The Hostelz.com Review
The SameSun Ski Lodge - Big White is a unique hostel as it has great ski-in/ski-out access to the extensive Big White Ski Resort yet still offers all the affordability and facilities you'd expect to find in a typical backpackers' hostel. Operating during the ski season (November to April), the location is great at only two minutes' walk from the heart of the on-mountain village centre and the resort's many retail shops, ski rentals, supermarket, liquor store, and popular night spots Snowshoe Sam's and Raakels.
Eight-bed, four-bed, private, kitchenette, and deluxe rooms are available and the loungy TV and entertainment area is a good social point to watch ice hockey and meet your new ride buddies for next morning's first powder runs. The kitchen and bathrooms are clean, thanks to staff who stay free in exchange for part-time housekeeping. The communal hot tub is a definite bonus!
The free, cook-your-own Canadian pancake breakfast every morning is very much appreciated for the first few days until you eventually crave something a bit more substantial. Internet facilities appear on the pricey side until compared with other on-mountain options. There are laundry facilities, lockers in the dorms (bring your own lock!), and basic linen/towels available with deposit.
The Big White SameSun offers a variety of services to backpackers and the considerable number of mountain staff who stay permanently or until they find accommodation. Daily shuttle services are available from the Kelowna SameSun Backpacker Lodge and affordable group activities are run weekly (think pumpkin carving for Halloween, bonfires, discounted sports tickets). In the end, if you are here to ride, the hostel is basic but great for a social and amazingly cheap on-mountain stay.
Eight-bed, four-bed, private, kitchenette, and deluxe rooms are available and the loungy TV and entertainment area is a good social point to watch ice hockey and meet your new ride buddies for next morning's first powder runs. The kitchen and bathrooms are clean, thanks to staff who stay free in exchange for part-time housekeeping. The communal hot tub is a definite bonus!
The free, cook-your-own Canadian pancake breakfast every morning is very much appreciated for the first few days until you eventually crave something a bit more substantial. Internet facilities appear on the pricey side until compared with other on-mountain options. There are laundry facilities, lockers in the dorms (bring your own lock!), and basic linen/towels available with deposit.
The Big White SameSun offers a variety of services to backpackers and the considerable number of mountain staff who stay permanently or until they find accommodation. Daily shuttle services are available from the Kelowna SameSun Backpacker Lodge and affordable group activities are run weekly (think pumpkin carving for Halloween, bonfires, discounted sports tickets). In the end, if you are here to ride, the hostel is basic but great for a social and amazingly cheap on-mountain stay.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
December 2006
Their Description
The Urban Retreat Hostel - Big White Details
|
|
(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Map Location/ContactHow is The Urban Retreat Hostel - Big White rated on other websites?
No reviews yet.
No reviews yet.
The Urban Retreat Hostel - Big White Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Not that great -- but where else are you going to go? The hostel itself resembles a concrete barracks inside, the hot tub is kinda skanky, and the common room is more like the staffs own party zone but you're not here for the atmosphere. You're here for the snowboarding, and for this the location can't be beat. The staff are indifferent at best; they act like this place is their own private clubhouse and the guests are a nuisance to be put up with. Expect a lot of exasperated sighs, groans, and glares (unless you're Australian). I've stayed here a few times over various name and/or management changes, and I'll probably stay here again. Each time it gets a little worse, but where else are you going to go? A good place to hit the slopes from, but that's about it. — binderdundat , Canada (2010-01-17) I stayed in this hostel last March. At the time, they were combining the two hostels into one. I shared a dorm room with my friend. The location can't be beat! It's a ski in/ski out hostel, literally. The room we stayed in had a TV and bunk beds. It was clean and reasonably comfortable. During our visit, one of the two computers were not working. The hot tub was non-existant (I believe it was still at the other hostel.) The pancake breakfast was also not an option, unless we hiked back up to the old hostel that was being torn down. We made the mistake of doing that the first day, only to find a box of pancake mix on the counter. No syrup or any other food or beverage product anywhere in the kitchen! We got smart after that and stocked up on our own food supplies, which we were able to keep in our room, which featured a mini-kitchen. All in all, not bad. I'm going to assume that things have improved since our stay, as both hostels are now one. The staff was friendly and helpful, which I find to be almost as important as cleanliness and a good mattress! — Inasuitcase (2004-02-14) The rooms are newly rennovated: hardwood floors, new bunks, mini fridges. It almost felt like home. Very large building. And you can actually ski right in!! — Will (2003-01-11)