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Ocean Island Inn | Backpackers | Suites Reviews

791 Pandora Avenue, Victoria, BC, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Reviews & Ratings Explained

83%Overall Rating

From 33 ratings
  • 81%Character
  • 86%Security
  • 88%Location
  • 82%Staff
  • 83%Atmosphere
  • 81%Cleanliness

The following reviews were submitted by customers who booked in the last 6 months.

The reviews and ratings in the rating box are based on all-time feedback and are the opinions of the customers who submitted them and do not express the opinions of Hostelworld.com. This way, you get an up to the minute opinion of just how good a hostel really is. Read our review guidelines »

We now classify our reviewers based on how well travelled they are.

  • Novice Nomad: 1-10 Reviews Added
  • Avid Traveller: 10-20 Reviews Added
  • Globetrotter : 20+ Reviews Added
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60%

Food is good, central location, pub games are fun. Kitchen not in a suitable location, loud rooms, thin walls, very close to road so a lot of streeeet noise.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 23 May 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Wales
  • Couple 18-24
  • (3 reviews)


100%

the staff were awesome! the hostel had a great vibe and felt fresh and inviting. the beds were pretty squeaky but could totally overlook that. had an awesome time at the hostel bar enjoying local music

  • Novice Nomad
  • 17 May 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Australia
  • Female 18-24
  • (6 reviews)


63%

There was a dispute to teh matter that they advertise parking but when you get there they lead you to a place where you have to pay 11 dollars more for parking and when I talked to the manager about she was not very helpful at all. I was with a motorcycle and she would not let me park it on the property and when I said you offered parking she claimed they didn\'t and would not offer any support. I ended up moving to a motel that cost 25 more per night but at least they offered parking.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 30 Apr 2012
  • Anonymous
  • (Country undisclosed)
  • (Gender undisclosed)

Owner Comment (Show)
Hi there! Yes, we remember your situation very well. We do list parking as an amenity on Hostel World (as do many other establishments), but we don't say anywhere that it's free. Perhaps we need to clarify that, so it's good that we are given this opportunity to assess the situation, but we've never had a complaint about this before. We do offer parking at rates below the typical rates in Victoria which are quite popular with our guests. Our manager did spend a lot of time trying to explain the situation to you, but we respected your opinion on the matter so in the end we refunded all of your money after you had checked in, because it seemed like you really wanted to leave. We're glad to hear that you were able to find alternative accommodations that were able to cater to your needs, and we hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in Victoria! Safe travels.

97%

Very nice hostel, most staff were very friendly and helpful. Great location and setup. Our last morning there was a lot of young school kids and teachers who took over the kitchen, making it quite hard to make breakfast. Other than that no problems and a very nice stay.

  • Avid Traveller
  • 24 Apr 2012
  • Anonymous
  • England
  • Male 25-30
  • (18 reviews)


77%

I liked it. The staff are friendly and helpful, the rooms are decent, the kitchen is well equipped and not cramped, the storage options are really good for a hostel and the bathroom privacy is adequate. They're are quite anal about their rules and regulations though, seeming at times to be slightly over the top and overbearing but on the whole its worth staying there if your in Victoria.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 17 Apr 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Australia
  • Male 18-24
  • (1 review)

Owner Comment (Show)
Thanks so much for taking the time to review us on Hostel World! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay, found our staff to be welcoming, and that our amenities fit your needs. We do have a few standard rules and regulations in place such as our Quiet Hours between 12am and 8am, no smoking on the premises, as well as no alcohol drinking in dorms and common areas (but you can enjoy drinks and live music in our Cafe Lounge). These policies are set in place and regulated by our staff who are available 24 hours a day to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable stay! Thanks again, and we hope to see you soon.

100%

Had an amazing stay and would absolutely recommend the hostel! Live music on Friday night was excellent!

  • Novice Nomad
  • 05 Apr 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Croatia
  • Female 25-30
  • (5 reviews)


90%

Staff very nice and helpful. Definitely recommended!

  • Novice Nomad
  • 24 Mar 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Poland
  • Female 25-30
  • (3 reviews)


100%

This is the third time I've stayed in this hostel - I'm in Victoria often for sports and work - and wouldn't think of staying anywhere else. The hostel is in a great location and the staff were very pleasant and efficient. The single room was a bargain considering the location and cleanliness of the facilities.

  • Globetrotter
  • 12 Mar 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Canada
  • Female 31-40
  • (35 reviews)


60%

Bathrooms could be cleaner and noise levels from street as well as other rooms made it impossible to sleept at times.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 10 Mar 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Germany
  • Female 18-24
  • (4 reviews)

Owner Comment (Show)
Thank you for taking the time to review us on Hostel World. I'm sorry to hear that you had issues with noise and our bathroom facilities during your stay. Our bathrooms are thoroughly cleaned twice a day with additional cleaning in between shifts as needed. This, coupled with our recent bathroom renovations which are nearing completion, we do our best to ensure our guests are comfortable with the facilities during their stay. We do appreciate your feedback on this and we will notify housekeeping to see if we can take extra measures in the future. In regards to the noise levels, we are located downtown which means that we are susceptible to some street noise. However, we do have many room options available that are much quieter and away from outside traffic if you are a light sleeper. Guests are welcome to come to our front desk 24hrs a day if you have any issues, especially if the noise is coming from other guests, and we'll do our best to may your stay more comfortable. Thanks again for your feedback! We hope to see you again in the future. Safe travels!

87%

Decent place, seemed common to leave the dorms unlocked, which is not a great practice, especially if your solo. Its pretty secure though, staff were good and a nice social area down stairs, cheap for food and drink. Having bike storage is great too.

Owner Comment (Show)
Thank you for taking the time to review us on Hostel World! I'm sorry to hear that you had issues with our dorms rooms. Our staff makes an effort to enure that the shared rooms are locked while they are making their daily rounds, but since each person staying in the dorm has their own key - it's really up to the guests to make sure their doors are locked. We do have a metal locker for each guest in the dorm room, and we recommend leaving your things, and especially valuables in there. We take our security measures seriously here at Ocean Island which is why we have employed 24hr Front Desk staff, placed security cameras, as well as added in a security gate to ensure that only guests have access to rooms. That aside, we're so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay with us overall and that you were able to take advantage of our free bike storage. We hope to see you again down the road! Safe travels.

90%

The only complaint was the computers were down during my stay. Other then that I thought the place, staff, other guests were amazing!

  • Novice Nomad
  • 06 Feb 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Canada
  • Male 31-40
  • (1 review)

Owner Comment (Show)
Thanks so much for taking the time to review us on Hostel World! It's great to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We pride ourselves on our high level of customer service and believe that our efforts, combined with the wonderful and eclectic people that come through our doors, really make the Ocean Island atmosphere feel like a home away from home. I'm sorry to hear that you had issues with our internet services. We recently switched over our software on our guest computers, which was admittedly a little rocky at first, but we're happy to report that the kinks have now been worked out! We hope to see you again in the future. Safe travels.

97%

Great location, friendly staff, inexpensive, perfect for what I wanted. The small room really was small, but I didn't come to Victoria to be inside.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 03 Feb 2012
  • Anonymous
  • Canada
  • Male 41+
  • (1 review)

Owner Comment (Show)
Thank you for taking the time to review us. We're glad you enjoyed our location, friendly staff and low prices. We have a large range of different rooms, so you can choose between a very small and inexpensive room if that suits you, or a larger room, perhaps with different features such as a sink or an ensuite bathroom for often not much more. Our website has all the details

77%

A very good hostel, I wish I could've stayed more than one night! As others have said, it's by some busy streets and with the windows open it's a bit load, but overall a very good stay for the money. The internet was very fast and there was a wide selection of food/drinks in the bar along with lots of suggestions for things to see or places to eat around Victoria. I will definitely stay here again next time :-)


73%

Overall my stay was OK. I appreciated the clean bathrooms, clean kitchen, bike storage, reasonable price and fantastic location (there is quite a lot of street noise though). Dorm room was a bit cramped and dirty but that was due to the other guests being slobs and not the hostel staff's fault.

  • Globetrotter
  • 28 Dec 2011
  • Anonymous
  • Canada
  • Female 25-30
  • (35 reviews)

Owner Comment (Show)
We're glad you enjoyed our facilities, location and housekeeping, and we're sorry to hear that some other guests made your stay less than the best. We do ask all the dorm guests to clean up after themselves, but considering your feedback we'll keep a closer eye on that situation. Our dorm rooms aren't that large, but we feel they are spacious enough considering there are only two or three bunk beds in each one. Regarding street noise, some is inevitable due to our being located downtown in a city, but we do have rooms away from the street that are much quieter. We suggest you request one of these for your next stay. A private room would be even quieter, and some are just a few dollars more than a dorm bed.

80%

Good clean hostel for a reasonable price.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 28 Dec 2011
  • Anonymous
  • Canada
  • Couple 18-24
  • (6 reviews)


93%

Great staff and they handled a mix-up we had well: my booking got a bit mixed up, but since no dorms were available that night I was given a private room at the dorm rate. The room had a refrigerator and some of the private rooms even have sinks. One night, I had a loud neighbor so I learned the walls are thin, but most of the time that shouldn\'t be an issue at all. I\'ll definitely stay here every time I\'m in Victoria it\'s in a great location, feels very safe, and was a great value.

  • Novice Nomad
  • 19 Dec 2011
  • Anonymous
  • (Country undisclosed)
  • (Gender undisclosed)

Owner Comment (Show)
Thanks! We hope to see you again really soon!

97%

Wonderful place, good work!




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