The Hostelz.com Review
The HI - Victoria is located at 516 Yates Street in downtown Victoria on Vancouver Island. From the bus terminal walk north on Douglas Street for six blocks until you reach Yates Street then turn left on Yates and walk for another three blocks. If arriving by air you can take the Akal Airport Shuttle and for a price they will bring you right downtown.
The Hostel offers female dorms, co-ed dorm rooms, and a limited number of private rooms. There is also a massive forty-four-bed, all-male dorm room which is apparently the biggest in Canada! So you may wish to ask at reception for a free pair of earplugs if you are a light sleeping male. Each guest will also be given a locker to keep their belongings safe. Linen is provided and towels will be offered upon request. The hostel has a huge kitchen which has four stoves, two fridges, and four sinks. There is also ample work surface space and all the regular facilities.
The dining area seats over thirty people. There are two spacious lounge areas -- one contains a large book swap section, so feel free to take a book and leave one. You may also choose to play one of the many available board games. There is also a TV room which has cable TV and there are several movies to choose from. There is also a games room which has a coin-operated pool table and two table football. Coin-operated laundry facilities are also provided. The HI - Victoria also has free wireless internet and two computers with paid internet access.
Reception is open twenty-four hours a day, and the staff will happily book tours, sightseeing packages, and offer tourist information regarding Victoria and the surrounding area. They may even offer you a discounted price on some tourist activities. The hostel has several rules and regulations. Drinking and partying are both highly discouraged. Food and drink are not permitted in the TV lounge and sleeping quarters.
The male washrooms and showers are closed everyday for cleaning between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., which seems a bit excessive. Quiet hours start at 11 p.m., but you will not need to venture far if you wish to go out as there are several clubs, pubs, and bars all within easy walking distance of the hostel.
This HI is incredibly clean, offers great facilities, and has a good central location. It's not the place for those looking to party all night, but others will most likely find this hostel a great base to explore the charming city of Victoria.
The Hostel offers female dorms, co-ed dorm rooms, and a limited number of private rooms. There is also a massive forty-four-bed, all-male dorm room which is apparently the biggest in Canada! So you may wish to ask at reception for a free pair of earplugs if you are a light sleeping male. Each guest will also be given a locker to keep their belongings safe. Linen is provided and towels will be offered upon request. The hostel has a huge kitchen which has four stoves, two fridges, and four sinks. There is also ample work surface space and all the regular facilities.
The dining area seats over thirty people. There are two spacious lounge areas -- one contains a large book swap section, so feel free to take a book and leave one. You may also choose to play one of the many available board games. There is also a TV room which has cable TV and there are several movies to choose from. There is also a games room which has a coin-operated pool table and two table football. Coin-operated laundry facilities are also provided. The HI - Victoria also has free wireless internet and two computers with paid internet access.
Reception is open twenty-four hours a day, and the staff will happily book tours, sightseeing packages, and offer tourist information regarding Victoria and the surrounding area. They may even offer you a discounted price on some tourist activities. The hostel has several rules and regulations. Drinking and partying are both highly discouraged. Food and drink are not permitted in the TV lounge and sleeping quarters.
The male washrooms and showers are closed everyday for cleaning between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., which seems a bit excessive. Quiet hours start at 11 p.m., but you will not need to venture far if you wish to go out as there are several clubs, pubs, and bars all within easy walking distance of the hostel.
This HI is incredibly clean, offers great facilities, and has a good central location. It's not the place for those looking to party all night, but others will most likely find this hostel a great base to explore the charming city of Victoria.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2007
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HI - Victoria Hostel Details
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HI - Victoria Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Not Great The mens dorm is over 2o people. The windows are always open toward the street. The bars are open and the music loud until 4 am. The place is full of bums. This hostel sits back to back with a homeless shelter. The memory of this place I have is watching the staff smashing mice in the kitchen with spatulas and spoons. What a bloody mess! This place is full of mice and bed bugs and bums. Not a good experience. — RR , US (2008-11-19) large and i mean large dorms full of either workers or how can i say seedy looking customers who leave side doors propped open. best part was the guided walking tour and the sushi nearby, and the pub with live music up the street, and the little mexican across the street, and china town. hey i must have enjoyed my stay. — mil , welsh (2008-05-08) Average We weren't impressed with this hostel at all. I think it had been done up quite some time ago and hasn't been updated in a long time. The lights were permanently set to dim which gave the place a bit of a dingy atmosphere and many of the guests were strange old men. They also have rats, which freaked me out somewhat. I would not recommend this hostel — Anon , New Zealand (2007-11-26) Poor. Unfortunately there's not much good to say about this hostel. It smells funny, and the dorm is huge. Also apparently "co-ed" means male-female pairs or groups of females, but not groups of males which is a bit discriminatory. If you're a single guy or a group of guys you'll get put in the 44 bed dorm, probably right across from the really old guy who'll proceed to talk in his sleep all night. On top of all this you have your typical HI fun-police mentality and really old people who won't talk to you. This place made me depressed. — Steve , Canadian (2007-06-13) A very nice Hostel. The Staff was very friendly. All the people I met were nice, I even got invited by a couple of girls to got check out the sites, I accepted because I was there by myself. The Hostel it right downtown, a short walk to most of the major attractions in Victoria. Loved it! — Karl (2006-01-16) I wasn't crazy about this hostel. There were way too many beds in the dorm rooms, so if one person was up and moving around, the whole room woke up. Plus, the common areas felt a bit sterile. — Anonymous (2005-03-03) It stinks like pee there. It seems like some homeless people are living there. The dorms have 24 beds and the windows don't really close. It's cold in the room and from 11 p.m. on you can hear the bar like your bed was right in front of it. — Andrea (2005-02-08) Really good hostel. The only problem was the dorm I was put in was enormous!! It had 44 beds, so with everyone coming and going at all hours sleep isn't very likely. — monkey (2004-12-30) I spent only one night but it was clean and the staff was great! My one complaint is that my dorm was on the ground level and was VERY noisy all night long. All the bar traffic seemed to walk past the window above my head, and in the morning I woke up to dump trucks at 4 am! Complaints aside, it is in a great location--very accessible to all the downtown attractions. I will go back and try a higher floor next time. — Cheryl (2004-08-25) We had a group of students and chaperones stay at this hostel. Unfortunately some of the students had to SHARE a twin bed. We were told there would be enough beds to accommodate all! When staying for five days this is not a great situation. Plus one of the doors did not lock, so the girls had to stand guard against the door while the others were changing. The hostel is VERY clean, though. — Not a happy camper (2004-03-09) Nice clean hostel in a heritage building downtown. Only trouble is, the dorms are about twenty beds to a room and with that many people, you never get any sleep! — Lonestranger (2004-02-08) This is a very nice hostel. You might have the chance to learn how to make dreamcatchers or to have a guided tour by a volunteer. — Bertrand (2003-10-10)