocks the door to the rooms, which helps make you feel safe. Parking is available in the small lot behind the hostel, however, it fills up pretty quickly. -
Review from Chris T.
9/8/2008
Had an awesome time at this Hostel last summer. It has its own bar on the first floor with drink specials. Everything was clean and very safe. They also had live music most nights downstairs.
The clientelle were almost all young bohemians which was a plus for me. Unlike the B&B I had stayed at the year before this place was centrally located near everything. I was also able to find street parking close by during the weekend.
They have computers with internet access for pay of course but its wasn't ridiculous. They also seemed to have good tours lined up though I didn't get a chance to go on one. This hostel came recommended by someone in Montana and it didn't dissappoint.
I had a private room with shared bath for pretty cheap. And like I said it was centrally located near everything. If you want to go to the Buckhart Gardens you can take a shuttle from near the waterfront, not too far. If you want to check out the Mansion on the hill you can take a bus from very near by. Also they allowed people to work off their stay which I thought was neat! -
Review from A E.
Victoria, BC
2/7/2010
When I moved to Victoria I had to find a place before seeing it and arrive part way through the month. I was able to do all this with OI, using my credit card. Since it was the off season I could get a monthly rate.
OI is managed and maybe partly owned by the owner's son. I suggest you ignore the paradox there and read on, because I'm not going to fix it. The owner's son, named Kevin is a medium short, light olive skinned man in his late twenties. The top of his head is thickly carpeted with well tended black hair forming loose curls which would bounce a little for anyone's walk but his. His narrow, serious looking expression is adorned with thick framed square spectacles which slip on the sweat that forms under them as he agonizes over the placement of the latest decoration or sign.
But all of this pays off, because OI is a very organized and clean hostel in a cool old building. Some rooms are big, some are small, some are shared and some are in an elevator shaft. No joke, my friend lived in one of these for six months. The shaft-rooms have storage under the bed with just enough space to open the door. This may seem complicated, but all the rooms are described with their prices on the very good OI website http://www.oceanisland.../. The decor (other than the masks) and colours are pleasing with their asian statues and green and pink motif. All decorations, paint and signs look new and shiny. The staff is very helpful and friendly (including Kevin, once you talk to him).
The gas-stove kitchen is very large and gets cleaned every night. Beside it is an eating area, a café and a little bar. These things being in the same place makes it easy to meet new people (a thing most travelers want to do), but at the same time some corners are more quiet and perfect for sitting on a comfy couch and reading a book.
Three more things.
1. They offer a work for stay program. 3 hours of cleaning gets a you a dorm room.
2. The wifi is expensive and it sucks AAAAAAASSSSSSSSS (and that is where they lost their star).
3. They are very strict on alcohol and/or smoking and partying in the rooms. If you do this and someone complains against you, they will kick you out after very few warnings. -
Review from Marjorie Stewart B.
9/20/2010
This review is for the cafe area only. I stopped here to get a bite, brew and check the Internet. After spending some time in Canada I now realize the food was extremely reasonably well priced and tasty. The atmosphere was very relaxed and people of all ages could be found. At night though the place seems to cater with younger adults with the nightly activities posted. I would have stayed here if I needed a place to stay, it felt safe enough and close to downtown. It may get a little loud at night though so if you are looking for peace and quiet I would consult with the phone attendant. Overall 4 stars for value and social scene observed.
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Review from Ev H.
Victoria, BC
3/23/2011
good place to go if your own place is out of the question for a romantic get-a-away!!
