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Reviews of Ocean Island Inn Backpackers Suites - Hostel

2 out of 5

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 211 out of 627 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 240 out of 627 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 106 out of 627 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 35 out of 627 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 35 out of 627 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.2/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Wendy

Had a very pleasant stay at the Backpacker Hotel. Staff were very friendly and helpful, carrying my bags up and down the stair with a smile as I have a bad ankle. Breakfast in the morning and beer and dinner was a plus. The room was clean and quiet would stay again.Wendy
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great stay and great value in downtown Victoria.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
To some, the area around the Hostel may seem seedy or dangerous, but it’s far from either situation. A seasoned traveller with any common sense knows that every city has its share of social problems, and can spot a truly dangerous environment. I stay at the Ocean Island Hostel every time I visit Victoria, and have never experienced any situation that would make me reconsider coming back again and again. The property itself is amazing, clean, friendly, safe, and convenient to everything Victoria has to offer, and I can’t wait to return on my next visit.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Tsz Ki

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Jason, Bowen Island

Business traveller
Great value
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Sara

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

2/10 Terrible

Deborah

Business traveller
Disliked: Staff & service
When I sought a cancellation refund due to extenuating circumstances they absolutely refused. Very unreasonable in my opinion.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

LORNE

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
All good !!!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Wassim

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Parking situation is a bit inconvenient but the staff are super friendly 👌 good place to stay if you're on a budget or traveling
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Always stay here
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brenda

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Safe and friendly stay. Affordable for a lengthy stay.
Stayed 15 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vipul

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good price/ clean / good staff/ in downtown
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

scott

Really nice place for the most part most the staff was pleasant some seemed grumpy , the area is downtown so honestly its a bit sketchy victoria has a lot of work to help the homeless , because its rampant around there , but the hostel itself is reall nice, free food, storage indoir bike storage commune kitchen to cook lots of interesting folks
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

HSIN-YI

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good location and nice staffs and have free breakfast and dinner and beer/ red wine/ white wine/ soda : )
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ruth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff was amazing and friendly. I would stay again in there.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Olivia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
the nicest and most welcoming staff and guests! the rooms were great and the free breakfast and dinner were delicious!
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Charles

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Maria

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The cleanliness, they provided the meals included
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

WILLIAM

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ralph

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great staff, and accommodating
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brody

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Martin

Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kapil

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Wallet friendly and neat! Loved the stay
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Shreya

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Lori

Travelled with partner
Was there for 1 night. It was convenient for our stay.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Jasper

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was close to downtown so it’s easy to move around without a car. Improve ventilation in rooms.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Tris

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Shannon

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
My husband and I paid $160 for one night in a double bed private room here, with plans to come back at the end of our road trip for an additional two nights. It was such a rough first day that we canceled the remainder of our trip and booked into a different place. - Immediately upon our arrival (we hadn't even entered the hostel yet) there were two junkies tying off in the road next to the hostel. Which is immediately a huge safety concern (obviously) and made us regret ever staying here. -The room was NOT worth $160/night. I am appalled at the cash grab for such a bad hostel. The double bed stretched nearly wall to wall in the cramped space, and we were right in the corner above two noisy streets (and there were clearly no accoustic barriers at all) which caused us to have a horrible sleep. - The communal washrooms were always wet, and were stocked only with soap and toilet paper. I wasn't expecting much, but not even having a hand dryer in a washroom is disgusting. - Most hostels I have stayed in have lounges/living spaces where you can relax, but they only had a bar with wooden chairs in it, and two poang-style chairs in the reception area (both of which were nearly always filled). We did not feel welcome in the spaces around the hostel other than in our room. Don't stay here. It is exceedingly over priced and does not feel safe.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Jack on 30 Oct 2023
Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your stay at our hostel. We want to extend our sincerest apologies for the disappointing experience you had during your visit. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us as it helps us improve our services and maintain great guest satisfaction. We are deeply saddened to hear about the incidents you encountered upon your arrival. Safety is of utmost importance to us, and while we cannot control events outside the hostel, we do take security measures seriously. Had we been informed of the situation, we would have contacted the appropriate authorities to ensure your safety and that of our other guests. We also regret that your room did not meet your expectations. We understand that a good night's sleep is essential, and we apologize for any discomfort you experienced due to street noise. In the future, please don't hesitate to let us know of any issues right away so that we may address them quickly and appropriately. We have free earplugs available at our desk for those who might be more susceptible to any excessive noise. Furthermore, we are always happy to find the perfect room for each guest, so please don't hesitate to let us know if you would prefer a quieter room away from the street. To add to this, we are continually working on improvements to enhance the soundproofing in our rooms. Regarding the condition of our communal washrooms, your feedback is duly noted. We will take immediate steps to address this issue and ensure a more pleasant experience for our guests. Our common areas are designed to be inviting spaces for guests to relax and socialize, and we apologize if they did not meet your expectations. We regret to hear that you did not feel welcome in those areas, so we will be looking into this to ensure that the common areas are as inviting as possible. We are always looking for ways to enhance the guest experience, and your comments will help us in that regard. Once again, we deeply regret that your stay was marred by these issues, and we apologize that we did not exceed your expectations this time. Thank you for taking the time to share all of your thoughts with us. While we are sorry for your negative experience, we hope that you were still able to enjoy the beauty of Victoria. Kind regards and take care, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

2/10 Terrible

li

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Don't come
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kate

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
This was a great place to stay! So conveniently close to downtown. Food was delicious.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 30 Oct 2023
Thanks so much for your review! We're so glad to hear that you had a great stay at our hostel, and it's wonderful that you liked our convenient location in downtown Victoria. We're also happy to hear that you found the food delicious - we'll be sure to pass your kind feedback along to our cook. Thanks again for your review. We hope that you enjoyed your time in Victoria, and hopefully we'll see you again sometime soon. Safe travels, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

8/10 Good

Rong

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and good customer service. No fan in washroom. Noisy at night time if leave the window open.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 24 Sept 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback! We're delighted to hear that you appreciated our central location and the quality of our customer service. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the nighttime noise. While we are unable to control noise levels outside the building, we are always happy to do what we can to mitigate any potential noise issues. If you happen to notice any excessive noise, please let our front desk know! We are available 24/7, and we can always find you a quieter room should there be any noise issues. We also have free earplugs available at our front desk! With that said, we appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind as we are always looking for ways to improve. We hope to welcome you back for an even better experience in the future. Safe travels and take care, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

10/10 Excellent

sandy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Really neat building. My bed was very comfortable and the room was clean. Everything I needed was within walking distance. I went for a mani-pedi in the am, went whale watching in the afternoon and got a massage in the evening. All within walking distance from the hostel as well as from where my dog was being taken care of.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
As hostels go, this was a good one and it had a good energy. The streets of Victoria are a little rough these days, but generally safe.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 24 Sept 2023
Thanks so much for your kind review! We appreciate your feedback and are happy to hear that you had a good stay at our hostel. It's great to hear that we have good energy! Thanks again for your review. We hope you enjoyed your time in Victoria, and we look forward to welcoming you back in the future. Warm regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

10/10 Excellent

Robin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The breakfast and dinner was pretty good, more than what we expected. Staff are very helpful too.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 16 Oct 2023
Thanks so much for writing us a review! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the free breakfast and dinner. It's great that you found our staff helpful as well. Thanks for staying at Ocean Island Inn. We hope that you enjoyed your time in Victoria, and we hope to see you again sometime soon! Warm regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

10/10 Excellent

Prince

Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mono, Vancouver

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Adolfo

Liked: Amenities
They were polite and the soup was very good .
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 24 Sept 2023
Thanks for writing us a review! We appreciate your feedback and are glad to hear that you found our staff polite. Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed the free dinner! We will be sure pass your feedback along to our chef - I'm sure he will appreciate the praise. We hope you enjoyed your time in Victoria, and hopefully we'll see you again sometime soon. Cheers, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

10/10 Excellent

Jose

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Toni

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

keiko

Travelled with family
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vanessa

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Jane

Liked: Staff & service
The room itself was fine. The washrooms were a little unclean. The showers in particular were mouldy.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Jack on 29 Oct 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback about your recent stay at our hostel. We appreciate your honest comments, as they help us identify areas for improvement. We're glad to hear that your room met your expectations. However, we're sorry to learn that you found the washrooms, particularly the showers, to be less clean than you anticipated. Maintaining cleanliness is a top priority for us, and we apologize for any oversight in this regard. Our housekeeping team will be addressing these concerns promptly to ensure a more pleasant experience for our guests. Thanks again for taking the time to write us a review and share your thoughts with us! Your feedback is incredibly important to us, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future, providing you with an even better stay. Warm regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

8/10 Good

JUSTIN

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Free breakfast and dinner, free beer. But noisy as it has very thin walls and the window has an opening to the outside which is the street. Sometimes it could be very noisy with people smoking outside at late night.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

MARY ARIANNE

Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Oluwaseyi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellence for its budget.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Jack on 16 Oct 2023
Thanks so much for your review! It's great to hear that you had a good stay. We hope you enjoyed your time in the city, and we look forward to seeing you if you're in Victoria again! Kind regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

8/10 Good

Paul

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Floppy Heads
I booked this the nifht before I got on the ferry to Canada. I was denied entry into the country. Obviously, I was not expecting this. Since it was a last minute booking and an unique circumstance, I assumed that this property would have some leniency on their cancelation policy. Alas, Canada is not nice or friendly, even for a hostel, I was surely disappointed.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Jack on 24 Sept 2023
Hi there, thanks for taking the time write us a review and share your thoughts with us. We appreciate your feedback, and we are sorry to hear about your negative experience. We're sorry to hear about the challenges you encountered during your travel plans. As you mentioned, we do have a 24 hour cancellation policy. This means that any reservation cancelled less than 24 hours before the start of the reservation will be charged one night's stay. While we understand the unique circumstances that travelers may face, and we sympathize with your unexpected situation, we were unfortunately unable to offer a refund for the cancellation fee in this instance. Our cancellation policy is in place to ensure the fair treatment of all guests, and while we wish we could accommodate your request, we have a responsibility to maintain consistency for all our guests. We do apologize for this inconvenience, but we greatly appreciate your understanding. We hope your future travels are filled with smoother experiences. Should your travel plans bring you back to Victoria, we would be delighted to welcome you and provide you with a fantastic stay. Kind regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn

8/10 Good

Dinah

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staffs are approachable. Location is public and private transportation accessible. Free beverages 24/7 and Breakfast foods are great. Its just that our room's door and window are open when we checked in that scares me a little.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Cher

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The atmosphere from start to finish was inviting, welcoming, and fun. I enjoyed the ambience and the wide variety of people ... from young to old. The food was exceptional! The staff was friendly and very helpful. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. Oh, and the unexpected free alcoholic beverage in the evening was such a nice addition to their services. Thank you to your amazing staff!!!
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Jack on 24 Sept 2023
Thanks for taking the time write us this lovely review! We're absolutely thrilled to hear that you had such a wonderful experience during your stay with us. Creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for our guests is our top priority, and it's fantastic to know that you found it welcoming from start to finish. We're delighted that you enjoyed the food, our friendly staff, and the unexpected evening treat. Thank you for your kind words, and we can't wait to welcome you back should you fin yourself in Victoria again. Best regards, Jack - Ocean Island Inn