Ocean Island Inn Backpackers Suites

I don’t usually leave reviews, but I feel compelled to share my experience to help other travelers, especially solo female travelers to make a more informed decision. I had never been to Victoria before and, perhaps naively, assumed it would feel safer than larger cities like Vancouver. While Victoria is generally quieter, I was shocked by the condition of the area around this hostel. It’s located right on Pandora Avenue, which is currently overwhelmed with encampments and visible drug use. I didn’t feel safe walking to the grocery store, and as someone who lives in downtown Toronto, I don’t say that lightly. I really wish the hostel’s website had been more transparent about the state of the neighborhood. Had I known, I would have chosen a different place to stay. I also noticed that no other reviews mentioned this issue, so I’m not sure if this is a newer problem or if negative reviews are being filtered. As for the hostel itself, the facilities didn’t feel particularly clean, comfortable, or welcoming. I had booked five nights but ended up staying only one because I arrived late and had no other option. It was a tough financial loss as someone on a low income, but I had to prioritize my safety. I’m writing this so that others, especially solo women, can make an informed choice. I hope this helps someone avoid the stress and discomfort (and financial loss) I experienced.

Great Community Vibes and Thoughtful Hospitality We stayed in a double room with a shared bathroom. While the building is older—with creaky wooden floors and doors—it’s full of simplicity and charm. There are plenty of shared bathrooms available, cleaned daily, and towel service is offered (with just a $10 deposit). The hostel amenities: a spacious, organized kitchen, a bar with daily events and one free drink per guest, and even a free daily breakfast and dinner (hearty soups and noodles). The 24-hour reception is staffed by incredibly kind and attentive people who clearly care about the guests and foster a welcoming environment. Although it’s located near an area with a high concentration of homelessness, we never felt unsafe. The hostel is close to main streets, attractions, and public transportation. Rooms don’t have air conditioning, but they do have a minibar and a fan, which made the stay comfortable. I loved the experience and would absolutely return—especially because of the outstanding customer service from everyone involved and the strong sense of community and inclusion. Highly recommended.

I stayed there for a week. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The free breakfast, dinner and drink is very appreciated and very great for the price. The events that happen (almost) every night are great to meet other people. In my case, bunkmates and other guests were really nice. On another note, the area has lots of homeless people. I know people can get scared by this but if you don't go east on Pandora St it's mostly okay. Also, security of the hostel itself is very good: you need the key to get in and there is a locked gate on the second floor to access the rooms. Thanks again to the staff, friends I met and all of the lovely Victorians!

A Lifesaver Hostel – My Unexpected Home in Victoria My stay at Ocean Island Hostel was nothing short of a blessing. After another accommodation canceled on us the very day of our trip, Ocean Island saved our long-awaited family reunion. My older daughter and I had planned for months to visit my youngest daughter in Victoria, whom we hadn’t seen in years. Exhausted from an overnight journey, we arrived with low expectations (it had been 20 years since I’d last stayed in a hostel!). But from the moment we walked in, the kindness of the staff—always smiling, welcoming, and patient—made us feel at home despite our stress. Ocean Island felt like home by the end. It’s an excellent value in Victoria—clean, friendly, and perfectly located. I’ll absolutely return on my next visit! Thank you for rescuing our family trip with such warmth.

Comfy bed. Clean room and shared bathroom. Staff all very friendly. Free evening meal (dhal or veggie curry most nights for me) with a free drink was an added bonus although there is a good selection of eating places very close by. Breakfast basic but more than adequate. Well equipped kitchen if you do want to cook your own stuff. Yes, there is street noise at night but it’s to be expected in the middle of the city. Excellent location for public transport (bus) connections and very close to Chinatown and a short walk from the harbour. As hostels go this is great and I would definitely stay again.

We’ll organized Hostel in an older character building. Bedding is clean, no weird smells in the private room I had. Common areas are also clean and tidy and bustling with guests from all walks of life and countries. Free hearty breakfast is enough to get you going. For me it was importantly to have a secure bike room for my e-bike so as to have to leave exposed on my car rack. Staff was very cordial and adamant of keeping everything clean and tidy. It’s not luxurious but it totally served me well for its price and convenience.

Great place with really friendly staff. Food was delicious. Really flavorful dinners. It’s awesome they feed you breakfast and dinner. Rooms are standard for hostel but slept comfortably. Location is great too! Keep it up Ocean Island, not too many gems like this exist any more

I had a pleasant experience staying at this hostel and is the best one in comparison to one other hostel that once existed in Victoria but has shut down. The breakfast and dinner that was included in my stay was very healthy and excellent dishes!! This hostel reminded me of the one in London, England called St. Pancras, they also had breakfast and dinner included in your stay! I highly recommend this hostel and the staff are very friendly too! In future I'll definitely come back to stay here when back in Victoria.

The cheapest place I could find to stay in Victoria for 2 nights. The check in process was great and I love that they have so many pamphlets to help you find things to do and it comes with tons of great discounts for certain attractions. Due to COVID, all the common areas were closed but that didn't bother me as I knew I was using this place as a rest stop and would be outside every day. It was close to tons of restaurants and bus stops so it was very convenient. Also because of COVID, there are two opposite staircases to go up and down. The ones near the lobby are to go up and you exit through the opposite flight of stairs on the other side of the hostel. I got to Victoria at around 11am and left my things in their lockers while I waited for my room to be ready. They emailed me at around 2:30 and so I was able to put my things away. I opted for a private room so I would get my own bathroom and the room suited my needs perfectly. Could have done without the tv for a discount though. The bed and sheets are very minimal, it's not the most comfortable but it does the job. I thought the sheets were scratchy so I slept with my leggings and hoodie. The bathroom was good, I had enough towels and the toiletries provided were sufficient. Still felt overpriced for what I got but can't complain as it was the cheapest.

For what the place is and what it offers it's a pretty solid deal. Yes it is a hostel and it is expected to share rooms with other people. The experience there overall was great. Location was pretty close to downtown which is a treat. I'll definitely end up booking here again if I'm in Victoria again

Do not travel in a group! We stayed in a cramped four-person dorm room with bunks. There was a foul stench coming from the lockers. With a quick look, we found crusty old socks that the smell was coming from. Even after removing them, the room smelled throughout our stay. Smelt like expired popcorn butter and foot cheese. Also found some random rubber gloves? The bathrooms were dirty; especially the showers. Even if you're lucky enough to find an unoccupied bathroom, expect to see hair and dirt. The location is perfect for exploring day or night, but that's all to look forward to with this housing option.

Don't do it. I feel like all of the issues I had experienced with this hostel set the tone for a very negative experience here. We arrived after about 7 hours of travelling. Check-in is at 3, we arrived at 3:30, room was not ready. Ok, I'm exhausted and hungry but things happen and if they started cleaning at check-out (11a.m.,) they must be finishing up. Went for a walk and got something to eat. Came back at 4:30 - not ready. Desk people don't seem to care and I'm trying to hold back how extremely irritated I am at this point. Came back at 5, waited in line for 20 minutes, rooms were ready, nap time. After climbing four flights of stairs with all our stuff, we arrived to our room to see a notice on the door about how they will be "deep cleaning" the lockers the next morning and that we would need to take our things downstairs five flights of stairs to the basement where they would store them for us. I should have taken before and after photos the next day because the lockers looked the same. It is ridiculously bad business etiquette to not warn the people in the rooms beforehand OR warn them and offer the upstairs lockers in the hallways as a temporary solution instead of making us pay the $10 that is required to use those lockers. OR - if you're doing a deep clean of lockers, do it during the quiet season, not in rooms that have all six beds occupied. A lot of people in hostels are coming as travellers and yes while these things may arise, this is something controllable that could have been better handled. Ok, whatever, this hostel has been awful so far, can't let it ruin my stay. Open the door -rooms are small, cramped and had three bunk beds - six beds) in them. There is no room to really move. Ok, whats the bathroom situation like? 5 bathrooms (shower, toilet, sink) for a whole floor, probably at a 1:9 ratio. Maybe I've just been spoiled by better hostels but this is ridiculous. And theres water all over the floor- what have they been doing from 11-5 that the washrooms are such a mess? Alright, breathe. Go out, have a nice night, walk around, come back. Up a flights of stairs. Homeless person at the 2nd floor key entry gate hanging out. Cool. Say hi. Up the other three flights of stairs. Into the room. Steamy hot. This is the first week of May where it is 15 degrees outside at night so the window was left open which still didnt seem to help how hot it was in there. Consequently, although we were four stories up, the streets were loud and boisterous and you could hear conversations people were having at street level. We had also paid a few dollars extra to be in the "quieter" rooms as the cheaper, closer to street rooms were unavailable yet this was still an issue. Slept decently both nights though it was extremely hot. Breakfast was alright - oatmeal, toast, waffles.- standard stuff - and there were offerings of free dinner however I did not try. Had to wash your own dishes as there was no dishwasher but the downside to that is people often do not wash dishes properly so you'll take a cup that has dried lentils (??) from (possibly) the night before crusted on and now it's up to you to clean it. There are also no hostel events so if thats one of your favourite things about hostels, skip this one. Overall an awful experience. This was my friends first hostel (and I love my hostels) but she will never do another one again because of how badly things went here. Maybe we came on a bad few days but regardless there was a fix for every issue and nothing was done to acknowledge or rectify the situation by staff or management, so yeah. Don't do it.

This place suxs. It has a LOT of rules which where just dumb. You can't take drinks anywhere, can't bring your own alcohol anywhere. Rooms are tiny, not enough bathrooms, staff is not overly friendly. They offer dinner but it's always vegetarian- so I would rather they don't include that in the rate. No outdoor areas to hang out- area has a lot of homeless people all around.

Extremely disappointing experience. Management was rude and incompetent. I was asked to leave the hostel for minor infractions with 5 days left in my stay and was not refunded. I have never experienced such objective disrespect and lack of compassion anywhere I have stayed. Would not recommend.

I am giving this place a one star only because the staff was at least decent and kind even though the way they run the place and the policies they must follow stink. First time staying at this place over the weekend, we reserved a "family room " with 4 beds. Let's get started: 1. We arrive and we are told you have to pay for parking in the back, $10 per each day, we stayed 2 days. 2. We were charged another $10 for the key itself which they said is refundable, but of course at the end of our stay the lady in the front says only refundable in Canadian currency. ( I am from California, what the hell do I do with Canadian money?!) 3. There is NO elevator. I repeat, NO ELEVATOR. You had me , my 8 year old, my dad and brother and my 70 year old grandmother walking up 4 flights of stairs with ALL of our luggage. And everyday we wanted to go out, running out of breath going up and down the damn stairs. 4. We get to our room only to find out you have to share the damn bathroom with the rest of the floor. Great. Amazing. NOT! 5. Beds were squeaky as hell, noisy streets, windows and pretty much all the inside Of the building is old as hell. 6. The room itself, mind you, a "family room" had no room to walk in. We were crammed and uncomfortable the whole time. 7. No accommodations, no tv, no table or chair, no nothing. Just the beds. 8. They tell you free breakfast and dinner is included but you have to wash your own dish??!!!!!! 9. Finally, the cherry on top after all the freaking costly fees and the money we were scammed for is gone. My brother forgets his wallet behind, they call me only to tell me they've found it but someone must come pick it up or I should arrange to have FedEx pick it up and I pay the fee. After EVERYTHING we went through the days we were there, they can't even have the decency to say 'no worries we'll mail it out' you know out of kindness and politeness. No. If I were you and deciding to stay in Victoria, LOOK elsewhere. Will never stay at this location EVER in my life and will never recommend it to ANYONE.

I am writing this after two separate stays attending Royal Victoria Marathon 2014 and 2015. the place is centrally located in Victoria. I have stayed in private room with a window and a fridge. Washrooms are located in common areas. They dont turn one heating in October so, if you get a room with a window that does not fully close, you are in trouble. Beds and sheets are fresh and comfortable. You can cook your own meals in the community kitchen. Free internet in the lobby. Live band is playing on Saturday night if you like to chill out in the lobby.

My girls and I stayed here when we visited Victoria. It's a really cute hostel that is surprisingly clean and nice. The bottom floor is filled with computers (that you have to pay for) for internet access, a mini-pub, and a communal kitchen stocked with everything you need to make a delicious meal. The rooms are a bit tiny and cramped, we fit 6 of us in there on 3 bunk beds. Plenty of restrooms on every floor, each with a toilet, sink, and shower and bath tub. There is a security code that unlocks the door to the rooms, which helps make you feel safe. Parking is available in the small lot behind the hostel, however, it fills up pretty quickly.

Ocean Island is everything a hostel should be - cheap but clean, intimate but large enough to have options, young but with reasonable rules of behavior, and with a 24 hour desk but not 24 hour parties in the room next door. The location is central, closer to Downtown than to the touristy harbour and Empress. I had a single room with a shared bathroom, and it was tiny - about ten square feet larger than the bed - but it had a huge window, and I didn't spend much time in it anyway. I paid CDN 54 including tax on a Saturday night of a long weekend, and I couldn't have got a hotel for double that much. I would thoroughly recommend Ocean Island if you don't mind the hostel-style experience.

Ok, we rented a room for the spring break trip. We really made this work for us. Kids got a taste of a shared bathroom in the hall old style hotel and they did fine with it. Our room was on the fourth floor - so after lots of walking the stairs did kinda make you think about how often you wanted to go up or down. BUT, great hosts. Try the free dinner, we did and it was really something we were glad that we tried. Good, different and hearty. I have stayed here before and find the location really decent to get to things in Victoria. Other guests are always polite, or that has been my experience. Both times I had rented the entire room, so haven't played the hostel option here. Wi-fi is included. We saved money staying here and used to to explore the City. I would recommend this option for a family. Our room would have slept five - one queen and three singles arranged in bunks.

Love this youth hostel type setting, so convenient to good restaurants and attractions. The hotel rooms are gated away on the second floor with a chain link gate. The downstairs restaurant is very convenient. The hotel seemingly houses rooftop pteradactyls, from the sounds that came into our room at night. Convenient coffee house across the street.

Terrible hotel. Unfriendly and bumbling staff. A room so uncomfortable we had to pickup and leave and go to another hotel. No bathroom in room which is unacceptable. Manager Bibi was hostile and refused help or even offer up her name. Avoid this dump. Two thumbs down.

Price, staff, location, ambiance, food: a win. I've been to many hostels and nothing by comes close to this place. Definitely recommended.

This hostel is basic and offers some perks. On the downside the French speaking manager is rude as hell. I told her that I was waiting for laundry to be completed before checking out at noon. Usually hotels give you an hr extra to check out. My bags were clearly packed as I waited for my clothes to dry. She said to me " you have ten minutes to check out or I will charge you 20 dollars." I told her the issue I have with her charging a late fee if the washing machine and dryers are being used by the staff. Completely unfair and unfriendly service.

My first time staying at a hostel and was not impressed. This place is the definition of 'you get what you pay for'. First impression was the parking which is tough to find. Also when asking about their private lot it was full. Their lot is very small fitting a couple vehicles only. When I first went in I felt a little disoriented. A lot of movement and trying to figure out what to do as a tourist. Person at the front was okay just doing their job. I paid with credit card and had to also give a $10 deposit for the key, which I had no idea about when I booked online. And when you return the key they give you a $10[Canadian] bill and can not credit it back to the card. I'm from the U.S. so the Canadian currency was useless as I was leaving Canada that day. It was cool when I checked in they have me two vouchers for free appetizers at the bar for later that night but i never used them. Now, to the real reason why you come here. Room 25K. When I went in and looked, I had to laugh. The room was so small it was like a closet. Bed was okay. It was really hot as you can see there are no windows with only a fan and a little ventilation. They said it might be noisy until 1am since I was directly above the bar but not sure if I was too tired I did sleep well. The bathrooms were actually nicely kept and I can tell they keep it clean. You have to bring your own towels and toiletries or they may charge you for some. This place is mostly for travelers and those who want to meet people. So if thats you then this is the place. Go to the bar area and experience the culture. It just depends what you are looking for. Overall its a cheap place to stay but for a few extra bucks can probably get a better place.

SCAM be warned!!! Royal Canadian MP have been notified!!!! My friend and I reserved a large Room through booking.com the site says a reservations is required for the parking. Great we Have a reservation for a room. We get There at 6pm and they say all the spots are Full but we Can park four blocks away In a garage for $16 a day or more. I said no we Had a reservation and we told we Have parking i want to cancel. They said if you cancel We Keep you$140 dollars. So we were Pissed but didnt want To lose the money. I took my key and my friend and i went to a movie. After Movie i have a message time Stamped 20 minutes after We left the office that they rented our room to someone else and would NOT be giving us our money back and to please bring the key. The clerk pretended to talk to a manager who i was NOT allowed To meet with. They still refused my money refunded and said they were full and could not move Us. Now At 9pm in a new Country we had to find a new Hotel which was another $160 US PLUS $150 deposit. This was my birthday august 28 it is September 14 i was given a $70 refund from this dump and i am still waiting for booking.com to refund me the other half from ocean inn. Never ever ever stay here or use booking.com

It was the first time in a long time I'd stayed in a hostel and my impression was that Ocean Island was pretty good for a hostel. Most importantly, nothing crawled on me. Yay! I stayed in a 6-person/3-bunk-bed room and my only real objections were how cramped it was and the lack of bed-specific reading lights. Oh well. There's a pretty big kitchen and a happening bar/resto on the main floor. Biggest tips? Bring a headlamp, a towel, a padlock, shower flip-flops, and a travel mug.

Decent private room, to lay my head after a night exploring the city. Happy for this no frills, inexpensive alternative place to slumber.

One of few hostel options in Victoria, BC. From what I hear, this is the best option out of handful they got. However, the location isn't really the prime-time, but Victoria is small enough to walk around almost anywhere you want to, so if you complain about the location of this hostel, you're just a lazy fat-ass. The staff is nice but not super welcomed. When I checked in, they had some sort of drinking/rock music night and was very crowded. And just my luck, my dorm room happened to be near the rock band stage and couldn't get any sleep done before 1AM. Not very good for me. If you forge to bring toiletories, they will either sell/rent to you for small fees. At the time of visit, I was 27 and most were younger than me, so I do understand young people wanting to socialize and party with random people from all over the world, but thought the management could do better job of restricting some rules. I could smell booze in the kitchen area and bathrooms. It wasn't pleasure and I felt like I was sleeping in a backroom of a bar. With that said, the rooms were clean and I didn't have any problems with anyone or anything. If I'm visiting Victoria again (which everybody should since it's gorgeous) I'll be sure to stay here again.

I spent a night at Ocean Island while passing through Victoria, booking a mini double room for myself at a rate of about $40, and would definitely recommend it to others. My room was on the second floor, decorated eclectically with orange and green walls, and was just big enough to fit in a mini fridge and a double bed, with a small bit of floor space beside the door, a few coathooks on the wall above the bed and some wire shelving above the fridge. It was perfect for my needs - a bare-bones place with a comfortable bed to sleep in, and despite its small size, the room's window kept it cozy rather than claustrophobic. With my check-in the staff handed me a coupon for 50 cents off any $5.75 entree in the cafe; the huge portion of green curry with vegetables and rice was pretty tasty and definitely good value for the money, especially since they didn't charge me extra for tofu. The only complaint I have is that sometime in the night the washroom in my section was padlocked up and the shower in a nearby hall didn't really seem to have any cold water, so I spent a lot of time trying not to scald myself. Altogether I had a great experience at Ocean Island Backpackers Inn, and will be returning - hopefully on one of the nights where they host bands.

Thanks for the amazing hospitality this place is fantastic from start to finish! I enjoyed my stay here and will definitively be back!

OI is great! I was planning a solo adventure to Victoria and opted to go with Ocean Island for its social atmosphere and affordability. The Pros: Cheap! Clean. Friendly. And a great resource! I stayed in one of their cheaper dorms that is directly above their cafe. They offer a lower price due to the likelihood of noise coming from their cafe and lounge, but I had absolutely no problems getting a little shut-eye during my stay. The staff is very friendly and helpful. They're lounge is cool with a pretty good selection of beers (I'm a beer snob, and I wasn't disappointed). They've also got a bunch of printouts that they've put together themselves on places to eat, parks to visit, hikes to do, directions to Victoria staples, where to look for work, pubs to check out, etc. Being that this was my first visit to Victoria, and a solo one at that, I relied on these printout guides for most of the activities I joined in on. I wasn't disappointed. A great time was had! The So-So's: I can't say that this place has any real Cons. I have two small complaints. The first is that not every bathroom has an outlet (they're in the process of updating their bathrooms). On one occasion I had to go on the hunt for a bathroom with an outlet, but because of the multiple bathrooms on multiple floors, the hunt didn't take long. Second, I ordered their green curry at the lounge and it was the worst curry I've ever had. But even bad curry is good curry. All in all, if I ever head back to Victoria, I'm definitely staying at the OI again. Good times!

The first room I got here was large, a 6 person female only dorm. It was large, but so was the amount of luggage and fabric hanging around the room. There were 5 Danish girls in there and me, and I had the top bunk above a sick girl who was coughing the entire night through, poor thing. And even though none of this was the hostel's fault, the polite and v. cool front desk helper switched me to a co-ed. The next night, when I came in to crash at midnight, I had a nice clean bottom bunk in a beautifully clear, bright and interesting room thanks to little cubbies even though the room was full booked. It was on the bottom floor, closer to music, but it was quieter than the one on the floor above it. It was also larger and had a new bathroom renovation. I love this hostel, it's filled with beautiful people, it's 24 hours, it's clean & happy, it's got cheap but healthy food at all times of the day & night and a great lounge area/ bar, a night life of it's own, it's got a great location in the hip part of town (NW is Chinatown,West is the shopping area, Southwest is the touristy center and where you are is the real Victoria, one of the most tastefully youthful, safe and eclectic cities in the WORLD!!) I'm crazy about this hostel and it's style. Plus it's just up a block from Demitasse, a great brekkie/ brunch/ lunch place that is very Victoria and is a must on your trip.

We loved our stay at Ocean Island! It was a very pleasant surpise after having stayed at some other hostels on our trip. The price was really affordable, MUCH cheaper than any of the hotels in town, which in turn made our trip that much more fun because we actually had money to be able to do things. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and colorful. I love that the bathrooms get cleaned twice a day and that there are multiples on each floor. That was handy because it was just really easy to take my shower when I wanted, without having to wait. We had a private room with a set of bunk beds, which was precisely what we asked for. It had a locker, shelves, places to hang up our coats, and a window fan. We actually left our window open the whole time because it was summer....and we were on the 3rd or 4th floor, so that wasn't a cause for concern (unlike another place we stayed). I'm also very security conscious, so I love that the front desk was manned 24 hours a day, there was a locked door separating the rooms from the downstairs lounge/lobby area, the rooms had a good sturdy dead bolt and also a chain. There was not a single second of our stay where I didn't feel totally safe and secure. The noise level wasn't that bad. There was only one incident that woke me up....some slamming of a bathroom door at 2 a.m., but everything settled down after 15 minutes.

I stayed here on a pal's recommendation and I'm glad I did! 2 friends and I booked a private room here last month and I would definitely stay here again. The only downside is that we were on the top floor and if there is an elevator then I never saw it. This was fine for me, but one of our trio is recovering from surgery and the climb became pretty difficult for him after a few trips up and down. Bathrooms were great, a few full private ones and I never had to wait once despite the hostel being fully booked the night we were there. Everything was pretty clean. The room we stayed in had a bunk bed, desk, chair, mini fridge, and closet. The bunk bed was a twin on top and double on the bottom bunk so it works out well if two of you are a couple.

Had an awesome time at this Hostel last summer. It has its own bar on the first floor with drink specials. Everything was clean and very safe. They also had live music most nights downstairs. The clientelle were almost all young bohemians which was a plus for me. Unlike the B&B I had stayed at the year before this place was centrally located near everything. I was also able to find street parking close by during the weekend. They have computers with internet access for pay of course but its wasn't ridiculous. They also seemed to have good tours lined up though I didn't get a chance to go on one. This hostel came recommended by someone in Montana and it didn't dissappoint. I had a private room with shared bath for pretty cheap. And like I said it was centrally located near everything. If you want to go to the Buckhart Gardens you can take a shuttle from near the waterfront, not too far. If you want to check out the Mansion on the hill you can take a bus from very near by. Also they allowed people to work off their stay which I thought was neat!

Really enjoyed my stay here. Front desk staffed by really helpful kind people. Rooms were clean. Bathrooms were clean. It was inexpensive and conveniently located. Skip the hotels and stay at ocean island. You didn't come to Victoria to watch tv. (Warning!: second floor vending machine will run out of ketchup chips if you are not dilligent.)

The rooms are about half the price of the fancy hotels downtown. The bed in our room was so uncomfortable we were sore all weekend. The shared bathroom had a broken toilet paper dispenser - I had to hold it up while I used the toilet. The only climate control was a tiny plastic fan. The hallway lights don't dim at night so if you need to go to the bathroom, get ready for some shockingly bright lights. Oh and if you want to shower, you have to pay extra for towels. I like the idea of a more accessible place to stay downtown, but do people with less money not deserve to shower or sleep comfortably? $75 a night is cheaper but certainly not cheap, lets be real. the room is tiny, the paint colors are horrid, the staff were yelling outside our door at 8:30 am Saturday morning. Maybe worth it if you are staying in a dormitory room and have lower expectations - my opinion of the private rooms is that they are a RIP-OFF

Two years ago, we used OI as our mutli-day base for exploring Victoria, and this winter we'll stay there again for one night as a jumping-off point to northern Vancouver Island. We're going back because it's easy and cheap! Private rooms with a shared bath are barely more than the dorm rooms, which is nice for me as an almost-too-old-for-hostels lady. Fun bar, not too noisy, and easy walking distance of everything we wanted to do in Victoria.

Aside from them messing up my reservation. (they did offer me a bed in a co-ed dorm, but I stayed with some friends my first night in victoria instead) My one night here was pleasant. So I agree with Joey T.

Ocean islander inn is cheap but you get what you pay for. Very nice staff, clean rooms and great location. Room was super loud by the street and beds squeak like crazy. Bummed the cafe/bar never opened due to lack of staff.

Overall it was a really bad experience. After a long day of traveling and walking to a different hotel, we found this place online, and chose it because it was one of the only few hotels in Victoria with space left. I called them around 5:30pm and was told there was only one room left, which was a private suite. We thought that sounded great, especially at a low price. They told us over the phone we should book it immediately since it was the only room left and would likely be taken soon. So we paid over the phone and walked 1 mile there. When we arrived, we saw that the Ocean Island Inn had dirty sticky floors, a fishy, rotting food smell, was very crowded (waited 20 min just to be greeted and check in), and noisy. We were very tired and wanted to give it a chance since it was one of the only places left in town. Finally we checked in and went to our room, and saw that it had no bathroom, was small with no window, and again- sticky floor and dirty walls. The cleanliness and no window we didn't mind, we were tired and are not too picky about that, but we wish we knew about the bathroom. My boyfriend who I'm traveling with has severe IBD and needs a private bathroom for medical reasons. We didn't expect this and thought at least they would explain that over the phone when we booked the "private suite". It could be my fault for not researching further or asking many questions... We were very tired. We went back downstairs and explained nicely to the front desk why we were unable to stay here. They told us that they have a strict cancellation policy, there are no refunds after 6pm (it was 6:15pm). We were never told this cancellation policy when we booked and we could not find it anywhere online. We had not stayed in the room or eaten any of their "free food" or "free drinks" or anything like that. They not only refused a refund but made us feel very unwelcome and uncomfortable, which gave me a sick feeling in my stomach... We ended up paying $281 to stay at the Oswego hotel for the night. We wish we had just done that from the beginning and avoided this unfriendly place that gave me such a bad vibe. I still don't have my $80 back when we never stayed in their room. Maybe this place is nice for people looking for a cheap place to stay if they don't mind all the problems but I wish I had known better...

When I moved to Victoria I had to find a place before seeing it and arrive part way through the month. I was able to do all this with OI, using my credit card. Since it was the off season I could get a monthly rate. OI is managed and maybe partly owned by the owner's son. I suggest you ignore the paradox there and read on, because I'm not going to fix it. The owner's son, named Kevin is a medium short, light olive skinned man in his late twenties. The top of his head is thickly carpeted with well tended black hair forming loose curls which would bounce a little for anyone's walk but his. His narrow, serious looking expression is adorned with thick framed square spectacles which slip on the sweat that forms under them as he agonizes over the placement of the latest decoration or sign. But all of this pays off, because OI is a very organized and clean hostel in a cool old building. Some rooms are big, some are small, some are shared and some are in an elevator shaft. No joke, my friend lived in one of these for six months. The shaft-rooms have storage under the bed with just enough space to open the door. This may seem complicated, but all the rooms are described with their prices on the very good OI website http://www.oceanisland.com/. The decor (other than the masks) and colours are pleasing with their asian statues and green and pink motif. All decorations, paint and signs look new and shiny. The staff is very helpful and friendly (including Kevin, once you talk to him). The gas-stove kitchen is very large and gets cleaned every night. Beside it is an eating area, a café and a little bar. These things being in the same place makes it easy to meet new people (a thing most travelers want to do), but at the same time some corners are more quiet and perfect for sitting on a comfy couch and reading a book. Three more things. 1. They offer a work for stay program. 3 hours of cleaning gets a you a dorm room. 2. The wifi is expensive and it sucks AAAAAAASSSSSSSSS (and that is where they lost their star). 3. They are very strict on alcohol and/or smoking and partying in the rooms. If you do this and someone complains against you, they will kick you out after very few warnings.

Booked a mini double room this weekend, and were surprised with a free room upgrade upon check-in! Exceptional service, and the place was overall very clean and comfortable. Would definitely come again when visiting Victoria!

Ocean island is a great low cost option. We had a private room. Even in summer, windows open was cool enough to sleep. Just be aware bathrooms are down the hall, our floor had five on the same floor. There is convenient bike and bag storage on the first floor. The cafe and bar in the lobby was good for a quick bite. Trivia night was also fun.

Wish I could give this half a star or none! My partner and I used to work for the hostel on their work for stay program. Let me get right to it, Located right on the corner of crackhouse heaven is the beautiful Ocean Island Inn! Besides being shoved in a dorm room with 6 people, BED BUGS are a huge issue! We would constantly keep getting massive bites and management tried to pass them off as mosquito bites (without providing service for a solution to the problem).. I can't say I'm surprised, the bed covers almost never get washed ! Who knows what's on there! Although, If you want to escape your bedrooms the common area is a great area to make some furry little friends ! During our stay we were surprised to find out how our clothes/ personal belongings were taken without permission (illegal), put in garbage bags, and into the basement.. We had no warning of this and we did not discuss that it was okay for anyone to go forward and do so. This has also happened to many other people I know who are staying or have stayed at the hostel. The cleanliness of the rooms are disregarded for speed on which the rooms get done. For what people pay to stay at the hostel, having rooms with no proper ventilation nor windows (especially for some privates) is more than disappointing I'm sure. Some of the beds are squished into old elevator shafts with almost no room to walk, so that more money can be made for the lovely owners of the hostel! A little close for comfort if you ask me! After being let go from the hostel's work for stay without warning (for leaving my shift 5 minutes early to make my other job even after I had discussed it with the manager that day) We had next to no notice when being told to find another place to live. The owner then proceeded to tell my partner and I that we weren't allowed back on the property. We questioned why and were told "we have a right to refuse service". When we asked what we had done wrong to deserve being banned from the hostel property completely, the owner had cowardly shrugged his shoulders and refused to give us an answer or reason (he didn't have one?). So we strongly advise against staying here. Stay anywhere but here (even if you have to pitch a tent in Beacon hill Park).. Anyone even considering their stay at the Ocean Island Inn have a great time..do not expect the owners to care about your comfort, privacy or your time at the Inn. If you're wanting to work for people who are unprofessional "travellers" and don't give a rat's ass (lol cause they have rats) about real hospitality or any consideration to people's well-being, then the Ocean Island Inn is the place for you! Also, enjoy the "free breakfast" that comes out of every one of the staff's paycheques! Hope you enjoy toast! .. Please message me if you have any questions or concerns about this hostel. -Annie

We stayed here August of 2012 and you couldn't ask for a better location. We did have a private room with a fridge. The room was small and had no ac unit so it was hot mid day in the room. After sunset the room cooled down nicely. The queen size bed was comfortable and the bathrooms and showers were clean. It was a great environment with a bar down stairs that serves food. Everyone was super friendly and gave great directions. We so far have never had any problems at a Hostel and we would stay here again. It was a very good experience!

This was the first time I stayed in a hostel and it was an amazing experience. The staff were all helpful and friendly. You can stay for free if your willing to do a little housekeeping work ( every bathroom is cleaned twice daily, all the floors are mopped daily and all other surfaces are wiped down throughout the day). I took a dorm room the first 2 nights and had some issues the second night with people drinking too much. The staff handled it very professionally and quickly. They also upgraded me to private room for free because of the issues. All in all I would recommend this place to anyone who wants a cheap and comfortable place to stay in Victoria.

Stayed for two nights, everything was good, staff very friendly and helpful. Had my plans spoiled by rain one day, but they offered a good discount on whale watching, helped to book it the last minute, and I ended up having a great adventure! Bathrooms are very good - completely private cabins with shower, and there's like six if them on every floor, so I never had to wait in line. Rooms are ok, the only drawback is that the windows open right into a busy street, and I often got awoken because of loud cars. The bar/lounge is great too, they have deals for beer everry day, and low prices for great food. Only drawback that it's open only from 5 till 11 pm.

Great staff, eccentric and diverse hostel geared towards youth, it's a hot spot hub for finding out about anything happening in the city. Great rooms and pub

I guess you get what you pay for. Not sure if all the other comments are from staff members, but it is very likely. Here is my experience to the contrary: As a professional computer engineer and a sports businessman, I came to Victoria and made the mistake of staying at this hostel. Although the hostel is neat and clean and I met many people, at this point I sit with a deep fear of Victorians as ego-fueled, unwilling to communicate and uncivil people and I hope it changes as soon as possible. The reason, second day of my stay at this so called part of the hospitality industry, I asked permission to work in the common area for an upcoming meeting. Tired and exhausted, I fell asleep. The next day I was kicked out. Reason, I broke some grave rule of sleeping in common area. I had a meeting scheduled in the lounge downstairs with the reseller and I made my best attempt to cancel it, needless to say I lost the reseller. Not only that there were some other accusations which were so ridiculously false that it shocked me. For a lack of better word, I was bullied, insulted, harassed and kicked out for no fault of my own, feeling suspicious of speaking to other Victorians out of the fear of a similar kind of aching interaction. Still not sure why. I was the only middle easterner there, that is the only unique thing about it. So if you like to stay with staff members who enjoy power trips, unable to listen to you, are rude, insulting and can damage your whole image of Victoria, then this is your place. Otherwise stay as far away as you possibly can.

Ok, so this place is the sort of artistry (music scene) hostel, with a friendly atmosphere. You might still find a quiet room and enjoy a quiet stay, but basically this place is more for the people who like to interact. It is usually full with all kinds of tourists, clean, young and quite respectful people. I've seen no "party animals", which is a good point. Don't forget that Victoria is some sort of hippie city. The staff is perfect, it is the sort of people with personality, sociable and helpful. As this is an old building, the management could replace some old doors that happen to be often slammed early in the morning. Come and stay, just make sure to ask or book for rooms on the 3-4th floors if you need to rest and be quiet.

This review is for the cafe area only. I stopped here to get a bite, brew and check the Internet. After spending some time in Canada I now realize the food was extremely reasonably well priced and tasty. The atmosphere was very relaxed and people of all ages could be found. At night though the place seems to cater with younger adults with the nightly activities posted. I would have stayed here if I needed a place to stay, it felt safe enough and close to downtown. It may get a little loud at night though so if you are looking for peace and quiet I would consult with the phone attendant. Overall 4 stars for value and social scene observed.

Typically I'm not the type of person to write reviews but this place really deserves one. To be honest if i could give this place no stars i would. For starters when we went to this establishment and booked our rooms we were unaware of the fact their weren't any bathrooms in the rooms. Once we actually went upstairs to the room it smelled very awful and it was EXTREMELY small. All of the furniture in the rooms were outdated smelly. Once we actually got to the dinner, which was complimentary, the rice was uncooked and the stew was extremely horrendous, and on top of all that we had to wash our own dishes. Also whilst we were eating our dinner we saw the breakfast in a fridge which was located in the middle of the lobby, and it was a bunch of old waffles and a box of pre-made hard boiled eggs, needles to say we skipped breakfast. Once it started to get dark out there was a lot of shady people in the hostile and around the establishment which made me and several other guests feel very unsafe. Therefore we tried spending a majority of the night staying out of the hostile so that we didn't have to go back to our horrible room. Later that night as we were sleeping in our room we woke up to someone pounding on the door at 4 am and they were trying to break into our room, and it was important to note that it wasn't the staff or anyone we knew. So we decided to wake up as early as possible at 5 am just so we'd be able to leave and we decided to use the bathroom before we left, but upon entering our bathroom we saw that someone had thrown up all over the place and it hadn't been cleaned for hours, leaving the bathroom unable to use. All in all this was only some of the main concerns that we had regarding this hostile and we HIGHLY recommend that you stay away from this establishment.

I recently had a great time staying at Ocean Island. The staff is super nice, the rates are reasonable, and the lounge right off the lobby is great. My only complaint, and this is probably a major drawback for a lot of people, is that the sheets in my private room had either not been changed or were poorly laundered. My first night at the hostel I crawled into bed after I had already turned out the lights. The next morning, I woke up to discover a significant amount of long hair on the sheets. I keep my hair buzzed extremely short, so they were not mine. This was not a small amount of hair, either, so I am not sure how someone could miss it. The strange thing about the hair is that I didn't see any on the pillow cases or comforter. Having said that, I would guess the hair was an anomaly. The place seemed very clean in every other facet and I am sure the accommodating staff would have corrected the situation had I discovered it sooner. I would not let it deter me from staying at Ocean Island again. Finally, the lounge just off of the lobby is the best thing about this hostel. It is really fascinating to sit down and have a few brews with travelers from all over the globe. I even got to chat with a nice local named Drew that gave me a few tips on local color to take in while visiting Victoria. Jess, the bartender, had a great personality and provided quick and efficient service.

The hostel met my expectations and I had a nice two night stay.

The OI is a good place to stay! It is right in Downtown Victoria with pretty much everything in walking distance, just a grocery store, that is not ridiculously expensive is missing, but I guess that's because it's right downtown. I stayed 4 nights and met so many nice people, that was incredible, I would even say I made some friends. The prices for a night are quite reasonable, the cheapest dorm is $20, a discounted room with 6 beds, closer to the street than the usual dorm. I stayed in a usual dorm the first two nights and then moved to a discounted one, because I wanted to stay another 2 nights. The noise kept me from sleeping a bit in both rooms, there wasn't much of a difference between the rooms! The staff is really helpful with everything: activities, directions... and very friendly. One advice for those who don't want to pay much: before you book your room, ask if could do woofing. That means that you work around 3 hours per day but get free accomodation and some coins that you can spend in the bar/cafe lounge. I wanted to do that as well, but was too late ;-)

Looked into this hostel for an extended stay. Probably would have liked this place, but after two weeks of calling and there never being a manager around too speak to and no one returning my calls as promised I'll be looking else where. It's a shame to see a business that travelers rely on being undependable.