Dancing Bear Inn

We stayed a week - 2 adults and a 5yr old. We enjoyed our hostel experience and saw several other families. Our room was quiet, clean and served our purposes. The kitchen had all the basics needed for simple meals. The hostel is walking distance to many amenities and local attractions! We found street parking or hostel parking every night and had no issues. Overall, the hostel was busy but quiet while we were there we didn’t have any issues with waiting for space to eat, sit outside or hangout in the lounge. There was some space for bikes to be locked inside and the area generally seemed quite safe. We would stay again. We did want to have lunch at the hostel but realized it would be locked for daily cleaning so ended up taking our lunches with us. The only thing we’d change is a small freezer for ice packs for the cooler!

I genuinely had no idea what a shared room hostel was, I thought it was just a single bedroom with a bunk bed so my sister and I were planning on staying. Little did we know it meant a shared room with 6 other people. At first we were scared, confused, and all round nervous. But we met some of the nicest people staying with us- played board games with complete strangers and got to learn so much about other people. It was super clean, well organized, and I loved the patio! Definitely will be coming back here. Thank you so much for this experience!

Atmospheric and cozy hostel. We chose this place because of its guesthouse-style concept. The interior has a warm, minimalist feel with wooden furniture throughout. You’re asked to take off your shoes at the entrance, which adds to the homey vibe. There’s a shared kitchen and all the necessary amenities. Overall, I was satisfied with the price-to-quality ratio. One thing to note—it can be a bit noisy at times, as you can hear footsteps and sounds from other guests.

Have stayed at many hostels across Canada and worldwide, lovely old building, neat tidy and bed as comfy as can be in a hostel..all good. Well appointed kitchen, friendly staff. On,y downside is the one toilet, and one toilet and shower combo upstairs. This meant had to go two floors yo fi d an unoccupied toilet- and it wasn’t even that busy. Not a dealbreaker though- got a good sleep..

"I've Slept Better on RyanAir" - My Son --- 9:04pm - I'mmm meeelting... It must be 30C in this room. I've never had neck-sweat like this. 10:30pm - Sleep evades me. There's no AC. 11:09pm - Please. Send. Ice. 12:03am - Attempting to invent AC in unit by aiming room fan at cold water in sink. It doesn't work. 12:15am - I've had a fever in a Mexico. This may be worse. 1:15am - Considering a formal complaint to UN. This room is a form of torture. 1:45am - Praying for my teenage son above me. Hot air rises. RIP. 2:15am - Solution: I soaked a shower towel in cold water and used it as a blanket. I wish I was kidding. 6:00am - I must weigh 5lbs less from sweat-loss. Parking and dehydration-dizziness are both free at Dancing Bear. CONCLUSION: Great people. Great location. If the day temp is above 30C, at least Room 9 is insufferable in summer. Any other time of year this wouldn't be the case.

Fantastic Stay, Amazing Atmosphere! I had an incredible experience at The Dancing Bear Inn and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, affordable, and welcoming place to stay. The hostel has a great vibe. The common areas are cozy and the perfect place to hang out, whether you're looking to relax or make new friends from all over the world. The staff is super friendly and always willing to help, offering great recommendations for things to do around the area which made my stay even more memorable. They truly made me feel at home. The rooms were very clean and comfortable. Location-wise, it's unbeatable! Close to cafes, bars, and all the shops. I was able to explore so much with ease. If you’re looking for a mix of comfort, fun, and great value, this is definitely the place to stay. I can’t wait to come back!

I’ve had a great stay at the Dancing Bear Inn, the team here do an excellent job at making the space feel homey! The whole team are eager to share their knowledge of the town (especially the manager Cindy, she is a world of knowledge and super genuine about wanting to ensure you enjoy your time in Nelson)! The hostel is maintained to the highest standards, all spaces are clean and cozy! Would recommend this hostel to all kinds of travellers, I’m a solo female traveller and felt safe and welcomed the entire stay! Location of the hostel is great, very close to all shops, restaurants, pubs etc!

Just wrapped up our 3rd stay at the Dancing Bear, and second with kids, over the last decade plus. It’s such a great place, always so inviting and clean and has so many great amenities. The staff is great. We love the location. Kids loved the board games in the common room and eating breakfast in the courtyard. Can’t wait to return again! Wish there were Dancing Bear-type hostels at other places we like to travel- we would definitely stay at more hostels if they were all like this one.

I highly recommend this place, its central to just about everything in Nelson. I stayed in the 8 bed dorm rooom for the weekend, the staff was very kind and helpful.

We've stayed here a couple of times and think it's just great. It's in a great location and the staff are friendly. We usually get a private double room, which has everything we need. There are shared washrooms with decent shower hours. The shower's water pressure was weak, but still did the job. There's parking, which is good. No air conditioning in the rooms and the bugs and moths seemed to like hanging around outside the window screens. We stayed upstairs - there's no elevator so make sure you're able to carry your things up a flight of stairs. Overall, a welcoming, clean, quiet place. We would stay here again. PS - we've also stayed in other hotels in Nelson, and, honestly, for the value, I prefer the Dancing Bear - especially since we spent so little time in our room.

Great location and a great facility. We stayed in the bearhaus suite, which is plenty big enough and has an enormous kitchen. Beds are very good...we slept well. And it's close to everything downtown. Highly recommended.

We stayed here for 1 night on a road trip to Whitewater Mountain as Nelson is the closest town with accommodation. Dancing Bear Inn is a Hostel in the Hosteling International Group so if you have a membership you instantly get a discounted rate otherwise you have to pay $4 extra a night per person in a dorm room. The Hostel is on one of Nelson's main streets so its in the perfect location to go for a wander around town and close to plenty of bars and restaurants. Nelson is also a fairly eco friendly, alternative town so there is also lots of organic stores. The Hostel has mainly private rooms with a couple of single sex dorms. There is also a reasonably large kitchen and dining area. Wi-fi is also available through the whole hostel. There does seem to be a lack of bathrooms though as both dorms are on the basement level and there is only one bathroom otherwise you have to keep going up to another level to find an available one. Overall, it was a cheap stay in a nice, clean hostel and a very good option for anyone on a budget who wants to check out the area around Nelson.