The Hostelz.com Review
Planet Traveler's Hostel is a great new addition to the Toronto hostel scene -- it has only been open since January, and to date, the owner is still putting finishing touches on some of the rooms. It is bright, clean, and very welcoming.
The Location
Planet Traveler is located on College Street, a main cross street with street car access. We were able to get here from the airport by public transportation in about an hour. It's half a block from the end of Kensington Market, so there are a lot of restaurants and food shops within easy walking distance. It is also maybe a half mile from University of Toronto so there are a lot of local young people around. Parts of the neighborhood seem kind of grungy, but not unsafe. It seems comparable to San Francisco or New York City's West Village.
Rooms and Bathrooms
All doors -- front door, hallways, individual rooms, and lounges after-hours -- are accessed by keycard. The dorms have six beds, six lockers with chargers in them, and a private bathroom. Single and double rooms are available. There is also one public bathroom per floor and several public bathrooms in each public area. Showers have pretty good water pressure, but there's very little storage space either in or outside the bathrooms. Most things are stored in the lockers or under the beds.
Common Spaces
This is where Planet Traveler excels. On the first floor there is a large TV/comfortable wraparound couch, three Mac computers, books to borrow, games to borrow, a fireplace, phone booths, a laundry room, and a kitchen. As mentioned earlier, this hostel is brand new so everything is in great condition. Breakfast is provided every morning, and there is free rice, popcorn, tea, and coffee twenty-four hours a day.
On the fourth floor, there is an indoor/outdoor lounge with another large TV, video game console, small fireplace, view of the skyline and -- get this -- a bar with free beer in bottles and on tap. It's a great space to relax as it's usually quieter than the downstairs lounge, plus the views are fantastic.
This hostel has a mix of people who are just here for a few days and people who are staying long-term while they search for a job and an apartment. There are cheaper hostels in the area, but this is the nicest by far. Because of this, expect to meet "bourgeois bohemians," young people who want to be social but who also want a safe, clean environment as well as people in transition from one country to another. Some people party (including the staff), but it's alright if you're interested in laying low and going to bed early.
Summary
Overall this is a very nice hostel with more of a hotel feel. Everything is bright, clean, and new. The staff cleans daily and will come in to each room (even the dorms) to vacuum the floors and clean the private bathrooms. The staff are very friendly if a little less than professional (including the owner who is on-site every day). Our major complaint is a lack of garbage cans and tissues/paper towels in public areas. Free breakfast and beer are the cherry on top!
The Location
Planet Traveler is located on College Street, a main cross street with street car access. We were able to get here from the airport by public transportation in about an hour. It's half a block from the end of Kensington Market, so there are a lot of restaurants and food shops within easy walking distance. It is also maybe a half mile from University of Toronto so there are a lot of local young people around. Parts of the neighborhood seem kind of grungy, but not unsafe. It seems comparable to San Francisco or New York City's West Village.
Rooms and Bathrooms
All doors -- front door, hallways, individual rooms, and lounges after-hours -- are accessed by keycard. The dorms have six beds, six lockers with chargers in them, and a private bathroom. Single and double rooms are available. There is also one public bathroom per floor and several public bathrooms in each public area. Showers have pretty good water pressure, but there's very little storage space either in or outside the bathrooms. Most things are stored in the lockers or under the beds.
Common Spaces
This is where Planet Traveler excels. On the first floor there is a large TV/comfortable wraparound couch, three Mac computers, books to borrow, games to borrow, a fireplace, phone booths, a laundry room, and a kitchen. As mentioned earlier, this hostel is brand new so everything is in great condition. Breakfast is provided every morning, and there is free rice, popcorn, tea, and coffee twenty-four hours a day.
On the fourth floor, there is an indoor/outdoor lounge with another large TV, video game console, small fireplace, view of the skyline and -- get this -- a bar with free beer in bottles and on tap. It's a great space to relax as it's usually quieter than the downstairs lounge, plus the views are fantastic.
This hostel has a mix of people who are just here for a few days and people who are staying long-term while they search for a job and an apartment. There are cheaper hostels in the area, but this is the nicest by far. Because of this, expect to meet "bourgeois bohemians," young people who want to be social but who also want a safe, clean environment as well as people in transition from one country to another. Some people party (including the staff), but it's alright if you're interested in laying low and going to bed early.
Summary
Overall this is a very nice hostel with more of a hotel feel. Everything is bright, clean, and new. The staff cleans daily and will come in to each room (even the dorms) to vacuum the floors and clean the private bathrooms. The staff are very friendly if a little less than professional (including the owner who is on-site every day). Our major complaint is a lack of garbage cans and tissues/paper towels in public areas. Free breakfast and beer are the cherry on top!
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2011
Their Description
Its guests that make a hostel fun, and our staff and facility are here to help you make the most of your time in Toronto.
Our turn of the century building has been restored from the ground up to suit the needs of the most discerning traveller. The property has been renovated and rebuilt into a purpose-designed hostel incorporating the latest in green technology: geothermal heating, photovoltaic electrical production, solar thermal water heating, building-wide LED lighting and wastewater heat reclamation.
Secure dorms have custom-designed hotel style en-suite bathrooms, private locker areas and extra comfy memory foam mattresses to ensure the best night's sleep you'll ever have away from home. Cook up a feast in our fully-appointed kitchen or relax and meet other travellers in our beautifully designed common area, which features a fireplace, phone booths, a dining hall and an awesome couch where you can watch TV and movies on our flat screen television.
Free breakfast is served daily in our rooftop lounge, where you can also enjoy panoramic views of the Toronto skyline and play X-Box Kinect with new friends.
Available for guests:
Free Wi-Fi.
Free guest internet terminals.
Free coffee and tea available all day.
Free breakfast every day.
Free local calls.
Free personal lockers with integrated power points for charging laptops, phones, cameras etc.
Free same-day luggage storage.
Free laundry detergent.
Free rice and popcorn.
Pre-made beds with free towels.
Our turn of the century building has been restored from the ground up to suit the needs of the most discerning traveller. The property has been renovated and rebuilt into a purpose-designed hostel incorporating the latest in green technology: geothermal heating, photovoltaic electrical production, solar thermal water heating, building-wide LED lighting and wastewater heat reclamation.
Secure dorms have custom-designed hotel style en-suite bathrooms, private locker areas and extra comfy memory foam mattresses to ensure the best night's sleep you'll ever have away from home. Cook up a feast in our fully-appointed kitchen or relax and meet other travellers in our beautifully designed common area, which features a fireplace, phone booths, a dining hall and an awesome couch where you can watch TV and movies on our flat screen television.
Free breakfast is served daily in our rooftop lounge, where you can also enjoy panoramic views of the Toronto skyline and play X-Box Kinect with new friends.
Available for guests:
Free Wi-Fi.
Free guest internet terminals.
Free coffee and tea available all day.
Free breakfast every day.
Free local calls.
Free personal lockers with integrated power points for charging laptops, phones, cameras etc.
Free same-day luggage storage.
Free laundry detergent.
Free rice and popcorn.
Pre-made beds with free towels.
Planet Traveler's Hostel Details
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Planet Traveler's Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Beautiful, friendly and green This hostel is brand new and is in a constant state of upgrades. It is beautiful, newly decorated and offers many thoughtful pluses: free land-line, free breakfast 7 am to 1 pm, individual bathrooms in every dorm, free Saturday barbecue. Plus -- it's GREEN! The staff obviously feel very proud of their hostel and will do anything to answer questions and help you with any difficulties. I wish them all the best in their future. — Ann , Canada (2011-08-30) I would go back to Toronto just to stay here I would go back to Toronto just to stay in this hostel. I paid with a credit card with no hassle, and I didn't run into any hostel cat. It is really clean and recently refurbished, offers a free breakfast, and laundry machines (also free). Great common spaces -- especially the roof deck which has an amazing view! On Saturdays the owner hosts a free BBQ on the roof -- It is in China town but it is also in a 'bohemian' area so there are trendy bars and restaurants serving other types of food. It is still within walking distance of all the attractions that my friends and I wanted to see. We stayed in a private 3-bed room and all agreed that it was a fantastic hostel! — Christine , United States (2011-07-26) They got my friend's credit card when she reserved using the phone but when we got there, we had to shell out cash. They reasoned out that the card is only for reservations only (they have something in case we don't show up). This really blew out our cash flow and we had to go to the ATM machine again and pay conversion fees again! Other than that, the six-bed room was fine with nice, comfortable double-decker beds. The common restrooms are clean and nice. However, the lockers are small and you have to provide your own lock. If you don't have one, you can rent one from the staff for $5 (refundable). There is not place to hang clothes other than the bed railings and those with big baggage had to find a space for it somewhere in the cramped room. The owner said that this is their last season and they will have a bigger hostel at College street with restrooms in each room. But other staff told him it is a "crime" to shut down the present hostel so he said he'll see what he can do. — Sheila (2007-04-07) this place is fantastic, great staff that help you with all the tourist spots to hit, even cheap tickets for the cn tower, the local steamwhistle brewery and a cool school bus tour to niagra falls. right in the heart of colourful kensington market, there is always something going on. meeting some of the most wonderful people over the free breakfast and again at the bbq topped off a great visit to toronto. with new friends like old, this is a home away from home. i can't wait to come back. — meg , australia (2007-03-29) Not a bad hostel, but not a very good one either. The staff are friendly. The hostel's location in Chinatown is good if you like Chinese food (a bit of a walk for anything else). But there are a ton of small things about it that all together make it a not very good hostel. They don't accept credit cards at all, the bathroom lock was broken, the toilet handle was broken, one of the showers was broken, bathroom light didn't work, the smoke alarm had no battery, no trashcan in the room (or items like a mirror or a chair), no wifi (but you might be able to connect to a neighbor's), private rooms in a separate building down the street, drab paint colors, etc... They just don't seem to be trying to make it a good hostel. There's nothing particularly terrible about the hostel, but overall it could be much better if it was better taken care of. — Paul (2006-05-24) The cat at the Planet Traveler's Hostel has the run of the place, and even sleeps on the beds. She's really sweet and she'll cuddle up with you if you let her. If you've got serious allergies like I do, however, this is a problem. If only the management of this hostel were as accommodating as their animal friend. I booked a couple of days, not knowing that I'd be coughing up phlegm after the first night. I asked in the morning if there was a room that the cat didn't visit. No, there wasn't. So I booked a room in another hostel. When I asked for a refund for the unused night -- at ten that morning -- I was initially rebuffed: "We need twenty-four hours notice." I perservered and was handed a refund, less twenty percent. "We're stuck with an empty bed," I was told. I pointed out that there were plenty of empty beds. In my room alone, in fact, there were two empty beds. Or, one, if you don't count the one that the cat slept on. Never mind that it's a Monday, and still early April. They weren't turning away any business on my account. It's too bad that a small amount of money is more important to them than my satisfaction. I was going to recommend the hostel except for those with similar allergies, but due to the poor service, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. — Riley (2006-04-10) My boyfriend and I stayed in the private room that's in another building (two-minute walk). It was clean and spacious. The bathroom was alright but other than that it was fantastic. A bit far walk to the CN tower and other attractions. — Dani (2006-03-04) My friend and I traveled to Toronto and made reservations with the hostel three weeks prior to our arrival. We were sent a confirmation e-mail, but the hostel neglected to actually reserve beds for us. We were stuck in Toronto with no place to stay because of their poor communication. — Laura (2005-07-24) At first the building itself seems a little run down, but once you meet the staff and the people who are staying there the building all of a sudden becomes home. This place is more of a student house than a hostel and straight away you feel you are amongst friends rather than strangers. The staff are the friendliest we have ever come across and they join in with everything that is going on. The free Saturday night barbecues are fantastic and we met people here that we will miss and never forget! We are so sad to leave!! Most important of all, let Gavin drag you along to The Embassy for the friendliest pint in Toronto! — Emma and Pat (2005-06-15) Fantastic place! Great free breakfast every morning and it had some of the friendliest staff I've dealt with in my travels. Also they helped me out with tickets to the CN Tower, which saved me some money and time. It's the place to go to when in Toronto (also in a great area, close to shops and transport). — Cj (2005-03-30) From the moment you walk in the door you are made to feel at home! The help-yourself breakfast was always fresh and tasty, and the free Saturday night barbecue is a fantastic way to get to know people. The rooms might be somewhat cramped and hot in summer, but who cares with an atmosphere like this? — Anna (2005-03-26) Staying in this hostel is just like staying at a mate's house. Everyone is really friendly, and it's in a really cool part of town. The free breakfast is cool, as are the free Saturday night barbecues. When I'm back in Toronto I will stay at this hostel for sure. — Rob (2004-10-26) What a place!!! The best I've stayed in around the world. The staff were fantastic and Anthony's (the owner's) Saturday night dinners are a great way to start the evening off. I'll be heading back for sure. I recommend it to everyone. — Murray (2004-02-17) I love this place! The friendliest, cleanest hostel ever (and I should know)... the staff is super-helpful and go out of their way to make you feel at home. And everyone is so so nice! I had a great time and will definitely be going back. — kat (2003-11-10)