The Hostelz.com Review
If you looking more for a quiet and homey place in a stressful and hectic city like Toronto, then the private-owned Clarence Castle Backpacker is an excellent place for you to stay, whether for a couple of nights or for long-term. It's a small place where about thirty people can stay. The owners and their staff are very friendly, they help you out with all your little problems -- it feels like home.
The Location
The hostel is situated on a park area just opposite a small and quiet street. It will take you about a five-minute walk to go down to the Toronto's waterfront. Shops, bars, restaurants, and clubs on King Street can be reached within five minutes and there is a gas station right next to the hostel. From St. Andrews metro station you will need about fifteen minutes by foot or you can take the streetcar (506, 504 -- west) on King Street to Spadina Street and there just around the corner is the hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms sleep five to six people -- they have mixed rooms as well as rooms only for boys and girls -- and come with their own bathroom (shower and bath) and a lavatory. There is plenty of space in the rooms and the beds are in a high position so that you can store your luggage underneath. It is all very clean and tidy. You get free linen, sheets and towels during your stay. Security seems very good with locking doors for each room and even to get into the hostel you need a key.
Common Spaces
The common area on the ground floor is next to the office which is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (if you call them you can arrange earlier or later check-ins). It's got chairs as well as couches to relax and a big flat TV. They do have a book shelf for book exchange and there are as well games which you can use for free. They do have an outside area (balcony) on the second floor where you can make a BBQ, enjoy the view of the CN-Tower, or just relax in the sun. The kitchen is on the first floor and is very clean and with everything you need (there aretwo fridges and a cooler as well as foot lockers). They provide free tea (different flavors) and coffee the whole day, as well as various cornflakes. There is a TV with DVD player between the first and the second floor. As well there is free wireless internet (very good connection all the time) but you can use the computers from the hostel too.
Summary
This hostel is the best hostel we stayed in so far. You do not feel like you're in the middle of a big city -- it's quiet and there are easy people around -- you can have a nice evening in front of the TV or a have a party or BBQ on the roof. It is very clean, tidy, secure, and in a great location -- everything you need in a hostel really. It has been rated the best hostel in North America in 2008 and we can agree. But be aware -- since there is just room for about thirty people and they are outstanding, you should book early to stay in that hostel.
The Location
The hostel is situated on a park area just opposite a small and quiet street. It will take you about a five-minute walk to go down to the Toronto's waterfront. Shops, bars, restaurants, and clubs on King Street can be reached within five minutes and there is a gas station right next to the hostel. From St. Andrews metro station you will need about fifteen minutes by foot or you can take the streetcar (506, 504 -- west) on King Street to Spadina Street and there just around the corner is the hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms sleep five to six people -- they have mixed rooms as well as rooms only for boys and girls -- and come with their own bathroom (shower and bath) and a lavatory. There is plenty of space in the rooms and the beds are in a high position so that you can store your luggage underneath. It is all very clean and tidy. You get free linen, sheets and towels during your stay. Security seems very good with locking doors for each room and even to get into the hostel you need a key.
Common Spaces
The common area on the ground floor is next to the office which is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (if you call them you can arrange earlier or later check-ins). It's got chairs as well as couches to relax and a big flat TV. They do have a book shelf for book exchange and there are as well games which you can use for free. They do have an outside area (balcony) on the second floor where you can make a BBQ, enjoy the view of the CN-Tower, or just relax in the sun. The kitchen is on the first floor and is very clean and with everything you need (there aretwo fridges and a cooler as well as foot lockers). They provide free tea (different flavors) and coffee the whole day, as well as various cornflakes. There is a TV with DVD player between the first and the second floor. As well there is free wireless internet (very good connection all the time) but you can use the computers from the hostel too.
Summary
This hostel is the best hostel we stayed in so far. You do not feel like you're in the middle of a big city -- it's quiet and there are easy people around -- you can have a nice evening in front of the TV or a have a party or BBQ on the roof. It is very clean, tidy, secure, and in a great location -- everything you need in a hostel really. It has been rated the best hostel in North America in 2008 and we can agree. But be aware -- since there is just room for about thirty people and they are outstanding, you should book early to stay in that hostel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
May 2009
Their Description
Clarence Castle Details
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Review by older canadian i love cleanliness and courtesy. i do prefer minimal rules, the live and let live mentality. now you will understand why i felt so badly during my stay at clarence castle. i was more of an extended stay guest. still, there were many such guests at that time. the following is a list of the humiliations i suffered: i was forced to change rooms every 2 nights; i was verbally insulted at breakfast; i was made fun of while cooking dinner; i was verbally threatened by a male guest (for accidentally waking him up (yet the staff did nothing, in fact they blamed me in full); i was kicked out for accidentally submitting a large print job (30 pages); i was told that many complaints had been filed against me (a blatant lie); i was told that i was a trouble maker ... the truth was that the owners did not like me (nationality, gender, age); yes it is true and very sad. i love clean and safe accommodations, that is why i chose clarence castle but it was not worth the humiliation i suffered; spend your money elsewhere. — Anonymous , canada (2011-09-13) Very, very bad experience Got bitten by bedbugs two nights in a row, and then decided to leave. Was met by a rude sarcastic tone by the manager (I understand he was unhappy about the bedbugs, but why should I care? I was unhappy with the 20+ bites on my arms, too, but he didn't seem to give a toss. As if it was all my fault). Called the owner, who promised me a refund on the two nights I didn't spend there -- I'm still waiting for this money!! No one seems to be in charge -- there's two guys, one (during the day i guess) who seemed alright and another one who's just the owner's son (barely speaks English and spends all his time on the roof, living the good life -- I don't really like feeling like running after the guy in charge and feeling like I'm bothering hime when/if I need something). I guess that works when you don't have any problem, but should there be one they won't be fixing anything cause they plain don't know how to fix it. No ladder for the upper bunks -- yep, you have to climb to go to bed. Rooms are really small, hardly any space to put your stuff anywhere that's not in the way. Don't know about the breakfast. Seemed less lively than other hostels I've stayed in (but again, I only stayed 2 nights); cleanliness is alright except for bedbugs. Plus sides: free internet and good location, but seriously that's it. I wasn't in Toronto for long, meaning this seriously ruined my trip. Never coming back. — Anonymous (2011-08-27) Consider booking somewhere else Clarence castle really wasn't terrible. But it wasn't great. I got a taxi to 8 Clarence square and liked the living room beside the reception area. However, then I was told my room was in 10 clarence square, a separate building 2 doors down. The dorm room was a bit of a hovel with long-stay guests (one lived there for 3 months, another for 2 months). They had clothes and bags strewn all over the room and not enough shelving or storage for people staying this length of time. They worked irregular hours and made some noise when coming and going. They slept all day making the dorm room off limits for banter or recreation. The room didn't smell great and had poor ventilation as the windows could not be opened. Perfect breeding grounds for bedbugs (although luckily they had sorted that problem out before I got there). I rarely saw the manager as, being in number 10 you are pretty much forgotten about with regards to customer service. When I did speak with him he seemed accommodating if not a bit strange. Most of the other staff were French speaking. They knew nothing of "banter" e.g. "how was your trip. do you have anything planned in toronto". So they lay somewhere between glum and downright rude at times (although they seemed to be much livelier and accommodating to French-speaking guests). In a way I was happy #10 did not have a reception area. No one will ask you how your stay is going regardless of whether you've stayed there for 1 day or 2 weeks. The $2 breakfast was a joke and so badly organised most people don't bother with it. The fact it's only served in #8 meant it wasn't worth the hassle. They will also neglect to tell you of any special offers (7 nights for the price of 6) unless you enquire about the offer. On the plus side, the bathroom was kept clean (although towels were taken by staff and not replaced), the shared area was done up pretty well (even if the same dish sponges were there for months on end) and the wifi is reliable (although the PCs provided had adware installed). But at the end of the day, I don't recommend the dorm rooms & why would you pay a lot for a private room when you could book a hotel instead? — Antix , Irish (2010-12-13) Lame Bedbugs and also never any staff there when you need them -- need i say more! — ANNE , England (2009-04-16) A miserable ordeal I was looking for a clean and quiet (and relatively inexpensive) place to stay in Toronto for a few days, and I booked into this place based on some of the more positive reviews here. What a mistake. Imagine the worst border/customs officials you've ever met - then imagine PAYING THEM to live in their house and under their 'rules' and 24hr scrutiny. After I'd checked in, the people who run this place made a point of repeatedly insulting me at every possible opportunity and for absolutely no reason. I also remember receiving a particularly nasty glare from one of the owners. My crime? Attempting to initiate a friendly conversation with a fellow solo traveller.
This place ruined my experience of Toronto. My advice to those considering staying here would be to either pay a little more and get a proper hotel room or to stay at one of the other hostels in the city. — Columbus , UK (2008-07-30) Terrible The first time I rang the doorbell, the owner answered and just stood there staring at me. I thought he might have a problem with forty-plus-year-old guests. In any case, I chose to stay despite the irritatingly long list of childish rules. We were often forced to change rooms and beds every second or third day, to the point I almost left. And the derogatory comments made to the female guests in the kitchen during breakfast hours were not appreciated. Once I was made a spectacle of and called "little red riding hood" because I dared to appear in the kitchen in my pyjamas. Today the greatest humiliation came, I was kicked out of the hostel because in essence I printed too many pages on the hostel printer. I felt that since I was not eating the free breakfast or drinking the free coffee that they would forgive this error. Sadly they did not. My advice to future female guests, Reserve at your own risk and humiliation. — mcgillengineer , US (2008-05-22) Loved it These guys have turned running a hostel into an art form. It's like a sanctuary for backpackers. The best hostel I've ever stayed in. — Curtis , United States (2008-03-30) Awful -- to be avoided I arrived at this hostel having spent a couple of nights at a different one in the downtown area. I had heard good things about Clarence Castle -- mainly about how clean and "peaceful" it is compared to most hostels. Looking back, I think that it was that description that proved to be my undoing. The relatively clean and quiet nature of the place is certainly apparent when you walk in, and it encourages you to check in. What isn't immediately obvious however is that the place is managed by two shockingly serious guys who spend their entire time eyeing with great suspicion what all the guests are doing -- even if all you're doing is reading a book or quietly on one of their computers or something. In the morning, I went to make a coffee in the kitchen and one of the owners, who was vacuuming nearby, actually came over, stood next to me, and ordered that I wash the coffee mug again because he assumed (without any justification) that I hadn't done a good enough job of it! Another time, the other owner angrily interrupted me from chatting to another backpacker (I was asking about getting directions somewhere) and told me that if I wanted information on something that I should address him only, and not hassle the other guests! He totally and unnecessarily embarrassed both of us. All in all, a huge shame. My stay at this place ruined my overall experience of Toronto. By the time I left, I was really glad to. It felt like I had been forced to join some weird cult just for the sake of a couple of night's sleep. — Trans-Canada backpacker , UK (2008-01-12) Make sure you are informed of/adhere to the rules -- four Star! Checking in after midnight looked to be a problem. I phoned and was told it wouldn't be -- someone would be around to let me in. Great! My plane on June 15th was late so by the time I found the hostel --- no one I asked directions knew of it, a kind native phoned it the place for me -- it was 1 a.m.! The New Zealander who let me in was a really nice guy, notwithstanding that he didn't know what to do with travelers cheques. He didn't show me the kitchen, which is fair enough because it was a trek upstairs and I agreed there was no need. Mistake! He showed me my private room -- good TV facilities, stripped wood, solid construction, restroom a couple of doors down, clean. Comfortable bed. In the morning I lay and read. Possibly I should have been out of the room a little earlier but it was nice to feel relaxed -- I was to move to a dorm for my second night (the dorm I was in had either four or six beds (in the form of bunks), mine was comfy -- the floors are wood but thankfully didn't creak much, the en-suite shower room/toilet was clean). Likes -- they had free internet, though only two Dell terminals. There didn't seem to be a time limit so I greedily took advantage to plan the rest of my stay! Obviously keep an eye out to see if anyone else is waiting. A nice woman sitting next to me was munching potato chips but trying to hide the bag. Eating outside of the dining area was against the rules, she said nervously. I didn't know that, but fine by me! I like a clean keyboard! Dislikes -- the guy who ran the place was decent about arriving late. In the event the nice employee from New Zealander didn't head off to bed for an hour or so after I arrived but hey, friendly service. But? The guy running the place has a very flirtatious/jokey/familiar manner that some might find overbearing. Put it this way, if you ran a hostel wouldn't you be flirtatious with everyone? I briefly met his wife and daughter. Nice folks. Nice hostel. Nice city (the nearby Coit Tower is overrated, unless you have money to spend inside!). My dislike was that he "caught" me eating in the kitchen-dining room after hours. I hadn't taken the sign on the door at face value about not eating after dinner hours -- the dining area is just outside one of the dorms so that's a good call, really but I was sitting munching raw food and I quietly pointed out to him that I hadn't used the kitchen and was being mouse-quiet -- actually, when I first entered there was a girl sitting there for a few minutes tapping away on a laptop and someone else went in as I was leaving. but he decided he wanted a piece of me. He pointed out the kitchen was outside a dorm room and I said I knew that. Now, ok, had I taken a tour of the place that first night and had I not being starving things would have played out differently, my bad, but his tone was gratuitously sarcastic and in the end just plain nasty -- "Eat up and get out." Point taken, I did, but good sir, take the stress away by putting a dorm lock on that door and print up a friendly rule card to give to customers at check in! In the morning in the dining area he was chatting away to someone. I felt ignored and no eye contact at check out. Kind of sad but all the best to him. In conclusion, if like me you like quiet and clean and make sure you know the rules and if you don't find jokey but well meaning flirtation overbearing, this is more obviously a four-star hostel. though there is a small television area this isn't a place that lends itself to the hostel experience of meeting many fellow travelers. — Andrew , Scottish (2007-09-08) Great, quiet, and clean hostel It's the best hostel we've been to and we have seen a lot during our travels. It's not a party place but a friendly environment and you can party outside. The guys are very friendly and try to help you. We enjoyed our stay! — German Sisters , Germany (2007-07-20) Excellent! My first hostel experience. I stayed there last summer with my fifteen-year-old daughter and it was a really great place to stay. Danny was very friendly and helpful. We stayed in a six-bed room with bathroom. There was one other person in the room when we were there. The place is very clean. Quiet pleasant atmosphere. We walked everywhere and felt very safe. Will stay there the next time in Toronto. Highly recommended! — Renee , USA (2007-06-14) It's alright Upon arrival, I had to ring the doorbell three times to get someone to open the door, the owner wasn't happy that I did that but he did make me wait a long time before he opened the door. The check-in was a bit slow since the owner likes to talk to set tons of rules for the hostel as he sat in his "office" which is a closet. This Hostel is located in the heart of downtown and very convenient for the traveler. In general the hostel is clean, however the bathroom that was in my room was neat because we kept it that way but they didn't clean it and the same garbage was there when I arrived and when I left. The owner seems to be full of sly remarks and comments, which are annoying, because I was on vacation I wasn't going to ruin it by fighting with him and having to look for a new place. He is a fake nice so if you can put up with it then stay there. — Gabriela , USA (2007-06-12) For those not looking to party every night they are in Toronto and are looking for a more quiet hostel then Clarence Castle is the place that you have been looking for. Everything is brand new and the location can not be beat. Two minutes to Chinatown, even closer to the Fashion district, the clubbing district is a short stumble from and the CN Tower is two blocks away. For a little bit extra my mate and I shared a private room for almost three weeks. This room exceeded all expectations of a hostel. The two beds (double and twin) were new and comfortable, free wi-fi internet, Plasma TV w/cable and a DVD player. If you don't have your own laptop there are two PCs for you to use the internet on and it won't cost you a thing. There's a TV room with DVD player and and cable as well as a separate reading room with many books. The kitchen is new and clean with free breakfast (cereal, fruit, toast) until 11:30 a.m. The owners are always friendly, helpful, and accommodating for all their guests. Clarence Castle is by far the best hostel I have ever stayed in -- the only problem is that it was too hard to leave. — Mark , Australia (2007-05-01) I have stayed in a fair few hostels in my travels and Clarence Castle is by far the best. It has a relaxed atmosphere and the owners are obviously very proud of there establishment. This is reflected by the way they present it and themselves. I met some great people there and had a great time. The only thing I would add would be a nintendo Wii and a separate toilet or bathroom for those who get in late and do not want to wake up the fellow roomies. Overall an excellent place that felt moor like home than a hostel. I will be back to visit. — Greg Brosnan Australia excellent (2007-01-24) I'm not a partier and I appreciated the quiet atmosphere of this hostel. The rooms were immaculate (if a bit hot) and I really liked the fact that there was a reading/conversation room separate from the TV room. The free internet was a nice touch and I didn't have to wait in line to use the computers and you just can't beat the location. It's within sight of the CN Tower and on a street car line just a few blocks south of a subway stop. I will definitely stay again and will be recommending it to everyone I know. The only other hostel I've stayed at in Toronto was an absolute dive by comparison. — Karen Golec (2006-10-29)