The Cambie Hostel - Gastown

Had a great stay here, met 2 cats, & made a few friends. The restaurant/bar downstairs is huge. Loud music on Saturday night, but didn't bother me at all in my room. Beds, pillow, & comforter were so comfy & smelled really good. Rooms were tidy. Going up the stairs smelled a little musky, but not bad at all like other reviews I've read. The kitchen area has everything you need including markers & labels for belongings. There's a key for front door, room door, & bathroom (15 cad deposit). Took a few times to figure them out. There's also a deposit for a bath towel & locks for sale. The manager Jose went above and beyond to help me (booking problem). So much to do & see within walking distance & a burger place next door. Totally recommend this hostel!!

They have hostel cats! This is a pretty decent hostel. Certainly the least expensive option for Vancouver. The bathrooms are recently renovated and clean. The lounge is pretty standard. Rooms were quiet and the bed was comfortable; however cleanliness is not the best. They have secured locked door st the front. The only bad part is that the neighborhood; there's a lot of unhoused people in the area and I feel that it was quite dangerous at night. But its close to the skytrain station, so that's a plus.

I had a really great stay at this hostel! The location is perfect – very central and everything is within easy walking distance. I especially liked the relaxed atmosphere: it’s super easy to meet and chat with other travelers, whether in the common areas or at the bar downstairs. The staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and I felt very welcome from the start. Just a small note – in some rooms on the first floor it can get a bit noisy in the evening because the bar is right below. If you’re a light sleeper, it might be better to ask for a room on a higher floor. Overall, it’s a fantastic place for anyone looking for a lively, social hostel with great vibes. I’d definitely stay here again!

very nice, very clean, but very scented. the sheets had a pretty intense laundry soap smell and the bathrooms have a heavy perfume/lysol thing going. not a problem, but if you're allergic to scents it would be a killer for sure.

This is a top drawer hostel - top bins!!! That's a British football term for the best! The staff especially are brilliant people.. I love staying here when I visit Vancouver.. The area in Gastown is historical & plenty to do, comfortable. The Cambie is close to many brilliant cafes & the Manchester United supporters club where you can meet up with some astute & fun football fanatics! Do yourself a favour & stay here 🤙

If you come here for a great night's sleep, this place is not a choice cause the first floor is a live nightclub with music until 3 am. But if you come here for fun, then this is your choice. This is an old building, but it is nice. They clean their washrooms very well, the kitchen is well-organized, the location is perfect, and it's very close to public transportation. Everything is within walking distance. Overall, it was a decent stay.

Really nice hostel! Tidy shared spaces. Soft mattress and bedding. Provided cages under beds to secure belongings with lock rental if needed. Physical keys allowed 24hrs access with $15 deposit. 2 resident cats who were adorable! Women's bathroom was clean with 2 showers. Some noise from bar downstairs but couldn't hear from 3rd floor. Grocery + restaurants nearby, but area is rundown and I don't recommend walking alone at night.

Stayed 8 nights at this hostel and it pretty much speaks for itself, sitting above a very lively bar there’s something to do every night. If you like cheap beer and decent food it’s the place for you! Rooms were pretty average, no curtains for privacy so you had to get changed in the bathroom that was a walk down the hall. Common area was nice, comfy couches to socialise on, drip coffee you can go and grab when you like, overall nice vibe. Showers were a bit awkward not much room to move or get things sorted before or after the shower itsel, but it was a clean space that did the job. Overall hostel experience I’d say 6.5/10 Great for socialising and great location, but difficult for privacy and living day to day. I’d say come for a few nights but you’d probably want something different after 3-4 days

Overall, this hostel is pretty mid. I give this 3.5 stars, but rounded down. THERE IS A BAR DOWNSTAIRS AND THE MUSIC IS INSANELY, FLOOR RATTLING LOUD. (Do not forget your earplugs) The building is old. There are rodents. You can't have any food in the rooms. The beds are not very stable and you can feel every movement of the person you're sharing a bunk with. Rooms have very few outlets. The bathrooms are tiny. The hostel, however, has two insanely adorable cats. The staff is really kind and accommodating. My friend and I stayed here for Taylor Swift's final Eras weekend. We checked in and they gave us each little Swiftie goodie bags. When we checked out, they let us hang out in the lounge/kitchen area for an indefinite period of time. I even left the hostel and then came back after a failed attempt to get tickets. They let me in to hang out and livestream with my friend. Not sure I would actually stay here again for vacation because I'm old and need my comforts. But if I was in pinch, I wouldn't hesitate.

I have stayed at a lot of hostels around the world and this is my worst experience. I will never stay here again, especially for how ridiculously overpriced it is for what you get. The rooms have only two outlets no where near the beds. The floor creaks. The beds are weak, wobbly and uncomfortable. The bar is noisy. The halls smell triggering my asthma. The bathrooms are tiny and rustic. They charge $5 for a towel. The worst part however is the heart. I woke up at 2:30 am because it is so hot. We have 1 tiny fan for the whole room. I went to ask the desk if they had any other fans and the answer was no. I asked for a towel to wet to cover my head. I was given one, but I'm pretty sure it was used. Do not stay here no matter what!

Our overall experience at this hostel was not bad but here are some details you should be mindful of: 1) Best location: probably can't find a hostel that can beat this location next to the waterfront. You have a train station to go downtown and a ferry to go north. There's also plenty of nice coffee shops nearby. They also have a sister bar next door that has happy hour after 9 pm with really cheap beer and drinks. This is the only reason this hostel has three stars from me. 2) Amenities: I don't necessarily care much for how fancy a hostel is as long as it's safe and clean. However this hostel made me realize how important bathrooms are. The showers are really tight so it was hard for me to put on my clothes, wash myself, and get in and out of the shower. This is a key reason why I wouldn't come back. There's two floors, and we were on the second floor. They were always cleaning the bathroom in the mornings so we couldn't use the second floor bathroom and everyone swarmed the first floor bathroom. Their floors and rooms are pretty old but that's not really a problem. What can be a problem is their top bucks don't have railings. In addition, there's no air conditioning and our room had a broken down fan, so summers can get pretty hot. They have laundry machines and you only need to pay for detergent. Ambience: this is a "party hostel" in the sense that there's a bar next door and the street is really busy and booming until early the next morning. I really liked the scene but if you don't or you're a light sleeper beware. Staff: everyone is really nice and accommodating. Miscellaneous: they have a cat named Oreo on the first floor so consider that if you are allergic.

If you are considering staying here, please read this. Some context: My close friend and I had been planning this trip to Vancouver for months, and were super excited to stay in the Cambie Hostel in a private 2 person room (no en-suite). We saw nothing but good reviews and thought it would be a fun environment to mingle with other travelers. First off, this hostel is definitely the cheapest option in Gastown, and the location is prime for cool restaurant, bars, shops, and bus stops. We really enjoyed having the bar just right downstairs. However, if location and price aren't dealbreakers for you, I would highly recommend you stay somewhere else. BATHROOM The bathrooms quickly became a stressor. First of all, for a floor of women, there was only two stalls, two sinks, and two showers. It was extremely cramped, and if someone was showering it was difficult to access the stalls. On top of this, the bathrooms were cleaned from 8am-10am/11am every morning, which is prime time for morning bathroom use. It became quite irritating having to plan around this, and made it difficult to get up and moving in the morning. Other hostels we have stayed at before have had sinks and mirrors in the room. It would have been great to have at least one of those in these hostel rooms, and would have eliminated some of the demand for the bathrooms. Additionally, when I did take a shower, the shower water pressure was extremely low, and the stalls in the shower were so small that it made for a pretty limiting shower experience. LAUNDRY After a day of exploring, my friend and I came back to the hostel around 10pm and since we were leaving the next day, we wanted to get some laundry done. We started the laundry once we got back, at around 11:45 my friend went to go pull the laundry out of the dryer, but found the door to be locked. It could not be opened with any of the hostel keys. The laundry hours are from 4PM-12AM, which we found strange and inconvenient considering we planned on leaving early the next morning. When my friend went in the next morning to retrieve our laundry, an employee seemed a bit annoyed at her presence and directed her to our laundry from the night before, which was packed away in a trash bag that was riddled with holes. The laundry detergent that we purchased at the front dest did not seem to work; our laundry had a slight odor and did not seem fully clean. KITCHEN Comparing this to a previous hostel experience, we expected there to be some basic cooking supplies available in the kitchen (nothing fancy, just some salt, pepper, and cooking oil). Be aware of this coming into the hostel, especially if you are staying for a longer period of time; you will definitely have to buy your own supplies. The kitchen space is small, so even if there are only a few people present, it will feel pretty cramped. OVERALL CLEANLINESS The hostel had a very distinct and strong odor (possibly cat litter and urine?) there were certainly an attempt to cover up the smell with very pungent chemicals, but that quickly became even more headache-inducing than the original odor itself. THE CAT (OREO) There was a very sweet, friendly cat named Oreo, who lives in the hostel. We saw many signs prohibiting her from leaving the first floor (where we stayed) because she doesn't have "outdoor skills". However, when we first entered our room, she was outside our window, and we had to let her inside. While the cat was definitely one of the better parts of this experience, she frequently meowed and cried, especially during late nights when the bar was packed. Also keep this in mind if you have any cat allergies. FINAL THOUGHTS With all this being said, if you are someone who likes having downtime in your room and being able to come back to a calming space, this is probably not the hostel for you. Since we were only in Vancouver for a short time, me and my friend ended up spending most of our days and nights outside of the hostel, which limited our negative experiences to a certain extent. We regret to say that we were rather excited to leave the hostel and put it into our experience.

I wish I paid a little more and stayed at the Samesun hostel instead. Pros: - good location to tour the rest of Vancouver Cons: - DON'T STAY HERE IF YOU NEED SLEEP. Cambie bar next door plays abnoxious bass some nights that vibrate the whole hostel. Yes, you feel all the vibrations because the building is so old. I was on the 3rd floor and couldn't sleep til 2:30am on multiple nights because of the music. Granted, this hostel is known for being in a party location so it's my bad for even booking it. If you're looking for sleep at night, don't stay here. They post this warning too on their welcome flyer. - Bathrooms. Tiny showers! Hardly any room to move. Very very very old building and spiderwebs everywhere if you look up in the bathroom. - Bathroom cleaning schedule: staff cleans bathroom every morning between around 8-11am. This is the prime time when guests wake up and start getting ready. Because they close the bathroom while cleaning and take FOREVER to clean, we kept swarming to the other bathroom on the other floor every morning and it was so crowded. Had to wait and come back several times to check if there was a sink, shower, or toilet open. I wish they'd be more mindful that they're cleaning it during the busiest use time. Seems like common sense to me.. - Slow staff. Seems like every guest waiting to check in were waiting a while for their room assignment. Also, we had to move our room one of the nights because a party of 4 were staying in our room. Ended up waiting 40 minutes for the front desk to see if he can change our rooms. He gave us a new set of keys for a different room but when we tried to open the door, that room was already full. Staff ended up moving other people around and we got to stay in our room, but overall it was pretty inefficient.

Rustic, well worn building with creaky floors, chipping paint, and a resident cat name Oreo who may or may not sleep in your room. Young, lively and (likely) drunk guests from all over the world. Weekly beer pong tournaments on Saturday nights in the common room. Attach to/directly over a dive bar/dance club that blasts modern and retro beats until 3am. Room was a bit stuffy during the warm summer days, but cools off nicely at night. Who spends their day in a hostel room anyway? The drain in the shower wasn't clear enough to handle the flow from the shower, and the water in the basin threatened to overflow. It's location in Gastown can't be beat for a hostel in downtown Vancouver. If you came to Vancouver to party, this is your place. A total dive, and worth every penny. 10/10, would recommend.

6/8/2022 One star is indeed too much for the below. Pls take into consideration what I am writing here. It took me ages to book online my future stay in Vancouver with that mediocre hostel through first Hostelworld and later directly online with the hostel itself. A real nightmare! Now, I am spending additional time to make sure I post negative reviews online but I am glad to do it. I can assure you that Cambie downtown Seymour hostel is not a reliable, trustworthy hostel you can rely on. Early April, knowing that Canada is busy in spring, autumn and summer, I started doing my homework and booked my stay with Hostelworld. Since then, I did not finish being on the phone and computer correcting booking issues with the hostel staff. First, Hostelworld booking # did not match the hostel one. OK it was corrected. Second, the bookings which followed were cancelled by the hostel without my authorization and they blamed me and Hostelworld. Third, the hostel manager called Victor begged me to cancel the Hostelworld ones and keep his bookings performed directly online with the hostel instead. I did it. And now after all those acrobatics back and forth, Victor has the nerve to cancel them. What a disgrace! I was stunned. FYI, his staff working is rude, impatient and lack of courtesy customer service when I took myself the time to call from USA and confirm my bookings. I was paying the phone calls. It was a real nightmare. Now, I just booked somewhere else. Yes, online Seymour is the cheapest but cheap is expensive. I wasted 2 months and now, today, in June I got a cancellation email from Victor. Unfair not ethical professional business attitude from that hostel! I wish to make sure you all know about it and book somewhere else where it is guaranteed you will have a place where to stay. Anyway, if you decide to book with that hostel, make sure you confirm your booking because what you paid and book might be not what you get. Coming from Canada, it is very strange but unfortunately the staff is not originally from that country. That is why they behave that way. I am a world traveler and never had such nasty, mediocre, and poor level experience. I booked my stay with Edmonton, Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Gasper and Tofino within a couple of seconds without going through that ordeal/nightmare. I did not deserve such treatment. The hostel messed with all my bookings. I can write a book. I won't recommend that hostel to my best friends.

Wow! I had an amazing time here. I think every experience is super circumstantial, for example, who you meet at the time. This is what made my time here, the people were amazing. Right when I got there, the guy at the front desk, ryan, welcomed me in warmly...then the people in my room were awesome. The community room has it's own charm. The kitchen is not the cleanest but whatever, it is what you make of it. The bed was SO comfortable. The view is absolutely awesome, located in a very cool part of town. This place has character and spunk. When I'm back in Vancouver, I will stay here!

I mean, it is what it says on the tin, right? This is the cheapest place to stay in the trendiest part of downtown Vancouver. You really can't beat the location for the price. It's smack in the middle of Gastown, right on Water Street, easy walking from the Metro, and it's well under $100 a night, even for a private room. Since our visit was very short, and we intended to spend as little time as possible in our room, we went with the barebones, most basic place we could find and opted to enjoy our time on the town more than where we rested our heads. That said, it's a hostel. That means shared bathrooms, bunk beds, sparse amenities, and folks up and about at all hours. That said, we were there during a very full time, and people were surprisingly respectful and not crazy at all at night. The bar space downstairs is big and nice, with tons of space, an outdoor patio, and decent food and drinks. If you stay in the Hostel, you get $5 off of any single meal (per person) for one meal. They do have a lot of events, including beer pong tournaments, concerts, etc. so if can be crazy downstairs. But even then, the noise doesn't seem to reach the rooms. The front desk folks are nice, the keys work really well, and they're VERY serious about "no outside visitors, period" for guests. Which cuts down a lot on the possible shenanigans in the room/sleeping areas. The biggest perks, aside from the location, were the surprisingly good wi-fi and the constant stream of visitors from all over the world. Which, if you're looking to travel, meet people, and hear about the world was really cool, and in some ways worth the sacrifices we made in more physical comforts.

I have mixed feelings about this place. Yes, its one of the cheapest places to stay in Vancouver, but you get what you pay for. At $31 Canadian per night, you get a very uncomfortable bed in a dimly lit, depressing room. I would recommend bringing sheets with you if you can. The common area is not a very social one, either. Most of the people at the hostel are living there on their working visas. Most already have their little cliques and whatnot, something my roommates and I observed. The staff are not bad. If I ever return to Vancouver, I might look into other Hostel options. One thing I will give Cambie credit for is their location. They are right in the center of Gastown which is a very nice area and super close to the SkyTrain (the one you take in from the YVR airport). Try and avoid the top bunks! They are super close to the ceiling so it makes for an awkward situation haha.

Great, cost-effective place to stay! The Cambie is located in a great part of Gastown (named after a dude that farted a lot, seriously... Canadians...) And it even has a restaurant and pub built right in, what more can you ask for? Tip: rent bicycles while you're in Vancouver, ride everywhere, it rules. My only con with the Cambie is that the staff seems burned out and under appreciated by the management. I observed a manager nitpick every minute (and mostly irrelevant) detail while this poor employee tried to help customers...super lame. She was great though, he, not so much. Anyway, stay there, it's fun and cheap. Vacation!!!

Solid hostel. I've stayed in hostels across Europe and the US; even as hostels go this is a little gritty and rough. Clean bathrooms, but rusty and run-down toilet stalls. The common showers were SO TINY it was hard to even turn around in, and I'm a small person! Common area/kitchen/fridge was frightening, but it was there and available. I didn't use it at all. We stayed on the second floor in a room for four. The room was spare and had decent flimsy bunk beds. The in-room lockers were completely bent and useless (I even brought a padlock), so good thing we were together as a group. We could still hear the bumping and hubbub from the bar downstairs late into the weekend nights, so I wouldn't risk staying on the first floor, even closer to the bar. Otherwise the sleeping experience was just fine. Incontestable value and location, that's for sure, and I wouldn't mind staying again. Pretty cool actually just to nip down to the bar for a quick beer before bed. Breakfast deals are great! But I would definitely try to rent the whole room.

My two friends and I wanted a place to stay for the night around the Gastown area of Vancouver. I stayed at the Cambie about 5 years ago and had a nice time. We booked ahead of time so we knew we would have at least a room and it being a shared room, we thought having one stranger wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Well we were wrong! The girl at the desk while checking in mentioned he'd been there a long time but was cool. We opened the door to the room to find this huge mess of clothes and empty beer bottles scattered everywhere. What scared the crap out of all of us was the 10" knife sticking into the floor!!! The room smelled like piss and I asked the guys if we should just find another place, but it was really late, and if we did leave and go somewhere else then we wouldn't get any sleep. We stopped into the pub on the main level and had a beer then went back up to bed. The one guy staying in the room was now in his bed. We quietly got into our beds but he wakes up and thinks he's seeing 4 of us when there is only 3, and I quickly notice he's definitely on some kind of drugs...he seems like he's tripping out and I tried not to talk to him. We get into our beds and do the best we can to sleep but this guy is making weird noises and coughing all night. That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but he gets up out of his bed over and over in the night and paces around the room. Oh and that knife that was stuck into the floor, it was missing and we now feared for our lives! I never slept that night and my two friends didn't either. We laid on top of our sheets in all of our cloths and kept at least one eye open the whole night. I partly blame myself because we didn't just leave the second we walked into what looked like a horror movie, but by the time we came back the second time it was very late and I assumed this Hostel wouldn't have placed us into a room with a murderer...it turned out instead he must have just been a crack head because we didn't die that night... I will never put myself or my friends into a situation like this ever again! AND I hope no one else ever does either!

The thing to remember is that it's a hostel and not a 4 star hotel. With that said, this is one of my favorite hostel I've ever had the pleasure to stay in. The front desk employee was friendly and upbeat. I even got my room early. They were outgoing and helpful. Even giving out information on non tourist place i can visit for my photographing. The manager works the graveyard shift and is friendly but have to stay on guard for people sneaking bar drink up to their room. The location is in the middle of downtown in gas town and within walking distance of many places. There is a bar downstairs and they're right next to several wonderful little restaurants. The rooms are run down and old looking. The bed are uncomfortable and thin. They have lockers you can lock your valuable in. Be sure to bring a lock for it. The bathroom are small. Bring 2 pairs of flip flop. One to wear around and one for the shower stall. They have a laundry room available for use in the afternoon. There is a kitchen/common room on the first floor of rooms. Overall a nice little hostel for 30 a night. Depending on the season you can meet some fun people. I was lucky enough to meet a Swedish couple and a British girl before heading to the richmond night market with them. Your stay here is what you make of it.

You get what you pay for. I would have been less comfortable if I stayed in a mixed room and was glad to have chosen an all female room. I'm not a cat person and could smell the cat that lives there immediately when I walked up the stairs but to be fair they do a good job of warning people. Definitely a good place to stay if you want to party and not if you plan on sleeping well in my experience. I wish I would have had the chance to experience the bar at later hours because they sounded like they were having a blast!

This is a good place to stay in Vancouver. Good location by a lot of public transportation. Free muffin & coffee for breakfast! There is also a bar that is part of the hostel, which is cool. A good place to meet fellow travelers & locals alike. Only complaints: wifi didn't work (free wifi nearby @ coffee places though) & be advised that there isn't any free parking in the area...realllly expensive to park

Good hostel to stay.... good shower to use.... very nice common room and kitchen on the first floor. I would likely stay again.... lots of nice people in the hostel to get to know and the perfect place to meet people... it seems. 4 stars..... good hostel..... worth the money and good breakfast downstairs too.... with bar connected to the hostel.

Rude little snob hotel. 3 dollars is worth the most to the twit. Go back where you came from. Some parts of the hostel are fun but not the receptionist(s) Nice bar and staff

Went on a road-trip with my best friend this summer and by far this was my favorite hostel. We hostel is right above a pub and has a bakery/cafe next door which you get free coffee and a muffin at every morning if you want. You can also order a hot breakfast for less than $3. The common area is small, but it kind of forced everyone to talk to each other and meet. Great place to be social because you can always go downstairs to the pub and have a pint. I met so many great people here. We got a private room in this hostel and it really worked out for us. Beds were clean. Bathrooms were ok. Showers we TINY! If you're claustrophobic you will not like it. But if you're not picky, eh...it's doable. There are tons of bus lines by this hostel so you can literally get anywhere without a car. Other bars nearby to walk to as well. I would go back here in a heartbeat.

I am a Canadian, and all i wanted to do was pay for a bed at 11 30,(and sleep, but the staff was acting like it was a crime..) and this place was closed. So now i am taking the sky train home on sfu, (a long hike home.) :(

I don't think I could ever stop praising this hostel! The reason I enjoyed it so much is because every minute was an unexpected adventure! From no air conditioning to frat-like room conditions to strange hipsters bumbling in the hallways, I loved every minute. Definitely go expecting the worst. I wouldn't recommend it for families or older couples. It certainly caters to the young, hip traveler crowd. The free breakfast is great but the bar downstairs is even better! We had planned on exploring the city but ended up spending each night in the Cambie bar, chatting with other travelers. The people are what made this place great!

This was truly a sh*thole of place. Every surface was as grimy as possible, with the notable exception of the kitchen and the washrooms (thank god!). The shower was VERY slow. The rooms were dark, with very little sunshine. No well-accessible power outlets either. The bar downstairs would pump loud music late into the night. A party hostel... if you're into that. At 25 USD/night (35 CAD), that's what you get. On the plus side, you get a muffin and coffee for free at breakfast. PS: I later moved to HI Vancouver Downtown, which was MUCH better in every possible way.

This hostel has a charming level of grime on it. A well loved common area, shared kitchen, decent showers, pay laundromat on site... my only complaint, the rooms would get ungodly hot compared to the rest of the hostel and the bathroom door wouldn't stay closed so basically you were getting naked in front of anyone who walked by. I had a mixed room and I really enjoyed it. The common area ans shared kitchen are a really helpful, amazing feature. Bathrooms need some work but the staff is very friendly and make you feel very welcome.

Went here end of august 2011 on a road trip from S.F. and to sum this up: the cambie is like going to hooters, you don't go there for the wings, here you aren't going here for the accommodations, rather the easy access to the nightlife downstairs. Pros: *30 dollars a night well for a 2 bunk-bed private room *happening bar downstairs with characters from all over with pool table, video games, pub food and a lot of drinks (If you can smuggle ETOH from the states please do, drinks in the stores cost even more than in the bars, and drinks are not sold in the supermarkets only special liquor stores, but I do like the fact that ETOH is sold in plastic 2 and 3 liter bottles over there) *cheap and good hot breakfast with meal ticket next door (the cashier guy is a bit of a Nazi so make sure to have your meal card filled out and know exactly what you want.) *They will make meat substitutions for delicious mushrooms on the hot breakfast plate for vegetarians! *wifi (be sure to get the code) *helpful staff *luggage storage *community room (albeit small, probably a converted sleep room) with kitchen and 2 computers (good luck getting on) and a couch and tv, really crowded. *easily access to the local weed clubs/bars (the technically don't sell) not without the magic password lol! *secure- at night you have to show your pass to get inside, though there is no curfew, there is somebody at the desk 24/7, and you need a key card to access the floors. Cons: *It got hot and stuffy in the room and there was such poor circulation no desk in the room only bunk beds and a closet and a full length mirror. *only 1 soviet style bathroom for the girls per floor, with the first floor being out of service during my stay, and the doors are wide open during the shower and bathrooms. *3rd world showers, reminded me of my time roughing it in the wilderness (cold and poor water pressure) oh and bring sandals because they piss and vomit in the stalls... I was so tempted to tip the cleaning crew. Most of the showers were out of order. Hindsight is always 20/20, in retrospect I would have taken more precautions other than bringing some bottled water, here are some freebies; ---Word to the wise boil some water in the kitchen and take a Puerto-Rican shower (no offense to Puerto-Ricans) but honestly unless you can stand ice water long enough to get really clean its the way to go, or do as I do for patients in the hospitals and heat up a pack of baby wipes and sponge bath it. *Not the best area to be wandering around in alone, reminded me of the tenderloin in San Francisco, a lot of homeless, crazies and junkies.

In terms of star rating, I don't know how to rate a place like this. I stayed here a while back, but it was legendary - and definitely worth sharing. The bit about the keys is very true. One for every floor, as well as entry and room. I stayed there when I was 17 (the other hostels were full), so I couldn't benefit from any bar freebies/access. In fact, they had to hide me while checking in, as the cops came in to inspect the premises. It's not the hostel itself that is scary, it's the area. It's a very poor and drug-addled area. My memory of this hostel experience was of seeing heroin injected for the first time (on the sidewalk), sketchy/scary night adventures, and falling asleep to the sound of non-stop ambulance sirens. It was an experience.. for sure.

Nothing beats a great Hostel. Clean rooms, great staff, affordable private bunkbed bedroom, bar on the bottom floor with great friendly atmosphere coupled with cheap beer. The free Wifi worked fine for our entire stay. Free breakfest muffin just put it over the top!

I talked to a friend who lives in vancouver and apparently when she heard "cambie hostel" she looked at me and said... "isn't that place scary???" Well here's my experience!!! Hostel with a bar attachment!!! so ... AWESOME especially since it was during the olympics. They also give you a complitmentary muffin and coffee.. lol!!! So how to describe this place Key to get in the building card key to get in the stair well Card Key to get in to the hall way Key into room. (soo over all good secuity) -individual lockers - community bathroom (weak water pressure in the showers and.. the water temperature is hard to control and if somebody flushes the toilet... be ready to notice a drastic change in temperature) - If you live in the hostel you buy pass the bar line (Althought I dont understand why vancouver has people wait outside for simple drinks at a bar) but it's a big plus!!! : ) Over all??? AWESOME experience and people :) Friendly guest and I enjoyed staying there b/c it was convient to go to the different events for the olympics. :)

Well with any hostel i expect to get what I pay for, in saying that usually for the $35 you pay the sheets come without visible cum stains. Staff were super friendly and awesome, but not the place to go if you're not interested in the bar downstairs, the bass comes all the way up the 2nd floor and people outside the window until bar closes at 2/3am. Also 2 shower cubicles with no towel racks or change area (it's either get naked in the toilet or get naked infront of everyone in the room and 2 toilets to service the entire floor is a stretch. The location is fantastic but defs worth staying someone else and travelling further to get to downtown. If you don't plan on actually spending any time in your bed/ shit faced the whole time and don't care about your sheets then this is the place for you (y)

The place was OK, but for the price I have definitely had better quarters elsewhere. We went on Canada day so the place was extremely busy and the bar downstairs was packed. I slept fine despite the noise downstairs but my friend had a horribly restless night. Was nice that they gave us a free coupon for free breakfast at the bakery next door. 2.5/5

Hostelling is mostly about perspective and expectations. If you leave your home to travel and expect to be welcomed by some tanned fellow waiting to feed you grapes and fan you with leaves then you will be disappointed here. Its not a terribly wonderful place but its not a terrible place. My first night was a drunken stumble up to my room where I had the pleasure of listening to some folks in the room next door pleasure each other. For at least 20 minutes. Good job, guy. The room was very basic and the beds were semi-comfortable and bugless. I did wake one morning to find a disturbing substance on my bedding which I will post a photo of below. Showering was an interesting task, since there is only enough room to wash yourself and then you must step out all soggy and naked in order to dry yourself properly. This is especially fun since the bathroom doors are propped open at all times. I would recommend flip flops for showering and actually just for general bathroom use incase someone decides to urinate directly on the bathroom floor as they did during my stay (bright yellow puddle by the sink, unmistakable). Also the towels that front desk rent out are basically large facecloths so do yourself a favour and just get two. None of my time was spent at the actual bar downstairs, except for breakfast which was always super delicious (classic and burrito bandito) and extremely well priced - especially with the breakfast voucher. I wasn't blown away by the staff both at the desk or the restaurant but it could be because I work in a hotel and was expecting a certain level of hospitality. Not much hospitality to be had here. Bottom line, its fine for a place to sleep but don't let your grandmother stay here.

For a first time staying at a hostel, it was very welcoming and inviting. The facilities were great and well kept. (There's free wifi!) The rooms were also very clean and the staff were friendly. We also had a room mate who was so sweet. The only little thing we had a slight problem was that the showers were a little too small but other than that it was great. We will definitely stay here again the next time we come to VanCity!

The Cambie is awesome for certain people, not so great for others. Some friends and I went to Vancouver for spring break and stayed in the Cambie, and it was amazing. The rooms are fine; our four person room had two bunks, a window that opened (which was great), a sketchy desk and two sketchy chairs. Bathrooms were cleaned daily, and I never came across anything gross. The people working there were great (as most of them were attractive Irishmen). It's great having a popular bar right in your hostel where you feel at home. Other people have complained of noise from the bar keeping them up, but we didn't hear anything at all. Staying at the Cambie was a great time, and I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in a good, boisterous time.

this place is awesome... the beds are comfy and the rooms are clean most of the dorms are decent in size... the staff have always been friendly and make you feel welcome... the party usually begins at the bar down stairs when the sun goes down.. they also serve delicious food...the thick wooden tables gives the bar a delightful vintage feel about it as well... it's in a great location and close to the water and vibrant night life of gastown.. i've stayed here a number of times and will continue to stay in the future...

Myself and my friend were staying in the Samesun backpackers on Granville street which is really nice but it got a tad pricey so we booked to stay at the Cambie. It looks like something from the horror film The Shining, dark, dull and dirty. There were bedbugs in our room and when we refused to sleep there because of the bugs they would not refund our money. The staff are very unhelpful. I have stayed in many hostels and this was by far my worst experience. This place should be shut down. DO NOT STAY HERE!

I've just checked out today from this hostel and I must say that i think it is the ugliest hostel I ever been in my life! When you pay cheap you have no high expectations but at the same time every hostel need to offer the minimum . This hostel doesn't offer anything even for their low price. So where can I start? They have no cleaning policy when It comes to your room. My room was so dirty, no one even bother to empty the trush cane. The floor was making noise when you step on it, very hard to have a decent sleep in that place. Shower: i had a shower ensuite. Wonderful right? Well it could have been if the shower was not that dirty and I could enjoy hot water . Breakfast: You get a card in order to get a coffe and an untasteful muffin that's it! Now let's speck about the front desk service : honestly most of them were really nice but there is one girl that was so rude and unhelpful ( Evon ) Gosh! This was my last experience with this network. I suggest you to add additional few dollars and enjoy your stay somewhere else!