The Hostelz.com Review
The SameSun Backpacker Lodge is located in downtown Vancouver and is central to many sights in the city. It is also directly across the street from an HI hostel. However, the lack of safe and available street parking is inconvenient for guests with cars. The hostel staff recommends that you park at a nearby Holiday Inn parking garage, but this option is very expensive.
The common area of the hostel is sizeable and includes a pool table and separate room for watching movies and TV. The kitchen is large and has a free pancake breakfast every morning. There are also lots of computers with pay internet.
The hostel definitely has a party atmosphere. The most striking feature of the hostel is the Beaver Bar, located on the first floor near the front desk. The bar serves food and is a convenient option for starting your night. Noise from the bar is not an issue (but we were in a room two floors up).
The dorm rooms and the bathrooms are decently clean. The door to each room is painted with a different country's flag, giving the hostel a bright and appealing look. The hostel has many small dorm rooms (suitable for four people) rather than a few large ones, so those traveling in groups can sometimes arrange to have a room to themselves. Be warned, however, that the bunk beds are extremely squeaky.
The hostel coordinates lots of activities for its guests, for example, a weekly outing to tour the Granville Island Brewery. We did not have the chance to participate, so it is hard to say if these activities are well attended or if they truly help guests interact and meet new people.
The common area of the hostel is sizeable and includes a pool table and separate room for watching movies and TV. The kitchen is large and has a free pancake breakfast every morning. There are also lots of computers with pay internet.
The hostel definitely has a party atmosphere. The most striking feature of the hostel is the Beaver Bar, located on the first floor near the front desk. The bar serves food and is a convenient option for starting your night. Noise from the bar is not an issue (but we were in a room two floors up).
The dorm rooms and the bathrooms are decently clean. The door to each room is painted with a different country's flag, giving the hostel a bright and appealing look. The hostel has many small dorm rooms (suitable for four people) rather than a few large ones, so those traveling in groups can sometimes arrange to have a room to themselves. Be warned, however, that the bunk beds are extremely squeaky.
The hostel coordinates lots of activities for its guests, for example, a weekly outing to tour the Granville Island Brewery. We did not have the chance to participate, so it is hard to say if these activities are well attended or if they truly help guests interact and meet new people.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006
Their Description
SameSun Backpacker Lodge - Vancouver Details
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SameSun Backpacker Lodge - Vancouver Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
I liked it! Clean, great staff, fun, cool bar, and cheap drinks! — Anonymous , usa (2011-02-14) BedBugs. Bedbugs and they didn't seem to care. Poor. Need I say more. — AnonymousJoe , Austria (2010-04-24) Inconsistent We stayed here twice. The first time was great, our room was fairly large, the staff at the front desk gave us lots of advice and all in all there were no hassles. The second time however, we arrived mid morning and told check in wasnt until 3 p.m. So we went for a walk for a few hours, came back at 3:15 p.m. and were told our room still was not cleaned and we would have to wait another hour at least! We were cold and tired after having traveled and were not very happy. As we could use the facilities still we decided to take a hot shower only to have the cleaners complain that we were in there. When checking out, the girl behind the counter completely ignored us although we were waiting in line and she continued to help every male around us. When my friend asked if we could please check out as we had a flight to catch the guy behind the desk rudely said they were busy. He then snatched our room keys off us, basically threw our deposit money back and didnt even thank us for our stay. All in all its a fairly good backpackers, its ok priced, good location (Granville isnt that dodgy) and theres a good party atmosphere. Some of the staff need attitude readjustments for sure, although have to say Dave was awesome and so helpful, he is the nicest one working there for sure! — Taz , Australian (2008-12-09) Not a good choice if you want to sleep All i wanted was to get some sleep after my huge flight over and the bar was pumping music well into the night. Good location, tasty food at the bar, nice people. But just not a good choice when you have jet lag or arent a party-well-into-the-night person. — Emma , New Zealand (2008-03-17) OK Attended in April 2007. Good location if you are a clubber, shopping addict or library fan! Staff is nice. Access with digicode. Free pancakes for breakfast with nice common spaces. We were in a private room and nothing to say even if we were next to the laundry! Place is quite clean but effort could be made (common spaces and WC). — French guy , France (2007-10-07) Not Clean, and too many transients Pros, Good location, in-house bar, cheap and party party party!! Cons, DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY! Cleaning is not a priority at this hostel! Also, this hostel lets people stay for months at a time and a lot of these long term guests are into some really heavy drugs. The bunks are the crappy steel tubing kind and are too short for tall guys like me. When I got into my dorm I noticed one of my dorm mates had left his coke mirror and straw out on his bed. The washrooms are so bad I felt the need to wear my sandals into the shower. The staff are mostly friendly although sometimes the stress of dealing with a few dozen drunken, coked up guests shows through so try to be understanding of that. Because this hostel lets people stay for months there is an already existing social scene and many of these long term residents don't warm up quick to outsiders, unless you're female in which case you need to be really careful at this hostel. I really like party/social hostels, but this one just didn't click for me, it's way too dirty. — Steve , Canadian (2007-06-13) This is an ok hostel, the rooms are small, and the bunks are the noisy steel type. The bathrooms are good and clean. They do go hard promoting the party atmosphere. As a result the hostel is very noisy until late. The bar is ok, not really that cheap though, you can get better atmosphere (but maybe not better prices) drinking down the street with the locals. All in all it's a fine option. — Rob (2006-12-23) I stayed here a few years ago when it was Global Village Backpackers -- then it was the best hostel I have ever stayed at, before or since. The best atmosphere, incredible staff who felt like good friends after only a short time, cool guests, nightlife without equal inside the hostel and out, perfect location. I liked it so much I stayed for four months and had the time of my life. Since the Samesun takeover though, they put the prices up, discouraging longer term guests, sanitised the experience, ripped the sinks out from the dorm rooms (which used to be a great bonus), all the cool staff left, and now this hostel is average, which is a real shame. Now it's a booze-up venue for people in for a few days only, I guess still worth staying in if you're passing through but I couldn't stay here after what I experienced last time, as it has changed so much for the worse. — Sternip (2006-12-12) I stayed here for three nights first time round, and then another couple of nights after visiting Samesun in Kelowna (which I also highly recommend). I loved this place and the staff rocked. I was here at the end of 2004 for some snowboarding. There were heaps of cool people, we played five-hundred for hours, the location is perfect for sifting around the city. I didn't find the neighbourhood at all dodgy. Mind you I might have just been too naive to know! Anyway, the staff helped me organise a trip up to Big White, were really good with directions, tips, and fun stuff. Plenty of cool people staying there. Yep, the rooms are a bit on the small side, but pay a bit extra and get the single room. I was there when the bar was just opening so it might have gotten rowdier since then but overall, great place to stay! — Phil (2006-12-05) Be sure to obtain a confirmation number from staff members when/if you call. I booked a week and my reservation was lost when I turned up. Maybe I didn't fit in. Very boozy young, scene, and an obvious street problem at this time of year which makes Canadian immigration and reception staff very picky about who they let in. I looked smart but probably rather older than most. Scruffy people tend to be detained and refused at the border particularly if travelling by bus. A drug counsellor friend in Vancouver puts the issue down to a rampant cystal-meth/drug problem and waves of the destitute drifting up from California. This puts at least one block in the central area (China Town end of Hastings Street) off-limits at night to lone-backpackers like me. Sorry Samesun, but after travelling all over the world for five years, this is the first time I've been let down with a lost reservation, and arriving late at night in a city rather too full of homeless, drug addicts, and beggars made an unwelcome experience. — Nickgonewalkabout (2006-08-22) If you're looking for a cheap, clean place to sleep and take a shower, this is not the place. The SameSun is set up for party animals who are too drunk to care about where they sleep. On a scale of five, cleanliness is about two, and the building is very poorly maintained. There were holes in the doors, cracked plaster, and my room had random spots of mysterious goo smeared on the walls. The main stairway smelled of vomit. Most of the people staying there are partying constantly, so there is plenty of noise at all hours, not to mention the insanity that is Granville street below your window. — Evan (2006-08-21) Great location, and bedrooms fine. However, a lot of people lived in the hostel which made people staying for a few days feel like they were invading other people's space, would be better if they had a maximum stay. Some staff were really nice and others were horrible and rude, as well as unhelpful. Even in the bar downstairs newcomers are made to feel unwelcome and pushed out for the live-ins or regulars from outside hostel. Also, the noise on Friday and Saturday nights is insane, people yelling down the corridors at four a.m., when i asked some to keep the noise down i was rudely asked to "turn the music up" and a member of staff was present at the time who remained silent. Price is good though, and breakfast is a bonus. Not sure if we'd stay here again but price/location are pretty hard to beat. — Vicky and Ali (2006-06-14) I stayed here one night, and it was crowded, hot and awkward. The air was thick and the bathroom was a small room down the hall for one, so you had to wait. It wasn't particularly friendly, though it was clean enough and quiet after 11. I wouldn't stay there again, though I don't have any gripes about it. — LoneStranger (2005-08-25) I was here last winter and the place rocked. It's crap now, and the staff suck. — Anonymous (2005-01-16) There were only four people to a room and you could actually sit up on your top bunk without hitting your head. I would call the rooms cozy more than cramped. You're not really supposed to stay in them a whole bunch anyway. I thought the rooms were a fine size for sleeping and getting dressed to experience the city for a day.
As for the neighborhood (if it scares you), you walk one block left or right and you're out of it. It's just that section of Granville Street.
This is one of the best-designed hostels I've seen. Each door had a different flag painted on it, and that design was carried throughout the hostel. All over the halls were posters from past workers who had put their "top tens" (things to do, eat, places to see). There was a lot of valuable information on the posters (and in the lobby). I thought it was fabulous. — Anonymous (2005-01-12)