Hostelz.com Hostels Reviews
EnglishFrançaisEspañolItalianoDeutsch
Find hostels in:

Le Sous-bois

Montreal

9 of 24
Address
431 St. Vincent Street, Montreal Quebec, Canada   Map
Price
Location/Contact
Details
Le Sous-bois Online Booking
Arrival Date:   Nights:  People: 
Their Description

Features

  • Free Breakfast
  • Kitchen
  • Lockers
  • Lounge / Common space
  • TV
  • Movie Library/Rental
  • Washing Machine (laundry)
  • Clothes Dryer
  • Travel information provided
  • 24 Hour Free Hot Showers
  • Phones (public or in room)
  • Air Conditioning
 
The Hostelz.com Review
Le Sous-bois is a fair hostel if you're looking to spend little but still live in a clean place with working showers, toilets, and sinks. They give out free breakfast each morning and have a refrigerator that can be used by the guests. Breakfast often consisted of little bagels and a variety of toppings (jams, peanut butter, butter). Two computers are located within the eating room and internet use is free. However, as they are free, do not expect 100% service daily. While the keyboards are not French ones, the screen is, so it is best to be accustomed to computers if you do not speak French.

Location

Location is key for staying at Le Sous-bois. It is about five minutes from Vieux Montreal and Vieux Port. It is close to Place Jacques Cartier where there is much entertainment and little shops for tourists and Place d'Armes. Across from Place d'Armes is also La Basilique Notre-Dame. It's best to walk around instead of drive because of the location. If you want to travel somewhere further, such as Nouveau Montreal, you can take a Metro. We found the stop at Champ-de-Mars is the closest to the hostel. From there, you can take it to La Gare Centrale, McGill University, and Ste. Catherine.

We should mention that this hostel is located in an alley, but it is perfectly safe. There is a keycode each individual receives who is staying at Le Sous-bois and if you stay in one of the cottages, you receive a key to lock your room. Le Sous-bois is located within the offices of Le Guilleret, but is less expensive than that hotel. To check in and out, you must go through the office that has a sign saying "Le Guilleret."

What They Offer

We stayed in a double bed room and found nothing wrong with the surroundings. The beds are suitable and although there is only one lamp in the entire room, it shines brightly. The showers are little stalls with curtains and the sinks and toilets are the usual college type. Towels, a washing machine, and dryer are included, as well as sheets for the beds. If you choose to stay in bunks, beware that they are not very private and the men and women are not separated. There are two places full of beds which you may be assigned (upstairs and downstairs). There is a curtain for the bunks upstairs. The ones downstairs are mattresses.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2006


Ratings & Comments

2.5 Average from 13 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Dan, UK
November 2008
1 The bugs are still there
I was foolish enough not to do my research before staying here and have come away with bites all over the exposed parts of my body (face, neck, hands, arms, legs). The Despite the last person's comment, the bugs are still there. Do not stay at this place.
Comment by Alex, USA
September 2008
4 Great times, great people, great fun (no more bedbugs)!
I stayed here the end of August and had the best time! Instantly clicked with many of the people there, it is definitely a party place so if you like to go to sleep early, don't go here, however if you like to stay up till sunrise after exhausting all the bars in Montreal, this is the place for you. No more bedbugs, I see a number of posts about bedbugs, they have air mattresses now, I asked around and no one there at the time had any problems.
Comment by jen, Canada
November 2007
1 Terrible! Bacteria infested!
Bacteria or something lives in this place! My friend developed a rash on her face, arms, chest, feet (exposed parts of her body). Even with medical intervention, it has not subsided in the least! After a week, I haven't had any problems (yet), so we don't think it's bedbugs. Aside from this, the hostel isn't great anyway. The bedding is merely sheets and one lousy, thin blanket. We awoke frequently with chattering teeth. The bathroom only has stalls that are shared by men and women, and you can see/smell other people's business if you simply need to wash your hands at the same time. The rooms are huge dorms with bed after bed built together (your feet three inches from somebody else's head). And you walk through sleeping quarters to get to other parts of the house, which is just weird. Whatever you do, pay the extra money and stay somewhere else!
Comment by Jesse, Canada
November 2007
2 Too many bedbugs, and no sleep.
All though it is kind of a cute dorm set up, I found having no privacy very aggravating. Ear plugs were given for free, but the air mattresses were loud, and people were up at all hours of the night. That would make sleeping bad enough, but the place was so so cold that I could hardly sleep, and when I finally did, I woke up in the morning covered in bedbug bites. I have more than fifteen on my hands, and my stomach is covered in them as well. I would not recommend staying here. The worst hostel I have been to by far.
Comment by Milan, Canadian
October 2007
1 Infested with blood-sucking bedbugs
This hostel is infested with bloodsucking vermin. I woke up with more than one hundred bites and I am scared that bugs might spread into my house after having hidden in my clothes or bags (or laid eggs there). There have been complaints about the bugs for months, so the proprietors must know. They seem happy to let people continue getting bitten. I am filing a complaint with the public health authority of the City of Montreal.
Comment by Garbage, Australia
October 2007
3 Good times, college kids, treehouse beds
I had a great time at this place but I admit the people who run it can be a little anal. We got locked out of the kitchen at night for a week because people weren't cleaning up after themselves properly. Also, beware of the showers -- go too early and they'll be too hot, go too late and they're freezing. The location is alright, most things in Montreal are walking distance but I wouldn't say this is the best area to hang out. I thought the beds were great -- they have little curtains so you feel like you're in a treehouse. Not so much space in between, but its a hostel after all and you have to make these kinds of concessions. And I'm not sure about sections being separate for men/women but from what I can remember that didn't exist -- the dorm is basically one massive room. Lots of college kids go here so if you're older I wouldn't recommend it. It's a cosy, handmade place and much more of an experience than staying at a HI or something generic like that, and they even have a stack of musical instruments you can use.
Comment by Claudia Validum, British
October 2007
1 A load of Rubbish!
Noise Noise Noise! I got six hours sleep in two days of staying in this dump! The staff either did not speak english or were arrogant and rude and refused to speak english! I paid for a "private" cabin only to find it was situated in the middle of the courtyard where all the main goings-on were! I got absolutely no sleep and when i complained, the staff did not care and told me to deal with the problem myself! I am sure the deflated air bed we got is covered in bedbugs as i am writing this from the "hostel" now!. Do not stay here. Do not pay to stay here. Stay clear from this hostel. Any complaints you have, no matter how big or small, they will not give a damn or compensate you.
Comment by sandy, USA
August 2007
3 decent
this place is a great concept (although hard to find because the entrance actually displays a sign for the entrance to a separate hotel), especially since the private rooms are all separate little cabins, but there are a few small issues. the bathrooms are far from the cabins so if you stay there its not really convenient to get up and go to them, especially during the night. some of the dorm beds are private but with some of them i would have had privacy issues. there are quiet hours which i guess are not always followed but if theyre not there's someone at the front desk 24/7 that you can call and theyre supposed to make everybody shut up. also the courtyard is a really nice place where people can (and do) gather, meet, and hang out. great atmosphere there
Comment by bug-bitten and abused!
June 2007
1 Aggresive staff in a bug-infested dump!
My my! where to start? this place was sheer hell! I woke up on a deflated mattress (three times!) covered in bed bug bites, then to find out this is a recurring infestation that they tackle case by case, instead of evacuating the place properly to give it a thorough fumigation, hence the problem never gets resolved. They don't seem to think it's a big deal. I asked to be refunded my last night because I had been ravaged by the little buggers, only to be given an outright "no chance!" and confronted by a seriously aggressive jobsworth, who could speak perfect English but chose to shout in my face in French, aware I couldn't speak the language. When i stood my ground under the intimidation, Eric called the police without hesitation, claiming I wouldn't pay, only for them, on seeing my bite-covered face and body, to suggest I inform the tourist board of the goings-on. They provided me with the phone number, and a scornful look for the fool who had wasted their time! Needless to say, I will be following through with their advice, and hope that everyone will give this breeding ground for filthy beasties a miss! (and i ain't just talking about the bedbugs!
Comment by Ed
June 2006
4 This hostel has very nice owners and the beds were all made by the owner I think. Its like a big den and very cozy. Air mattresses unfortunately but they are okay. Free internet and breakfast was provided. Montreal is known for its bagels and I found out why! YUM!!! The only bad thing about this hostel was the noise. Because the way the hostel is set-up everything is in one huge room but apparently in summer they have someone in the hostel at night to make sure its quiet.
Comment by Laura
May 2006
4 I recently stayed at this hostel and loved it! It has a very cozy and fun atmosphere! I very much enjoyed the place. There was free breakfast, free laundry, free internet, and free calls within North America!
Comment by Anonymous
June 2005
2 I recently stayed here — it's definitely a low-privacy, lots of noise sort of place. The courtyard is like a lumberyard, full of wood and dust. One night there was a massive, all-night party in the courtyard, which is right through large open windows. Also, the bunks are plywood with air mattresses, which don't really provide any comfortable sleep. The only benefit was the price.
Comment by Dustin
March 2005
5 Great accommodations, great space, great location near many clubs and bars, and great people running this place. I would definitely recommend it to anybody looking to have a good time in Montreal.
Have you visited this hostel? Post your comments here.

9 of 24


Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide.

Exclusive Photos Taken by the Hostelz.com Reviewer
Additional Photos

Hostelz.com Poll
Which do you use for opinions when choosing a hostel?
Comments from Hostelz.com Users (the ones with star ratings)
Hostelz.com's own Exclusive Reviews
Both
Not sure / don't understand
Other: