Kip & Kaboodle Mahone Bay/Lunenburg Hostel in Lunenburg … Wow! What a great hostel. It was really friendly, bright and colorful. What a change from the other hostels I've stayed in! Plus it has REALLY comfortable beds!
Port Mouton International Hostel in Port Mouton … Great hostel. Reasonable rates and fun staff. Located in scenic location with lots of outdoor activity available. Even cats!
Digby Backpackers Inn in Digby … This newly opened hostel is a little jewel. The first impression was this of a very nice bed and breakfast. The common areas are all very tastefully furnished and have beautiful wooden floors. The bedrooms with four beds each, are simple but pretty with comfortable and sturdy bunk beds. The kitchen is extremely well equipped, everything is sparkling clean. But the best thing about this hostel are the lovely owners Saskia and Claude, super friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable, who made us feel right at home. Being the typical budget travelers (an accountant and ex-lawyer), we usually prefer to spend our money on eating out and outdoor activities rather than on fancy accommodation. Additionally we like to meet other travelers and exchange our experiences. The Digby Backpacker Inn offered us both a very nice, comfortable, and communicative place to stay at a very reasonable rate (especially as we were lucky enough to get their private room). The free wireless was great to catch up with…
Yarmouth Backpackers in Yarmouth … Great, clean hostel (spotless bathrooms) with lots of space and friendly hosts. It's close to everything in town, and there's a grocery store right across the road for provisions. It's an easy walk to the ferry or CAT going to Maine. You can even check in at 7 a.m. if you're coming off the ferry from Portland. A good place to chill out and relax.
Halifax Backpacker's Hostel in Halifax … Hey, atmosphere makes all the difference in the world, and the people who run this place are the best :) The amenities are humble, but complete, and it's clean. What more could anyone need?
Brier Island Backpackers in Westport … This hostel is wonderful! It is small and very clean and comfortable. You look out over the harbor and see the fishing boats and at times lots of fog, which only adds to the atmosphere. Make sure you hike to the other side of the island to Seal Cove; there were quite a few seals the day I walked over there. I would recommend stocking up on groceries in Digby or somewhere on the mainland if you are planning on cooking. There is a store right next to the hostel but selection is a bit limited. Other then that, go here, you'll love it…and all for only $15 per night!
HI - Wentworth Hostel in Wentworth … This hostel is supposedly haunted; it used to be an old farm house.
HI - Halifax Heritage House Hostel in Halifax … The hostel was well-maintained but dirty, and service was often unavailable or unhelpful—the staff are often away on meals or chatting, and seem unable to agree on basic things like left luggage charges. On arrival you are presented with a bold-faced, underlined, capped sheet of paper with 26 rules on it. Many rooms have no ventilation, especially the 10-room dorms on the 3rd floor (I stayed in a better, smaller room on the 2nd floor earlier in my travels). The locks on many doors either don't work or are left unlocked by other hostel guests, so security is poor. I have been at worse hotels in Europe, though, hence my 3-star grading. But having stayed at HI hostels across all of Canada, I'd have to say Halifax is a degree below the others.
YMCA International House Halifax in Halifax … It's expensive.
Bear on the Lake Guesthouse/ HI Cape Breton Island in Baddeck … We stayed at this hostel for three nights and the manager (Kat) was just awesome! The hostel was spotlessly clean, nice location, and very comfortable. Kat did everything to make you and all the other guests feel at home (fresh flowers in your room!) and cooked up a great turkey dinner for Thanksgiving.
This was a wonderful experience!
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