C & N Backpackers (Central Station Hostel)

I have lived in Vancouver all my life so i know it like the back of my hand. I haven't stayed at this hostel but I know the area and I'll let you all know this is not the place or area to stay in. it is possibly one of the worst areas in Vancouver. Trust me on this I drive by it regularly and I would not want fellow travelers to stay in such a dangerous and unsafe location (if I could underline dangerous and unsafe I wish I could). You are honestly safer staying in the train station beside it. No joke.

Don't sleep in this hostel. The spring mattress was so bad that you better can sleep on the ground. The mattress was too old that you can feel everywhere the spring. The staff are not friendly. They let you pay too much.

I have never stayed in this "hostel" but I would like to reiterate what several people here have said: DO NOT stay here! This is about the last neighborhood in Vancouver — no, make that Canada — that you want to stay in as a traveler! Run away. Zero stars.

It's a nightmare to stay in this hostel. The first night was so cold and noisy, people were yelling and screaming under the window. I couldn't sleep until 3 o'clock in the morning. The bed sheet was dirty and smelled. The floor was wet, and the window was cracked and full of dirt. The second night when I tried to go to the washroom at 12:30, there was a man murmuring at the end of the hall staring at me like he was drunk. I was shocked and slammed the door and stayed in my room, and waited 45 minutes to go to the washroom. When I opened my door for the second time, the same man was standing right in front of me with the same drunken look. I screamed and closed the door immediately. The whole night I was awake nervously and planned to jump out of the window in case he broke in. I tried to locate another hotel the next day but there was no vacancy until the next day. So I had to stay for the third night. There was a group of young people who checked in that day, so I felt a bit safer, but when I went to the washroom the next morning at 5 o'clock I saw a naked man in the ladies' washroom. I yelled at him and ran back to my room (He said he was taking a shower) I used my cell phone to report it to the receptionist, but he was reluctant to do anything. I waited another half-hour to go to the washroom again, and when I turned the key to open the door it was unbelievable, that man was still inside the ladies' room brushing his teeth. I yelled at him loudly and he finally left the washroom (there is a men's washroom on the same floor). After using the washroom, I decided to leave the place right away without hesitation even though it was still dark outside. I am worried about the safety of those young girls who stay there.

ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. The neighborhood is unsafe. The hostel itself was disgusting. There was mold growing all over the shower, gross stains all over the sheets, and we just had a little slider for our door lock. In the early hours of the morning we had people climb up the fire escape and start pounding on and body-slamming our door trying to get in (there was no lock on the fire escape door). We watched blatant drug deals going on in the park below our window the next morning. The whole place stunk like urine, sweat and pot. They are EXTREMELY misleading with their ads and information. It wasn't even worth the cheap rate we got.

I meant to stay here at the start of '02. I saw it on a flyer and it was cheap so I booked ahead. Upon arrival I had to ask the driver where it was, as I couldn't see any sign! He pointed to a green door on a rundown building we stopped outside of. I went in by myself, as I was meeting my friends there later on. After checking in and paying a deposit for my room key I saw what a dump the room was. I thought I would fall through the staircase as I walked up, the room door could be easily broken into, and the lockers were too narrow to fit in anything. Not to mention the smell of the place. After witnessing a guy try to chew his hands off in the kitchen, my friends finally arrived and said we're leaving. They hadn't even bothered to go inside earlier on, after witnessing some crack whores get arrested outside! No kidding... All this happened. Without hesitation we checked out despite the fact we had already paid in advance by credit card. So I can't say I officially stayed overnight, but I certainly wouldn't consider it in future!

My boyfriend and I booked a private room for two nights last summer and it served its purpose as a place to sleep, but I wouldn't stay there again. We were thrilled to be within walking distance of the bus station, Chinatown, the beach and lake, and spent as much time as possible in those places rather than at the hostel. It smelled like smoke throughout and the sheets were suspect — lots of pot-smoking on the fire escape, a seedy bar downstairs, and people yelling at each other at all hours. The door's lock seemed flimsy; I wouldn't have stayed there alone. It seemed to be a haven for some permanent stragglers. Walking around on a quiet Monday evening felt a bit dangerous; we encountered some rats, prostitutes and an adult movie house nearby. Despite this I wasn't too bothered as C & N was just a place to sleep, but my mother would have been horrified.

Yup, this place smelled of a unique combination: cigarettes, weed, vomit and armpit all rolled into one. Although it is in close proximity to the train/bus station, the convenience is really not worth spending a night here. Splurge and stay somewhere decent. Ladies, please do not even attempt to go anywhere around this place alone or at night. On the bright side, I found the guy behind the desk pretty friendly. He did his best to give us one of the more decent rooms. It was pretty cheap too. Luckily I was there with good company; it could have been an even worse sh*t-hole and it wouldn't have mattered too much, I suppose.

I have traveled alone to 21 countries and stayed in hostels in third world countries, but this hostel by far was the WORST! Never have I felt as unsafe or as uncomfortable as I did here. I had an old man barge in my room screaming, "Don't you sleep here, the place is full of weirdoes!! They will tie you up and rape you!" The only other girl I shared the room with (who clearly was living there) had her curling iron plugged in and kept running it along the wall and mirror and occasionally touching her neck with it. I was afraid to turn my back in her to go to sleep. At 11 p.m. fire alarms started going off and did not stop for over two hours! I slept in my clothes and was out of there very early the next morning. I did not see any other travelers, and I definitely DO NOT recommend this place!

My room was anything, but clean. I decided to book a room with a shower. The room smelt strongly of cigarettes and everything I touched was covered in layers of yellow stain under the dust. It was impossible to view the TV as it was filthy. The shower was dirty, but the toilet relatively clean. The bed only had a bottom sheet on it and that looked crumpled and not very clean. I went down to the desk and the man behind the counter asked me to look after the desk whilst he went and searched for another sheet. He told me the cleaner was so old and did not speak English and did not understand about beds needed 2 sheets. Whilst in the reception area two men rushed in and used the pay phone. They were obviously people with mental health or drug problems and were quite abusive to me for no reason. When the receptionist returned I asked about these men and was told that it was easier to let them use the phone than not to. I was given another rather old crumpled sheet to put on the bed. I wish I had had my sheet sleeping bag with me. The general decor was not good at all. I have stayed in hostels in Mexico, Peru and Bolivia and I have never expected perfection, but those hostels were considerably better that this one in Vancouver. I was kept awake for most of the night by severely drunk men outside and right under my window. They were trying to get into the hostel I believe. I was quite perturbed about this and would have really worried if my daughter or any other young person had stayed in a place like this. The room was not that cheap and cost me $49.44(US).

I remember the Ivanhoe all too well from my drinking days. The fact that it is now called the Central Station Hostel changes nothing. It is a scum pit in the middle of Skid Row, and I would be truly concerned for the safety of any young woman travelling alone who decides to stay there. Avoid this place at all costs.

It is overall a good hostel in a good location. It has cheap rates, and is very quiet.

This is a hostel in name only. What it is, is a spruced-up skid row hotel -- the Ivanhosed -- with a surly staff and a clientele with few travelers and more creepy down-and-outers. The hostile staff was unaware of the reservation I'd made online and supposedly had paid a deposit on. I had things taken from my room. My second morning I asked if I should pay then or when I returned from my day wandering the city. The latter was fine, they said. I returned late that afternoon to find my room emptied of my belongings and manager scowling at me. I got everything back except a razor, a bottle of lotion and shampoo, a tooth brush and one sandal. Yeah, they took my tooth brush and right sandal. The web description makes it sound decent –- it's not -– and it's certainly not recommended.

There are two C&N hostels near the train station. This is the second one, and make sure you stay in this one. It is a block farther but nicer, cleaner and does not have a very crappy bar downstairs.

I was frightened by this hostel entirely. Although at a convenient location (right beside the train/bus station) and a decent nightly rate, the hostel is not at all comfortable. The kitchen is not equipped with anything other than pots. The bathrooms appeared to have never been cleaned and the staff seemed to have come out from under a bridge. Not to mention the dirty "old man" bar on the main floor of the hostel. If your looking for one cheap night take your chances, two nights or more or if your looking for comfort I'd go elsewhere and spend a few extra bucks.