The Hostelz.com Review
The HI - Vancouver Central is an excellent choice if you want to stay in the city amongst all the action. You'll find everything you need at this friendly hostel including a free and delicious breakfast consisting of pastry, cereal, coffee/tea, and juice to start your day (which is served between 8 and 9 a.m.).
The common areas, while not massive, are very well thought out. There is a lounge area which doubles as an internet cafe for people on laptops (wi-fi is free here). You'll also find a TV room and a very well-equipped kitchen, all located on the second floor.
What makes the HI Vancouver Central such an awesome place are the bathroom facilities and dorm rooms. The rooms are well designed and surrounded by large lockers. Nearby you'll find large private bathrooms with a toilet and shower. These are individually lockable and an oasis if you've been used to tiny cubicles to shower/change.
The hostel has nightly activities available and various nightspots are located on the same street. In fact, one of Vancouver's hottest nightclubs is directly underneath the hostel. This is great if you want to stumble into bed but annoying if you need sleep -- expect vibrations/music until 3 a.m. on the weekend if you're on the second floor toward the back of the hostel.
Central certainly describes the location of the hostel. It's a short walk to GM Place for ice hockey and there are bus stops on the same street. Parking is not available if you have a car, but there are pay parking lots nearby.
The common areas, while not massive, are very well thought out. There is a lounge area which doubles as an internet cafe for people on laptops (wi-fi is free here). You'll also find a TV room and a very well-equipped kitchen, all located on the second floor.
What makes the HI Vancouver Central such an awesome place are the bathroom facilities and dorm rooms. The rooms are well designed and surrounded by large lockers. Nearby you'll find large private bathrooms with a toilet and shower. These are individually lockable and an oasis if you've been used to tiny cubicles to shower/change.
The hostel has nightly activities available and various nightspots are located on the same street. In fact, one of Vancouver's hottest nightclubs is directly underneath the hostel. This is great if you want to stumble into bed but annoying if you need sleep -- expect vibrations/music until 3 a.m. on the weekend if you're on the second floor toward the back of the hostel.
Central certainly describes the location of the hostel. It's a short walk to GM Place for ice hockey and there are bus stops on the same street. Parking is not available if you have a car, but there are pay parking lots nearby.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2007
Their Description
HI - Vancouver Central Hostel Details
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HI - Vancouver Central Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Great location, very clean Great hostel -- strongly recommended. I was in a single room with private washroom. Clean!, good price, simple breakfast (but sufficient), free wifi, air-conditioning and nice staff in reception. Great location just in the middle of the city. The only problem was that nobody came to take out the garbage for 5 days. If I come back to Vancouver I would choose the same hostel. — Anonymous , Czech (2011-08-10) Humble but noisy! It's a great hostel with excellent staff and is located on one of the most popular streets of Downtown. The music was bumping till 3 a.m. all week and the streets are crazy busy on the weekends. It's a fantastic place to sleep if you enjoy pub crawling and don't mind the loud music. I enjoyed my time there. The bedrooms were nice and tidy, the washrooms were clean, and everything was so close by! — Su , Canada (2008-08-05) Good but noisy I wouldnt stay here again! Everything about the hostel was good but you cant get any sleep here! The nightclub underneath has its music thudding through the hotel till the late hours of the morning. — nicola , Australian (2008-06-29) Nice Attended in April 2007. Good location if you are a clubber or shopping addict or library (quite close with free internet access)! Staff nice, location clean but not so quiet. Hostel well organized (laundry, internet access to pay, you can let messages for other people at the reception).
We were in a private room with TV, Very nice. The breakfast is really awesome! — French guy , France (2007-10-07) Noisy The hostel was great, the staff was excellent, the breakfast was awesome, but the location was bad. It is right in the heart of the nightclub district, and the walls reverberated every night until 3 a.m. The staff hands out earplugs free of charge, but they really don't help. — Elizabeth , USA (2007-06-21) Clean w/good location, but not a social hostel If you're just passing through for a night or traveling with company then this hostel is great. It's clean and looks like it has been renovated in the past few years. The downside is that like most HIs it is significantly lacking in social atmosphere (read: BORING!) and is definitely not a youth hostel. I'd hazard a guess that 50% of the guests here were in the 40+ range and mostly all of the other guests were somewhat introverted and shied away when I tried to initiate conversations. Staying at HI Central and then going over to the bar at the hostel across the road is a neat compromise though because you get the cleanliness and safety of the HI, and the good times and fun of the party hostel. — Steve , Canadian (2007-06-13) My wife and I stayed here for five days on our student budget honeymoon trip spent in Vancouver (April 2006). The hostel was excellent. Breakfast was very nice and with diverse selection of food (toast, butter, jam, danish, muffins, corn flakes, cereals) and drinks (juices, coffee, tea, milk). Our twin bedroom private en-suite was clean at the time we came in and it was cleaned every single morning. Bathroom and toilet were newly upgraded and extremely spacious and nice. Staff was available twenty-four/seven with all the maps, tickets, passes, and brochures. The staff was extremely knowledgeable in terms of recommending sites of interest and attractions in and around Vancouver. Looking forward to going there soon and sincerely recommending this hostel to everyone, not just students. — prlecanada , Canada (2007-04-03) This is built in between nightclubs! They do not mention that the music is thumping until 3 a.m. on a Friday night on the internet or on their website. I will never stay here again. The bedroom wall adjoined the nightclub. Lucky I got up early to get a seat at breakfast, only ten seats, then it is standing room only. This is the most unsatisfactory place I have ever stayed. Who would build sleeping quarters adjoining nightclub walls? Lucky I had super earplugs so I could get some sleep.
Room and bathrooms are clean, but my friend saw a mouse! — Phoebe (2007-01-02) I've stayed in my share of hostels and this one is the best ever! Front desk people awesomely helpful too. Breakfast included was wonderful. Location brilliant. I couldn't say anything better! — Kiwi (2006-10-17) I stayed here overnight so I could come from Vancouver Island to a concert, and it was a great idea. Room and bathrooms were clean and nice and it was an easy walk to GM Place for the show. Common room was tiny but we weren't really there to hang out, anyway. I found the breakfast pretty sparse and it was mostly gone by the time I got there (not that I would expect much, but I noticed other reviewers had raved about it). Overall, good value for a clean hostel in a central, convenient location. I'll stay here again for my next late-night Vancouver event! — Jessica P. (2006-10-08) I'd strongly suggest that anyone who would like to actually get some sleep should forget about this hostel entirely. The noise in my room was unbearable. I had to stay on the first floor my first night, and I might as well have just tried to sleep in the nightclub itself. The rude staff (sorry but it's true) did provide me with earplugs, but it didn't matter since the walls, bed, and floor in my room were vibrating. The next night I was moved to the third floor, where I could still hear the bass and the vibration was still there, just less intense. The hostel itself has nice decor and looks more attractive than most hostels, but the noise and the staff are enough to make this place a total bust. — Shannon (2006-08-15) I stayed here in January 2006 for my first hostel experience, and this place was great! The beds were super comfortable, the bathrooms are clean and private, and its in a very central location with easy access to Vancouver's awesome public transit. Definitely ask for an upper floor if you want to get any sleep. I was on the fourth floor and had no problem sleeping, though I could still hear the bass from the pub. But again, I slept great up there. — robina (2006-06-16) pretty decent hostel, but like most HI's a bit sterile. rooms were good, bathrooms pretty good, kitchen lacked eating room but was still decent. no real complaints about this place. good location as well. if u want hockey tickets from them get in early though. i left here after a few days cos i was sick of paying higher prices for hostels (the cambie is much cheaper but in a more seeedy area of town) so if u dont mind that sorta thing, go there. if u like it a bit more confortable, this place will do the job — daniel h (2006-05-16) Decent location and friendly staff. I didn't think the private room was especially clean or good value for money and it was quite boring -- as often big city hostels can be. For couples you are better off to stay in a motel I think. — Dobie (2006-04-14) This hostel has a very convenient location and the free breakfasts are great (you can eat cake for breakfast!) They can provide lots of helpful information about the surrounding area and the bathrooms are clean and private. I would certainly return if I were coming back to Vancouver. — Mary and Dan (2005-11-17)