HI Victoria Hostel

Very nice place. Close to downtown and the Seawall. I slept in one of the female dorms. There was about 4 of us in a room for 20, so it was very quiet in that way, but they're right across from a bar and it might be a bit noisy until 2ish. Showers are nice and hot. Everything seemed to be in good repair. Fitted sheets on the beds and towels that are not just white indicates they don't have a linen service or anything. Friendly staff. They'll let you leave your bag there during the day for free while you explore the city. I would come back again

Was kept awake by people yelling outside every night. The dorms are very large with up to 20 beds. The carpet in the dorm is badly stained and I would rather have Linoleum in a dorm, so the floors could be mopped. The kitchen compost was really piling up and it appeared it was only emptied once per week, since there were five, five gallon pails. This is unsanitary as the compost was decomposing. Kitchen area is very poorly designed. It would be nice to have some new matching dishes as they are inexpensive to replace. Staff were helpful and friendly. The pool table upstairs could be heard from downstairs eating area. People were respectful. Lights next to the beds would be helpful so you could have some light without lighting up the whole dorm. My locker was in need of some paint on the inside as it was rather dirty.

I found my stay at HI Victoria to be great. The staff were friendly and helpful and the whole place was quite clean. Yeah, it's right on Yates and across the street from Lucky, so there's a good amount of noise at night but that's what earplugs are for. The breakfast was typical hostel fare. My bed was comfortable and the locker was a $5 deposit, of which $4 were returned on check-out.

The staff individually are friendly and helpful. Victoria accommodations lean heavily on policies; this means they can not clean the washrooms but raise your cost of accommodations with ease. This Hostel is definitely a young persons game. The furniture in the common areas is dated and not too comfortable- but if you continuously readjust you will be okay. The dining area is commonly used as a pseudo computer lounge. The kitchen is tight but it works. They do have safe storage. They do not have a courtesy phone- they have an old-school payphone that rarely accepts your quarters. There are two popular night club spots across the street. so that is loud. Yes it is close to town; but it's not the only place close to the city. If you need cheap accommodations- for short term and you are 35 and under- do it up.

The Good: the beds were comfy, the location was great and the prices were very reasonable. The Not so Good: breakfast was the typical grains but lacking in spreads but this may have been due to me just catching the tail end. More concerning as a solo traveler is that the place is devoid of any atmosphere whatsoever. The main dorm also houses some 30+ beds which is a touch excessive. The bunks are solidly built though which is nice. There is potential here though as the location and size hints at something better.

Location is great, perfect for anyone visiting or wanting to see downtown Victoria. The service staff were friendly and helpful, and the whole facility was very clean. We did sleep in a large, 40 person room which made sleeping a challenge, but if you care about price over comfort then this is the place to go. Would recommend to my friends.

Friendly staff. Beds are OK and location is great. The hostel serves a free breakfast every morning but it is only served during limited time: 7:30 to 9:00. A bit more space and privacy in the bathrooms would be nice but this is no big deal.

This is an excellent old style hostel. The staff are very good. Yes, there was a troubled young woman working there, but she has moved on, and thanks to the patience and kindness of the hostel management has done well. But that's the past, and some of the comments here say more about the commentators than they do about the hostel. The people who operate this hostel actually get what hosteling is supposed to be about, unlike many folks in the upper echelons of HI. I've been visiting this hostel for years and have always been treated very well, my possessions have always been safe, and the staff friendly. Its also very bicycle friendly. There's some good musical jams too. A real good place to stay.

Incredibly affordable and convenient place to stay when visiting Victoria! It's right downtown and walking distance from anywhere you could hope to go. I stayed in a private room, which was small, but very clean and cozy! We had control over our own heating, which was wonderful for visiting in November. There are both private and multi person bathrooms, all of which are very clean and pleasant. The staff here are very welcoming and kind! I highly recommend staying here if you are traveling on a budget!

Don't really care if I am closer to 40 than 30, I still enjoy staying at hostels. Love the community/communal spirit and being able to talk with travelers from around the world. Plus, we were in Victoria to see the city, not lounge in the room. Decent bed and warm shower is really all that was needed. We stayed at this location for two night while doing a whirlwind BC trip. We got a private room which was really clean and tidy. The kitchen is well-stocked with all sorts of dishes and cooking supplies. Staff was very friendly too, which was appreciated. Great location just a block from the Inner Harbor and a great price for about $60 Canadian for a private room. I see some posters had issues with the dorm accommodations, but I can't speak to that, as we stayed in a private room.

Came over from PA to stay for one night in a private room. When we arrived around noon to just drop some stuff off and head out to the park, we had an odd interaction with the blond staff girl at the front desk. We should've been able to check in by then but she seemed annoyed that we were even expecting to get into the room...didn't really have a timeframe for it to be ready either. Not sure if she was just having a rough day or what... My girlfriend and I are pretty easygoing and polite but she just kinda made us feel like leaving for hours and trying again later...which we did. However, when we came back it was different. Oren was working the front desk who was super nice and helpful...our room was clean. Bed pretty comfortable. Kitchen space looked nice and plenty of travel info everywhere! Bathrooms clean etc etc...the only other thing was they failed to mention the super loud construction going on at 7am the next morning directly outside our window. We were out late and woke up a little disgruntled...would've been nice to have known about that and possibly worked out a different situation. So minus 2 stars for the cold treatment from the first employee and the construction...

When no one else is visiting Victoria and you have the giant dorm room to yourself, this place is A-OK. When the dorm room is packed, not so much. If you have to stay in Victoria on the cheap and don't mind sleeping in a room with 30 other people, then this place will suffice. The whole place shows it's age and use in its entirety. It's a good location and fairly safe. The people who work here are a little terse though.

I am originally from Canada. I would discourage ALL women from staying here. I witnessed some disturbing and aggressive behavior from a male staff member towards a female resident in the dorm. I was sleeping in one of the woman's dorm and when I got up to go to the bathroom, a man entered unannounced to clean. A woman from the U.S. stood up for us and asked him if he could just announce when he came in. He lied and said, "I did". I guess he did not know I was in the dorm, and then He then proceeds to get up in her face in an aggressive way and said, "You want trouble, so here is your trouble". I thought he was going to hit her. She ran out. I do not know what happened, but apparently she did not come back that night, and left. I felt very troubled by this, and that staff did not even come in to see if anyone else was in the dorm. I would NEVER come back to this hostel. Very disturbing and DANGEROUS experience. This place is not safe.

Hostels are rarely beautiful so I can't fault this place for being run down and bland. The large dorms for women are dark and cold but clean. The staff are friendly but don't talk much. The atmosphere in the winter was quiet and boring. The kitchen was nice and the dining area was decent size. I loved being so close to the water and downtown. Some HIs have more accommodations like privacy curtains and lamps and stuff and this place isn't one of em. But hey, it's cheap and friendly!

At first I was a little bit uncomfortable as I heard that the male dorm has 40 beds (oh wait... Actually it has 44), but since those a broken up into 4-8 bed cubicles, you mostly don't even see it. The lockers are quite big, so that my two backpacks fitted without any problems. The wifi is quite fast and the room is clean. The staff is friendly (at least to me) at the atmosphere is good. The downside of those 'cubicles' though is, that when you're larger then average, the beds might be a little short.

I stayed here in August 2017 and woke up the first morning with over 150 bed bug bites. I had to throw away all of my stuff before moving into my apartment. I would never go back.

I stayed here for one week . This is a laid-back Hostel. The men's dorm has 44 beds which are into 8 beds in a pod. There is full kitchen which u can cook your own meals. The staff are wonderful.. You can walk anywhere from the hostel .

A-OK, indeed. Points for easy online reservations and empty beds just a couple days in advance of a summer Saturday night. I had to change my booking the day before I arrived (my traveling companion ended up not being able to meet me until Sunday) and the reservations line processed it quickly and cheerfully without penalty. None of the furnishings are very recent and the dorms are big and noisy (I didn't get to sleep until late... should've invested in earplugs) but it was a good place to lie down for the night and shower in the morning, and there were no visible signs of bedbugs (hurrah!). The staff can be a little aloof until they take pity on you or mark you as cool, but it doesn't take much to get in their good graces. Excellent location, right in the middle of everything I wanted to visit anyway. I'd be happy to come back.

The location is very good and the staff is friendly. I just really wish the other girls in my dorm had respected the sleeping time.

Great location. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The hostel itself is a little worn around the edges and the layout definately feels like it was designed by Escher but it is clean and safe. Ask at the front desk for discount tickets for the Royal BC Museum and other attractions.

I do not understand why people have had negative reviews about this hostel. Sure, it's a little quirky, but the price and location cannot be beat. Plus, it's super safe and It's within walking-distance from many great attractions. If one wants to go to Burchart Gardens, it's a stone's throw from the bust stop. I stayed here for 3 nights on my trip to Victoria, BC & loved every minute of it. I met some terrific people... we hung out in Victoria and then when our paths crossed again in Vancouver, we hung out there too. The room I stayed in was rather large, with 30 beds. It was pretty quite considering half the beds were usually occupied. I'd recommend an eye cover to help with ambient street light. The room was VERY clean. No signs of bed bugs, ants etc... I thought the staff was extremely helpful in directing me around Victoria & they were more than happy to give me suggestions of their favorite locations. In turn, I shared my favorite things I found. The kitchen is terrific- I've never seen so many pots and pans in one place (since I left my position as a summer camp baker). It makes it very easy to cook or reheat food. On my next trip to Victoria, I couldn't imagine not staying here.

For a great private room at a low low price, you can't really beat HI-Victoria. My partner and I came at the low season and it only cost us about $60 a night (tax included!). Room came with a bunk bed enough to fit three people and it was extremely clean. Although we had to share the bathroom with the rest of the guys, it was just a short walk away. The only downside was the breakfast. Well, there wasn't much of a breakfast really. There were a few loaves of old raisin sandwich bread and you just grab the Parkay spread from the fridge to dress them up. For the folks who are frugal like us, nobody's gonna complain but compared to other HI hostels that offer coffee/tea/juice and a choice of bagels, waffles, and toast with jam, butter or peanut butter, HI-Victoria is still not up to par. However, if you can overlook that and recognise what a great location this is--close to Inner Harbour and downtown Vic--then, this is the place for you.

I stayed there for one night in July. It was hoooorible! The staff was not friendly at all. Rooms are overcrowded with over 20 beds in one room. There was supposed to be breakfast from 7.30 to 9.30 am. When I came to the kitchen at 9 am there was nothing left! Even if it's just 30$ I wouldn't stay there again.

So first off, if you read the reviews most of them have good points as to why they like or dislike the hostel. I stayed here during the last week of May and found it to be a really good place to stay. Yes, there are people who stay here for a month or more, the people staying here are in an older age bracket and the door room for men sleeps 44 in a room. But it's honestly not a big deterrent at all. Quite frankly, if you are looking for a place where you can sleep and have a good place to shower and rest this a very good place to do it at. Everyone was very respectful when I stayed there and the hostel was kept very clean. The breakfast is coffee with bread and peanut butter, its not like HI- San Francisco where they sell pancakes and eggs for a dollar. If your worried about places to eat they do have a kitchen where you can make your own food or you can go behind the alley to the John's place (breakfast place) or any of the other places around for food. The male dorm is broken into pods of 8, so if your a light sleeper take some ear plugs just in case. There is no bar here like in other hostels so it is a different atmosphere, but they have a pool table and TV room so some socializing can be done. The prices are more than reasonable and the staff is very helpful. Teal was honestly awesome! She helped me plan my route to Hatley castle and the Butchart gardens, had really good conversation and helped me out a lot in general. If you are thinking of where to stay you should really consider this hostel. Its very close to everything and its fairly consistent with its service. Only reason it's not five stars is because it doesn't offer a full breakfast option and the dorm room can be a bit of a hit or miss depending on the person.