Painted Turtle Guesthouse (Hostel)

7.6

Very Good

219 Guest reviews

7.6

Very Good

219 Verified Reviews

Read all reviews

Cleanliness8.0/10

Service8.2/10

Comfort7.6/10

Condition7.4/10

location8.0/10

Neighborhood8.4/10

Amenities7.0/10

I would stay again

Not a bad hostel.

quiet and clean place

Sorry can't remember name but host was very friendly and helpful. Great place to stay.

Second night stay the receptionist was great

It was a good start I quit enjoyed it

Our grandson recently visited, and we were fortunate to secure a room for him at Painted Turtle. The staff were exceptionally kind and attentive, making him feel welcome and comfortable. His room was clean, warm, and quiet, and the establishment felt very safe, giving us peace of mind knowing he was in a great place. If you’re looking for a wonderful place to stay, both our grandson and we highly recommend Painted Turtle.

Firstly didn’t got what i booked . I booked 2 queen beds but got only 1 double bed when arrived instead of 2 queen for what i paid. Very small room with no fan . Not a good experience not worth it even.

Convenient, cosy place

It’s alright.

The room heater is not work and no elevator and has to share bathroom which was not noticed at booking. The staff is not professional. The key is not easy to open the door. The location is excellent!

Super friendly and great central location. There was always a washroom available.

Okay for the night. Kind of sketchy area of town.

The property location is central to most activity points and easy to commute

Excellent service

It was good, staffs were friendly and helpful . Overall service. Was okay

The property location is central to most of my activities. I am happy with it.

Couldn't sleep cos the whole place stinks.... eww

Freundlich

Für Unterkunft nie wieder im meinem leben ich es tut leid so was finde ich sade für mein Geld

Generally positive experience, front desk staff was very welcoming, and shared clear expectations on how everything worked. It was loud outside late into the evening, and was pretty hard to sleep until 1-2AM.

The check in time was 4pm. I called ahead and told them I’d be there just before 5pm, my room wasn’t ready. Had to be late to an event I was working because I had to wait.

It was a nice stay. The stuff is really friendly. The room is clean and the bathroom too.

I had a great check in experience and enjoyed the kitchen/lounge space - thanks

i thought it was dorm style with separate bedroom and shared kitchen/living room/bathroom but it was 4 in a room -- two bunk beds. My bad, I didn't check closely enough. But the sleeping arrangement was brutal. Couldn't recharge phone or laptop without turning on the light and dude in the top bunk was trying to sleep and couldn't stand light being on. I had to leave and managed to find a room at the Days Inn.

Parking was only issue, but they helped out , enjoyed meeting people from everywhere. Very helpful staff!

I sayed 2 nights, I was able to sleep despite the loud music from the pub underneeth... staff was friendly aldough didn't say much. Rooms where ok but not outstanding. all in all I had a good stay.

Room size so small, no AC, window has no net , noisy. Overall not recommended.

Prix élevé de la chambre sans toilette ni salle d’eau. Chambre donnant sur le rue très bruyantes. La propreté de l’espace commun et de la cuisine laisse à désirer. Par contre emplacement excellent.

Overall okay, but facilities are not good, like no parking or AC, close to nightclubs so some noise in the night

Paul is amazing, very nice man upon check -in!

Great location

Great

A little on the rough side.

The Painted Turtle always gets the job done, and this last time was no different.

Central location and cost. Friendly staff.

Friendly reception, rooms and bathrooms are basic but clean.

kitchen & living room are big. kitchen stove is not very clean. Room & toilet is clean. some bath room without hook to hang clothes when you take shower.

Even its outdated, it is very clean , well maintained by Paul and staff, walkable to restaurant, the harbour, shopping mall, very convenient and reasonable price. The customer service are excellent. Show us the easy way to get to Departure Bay bus depot by bus. Thank you Paul for the warmest accommodations.

We arrived late (10:50pm). The night clerk was friendly and efficient with the check in. The room and bathroom facilities were simple yet clean and comfortable.

washroom has bad smell, some bathroom doesn't have hook to hang bath towel, clothes etc.. Light in washroom is dark.

It was a decent hostel. Rooms are a bit warm, but fans provided. Get creative with your fans. Had the facade of eco-friendliness, but 4 "recyling" bins in kitchen with none labeled makes this aspect rather silly. Its right downtown, so expect the usual crap in our west coast dt areas....

A comfortable hostel with clean private room right in a central area of downtown Nanaimo. Waterfront and other sites of interest an easy short walk away.

FYI: there is no free parking included as stated. There is a parkade nearby that's really cheap but you do still have to pay to park your car between the hours of 8am to 5pm on weekdays. Outside of that it is free. Other than that it was a clean, tidy and seemingly well maintained hostel. Room, bathroom and kitchen all seemed very clean.

Great place

Cheap and cheerful in Nanaimo

A great little hostel in the centre of Nanaimo. The staff - and here I give a shout out to Paul, the night manager - are incredibly helpful and accommodating. I would stay again!

Feels like home away from home. Nice hostel.

Clean and helpful staff, in a lively neighborhood..

The location in downtown Nanaimo is excellent. Bathrooms were clean. Bedroom and linen were clean. Kitchen was well appointed. Showers were a little small.

Clean, quiet, convenient and well priced

Super helpful staff. Friendly atmosphere.

I recommend this ghest house

good but hot rooms but good!

backpackers will like it, families should skip

This is a very basic place to spend the night before heading out on ferry. Neighborhood did not feel very safe. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Had a family room but not really a family friendly environment.

Staff are friendly

Good private room

You can walk to Nanaimo dt area. Reasonable cost-benefit for the stay.

The photos of the rooms do not identify the kitchenette and washrooms as common facilities

Friendly crew and very helpful and accommodating Thanks to all and the fellow travelers

Look, this is a low-cost option and you get what you pay for. Ultimately the main issue sleeping in a 4-person bunkroom was noise (mostly from rowdy partying outside with all the bars) and the heat inside the room with no A/C. It was a VERY long night....

Poor hotel management service

The room is small but very clean. The bathroom is shared but also clean. The owner and staffs are very friendly. We were able to rest in the lounge for an hour before checking in. There is no breakfast provided, but you can use the kitchen and make your own. Well worth the price we paid for.

Very nice place to by. Nice bar next door for a nice evening 😉

I booked through Expedia and I choose queen bed room. It was mentioned there that it’s a private room and separate bathroom. But the room I got was very small room and had no attached bathroom not even single closet in the room. $99 before tax is not worth it.

There are restaurants around the guesthouse.

This accomodation is right downtown, so convenient for walking around and going out for food/drinks. I had a bad experience with the staff as they did not apply quiet time rules. I booked a private room to get a good night of sleep, but the place was very noisy until midnight.

I loved the location. I only stayed one night but felt very welcome. Chatted with a few friendly people who live there in the kitchen. Nice dining/living room. Wasn't too busy and I ended up with my own room.

Ok

Was ok, shower was dirty and nozzle was too high and fixed. Nice people.

Not even a 2 star motel at $94 a night

I expect Hotel.com will specify there are no elevator, no bathroom en suite and is a shared bathroom. No other hotel / motel require guests to pull out bedsheet & pillow cases out and deposit them in specific locations outside the rented room at $94 a night! There is also no heating - the room is very cold in mid to end of Nov! Luckily blanket is warm enough and sheets are good. This establishment is a hostel type room. ~$90 is far too high and I can not tell it is not a 2 star motel!

Great

October 22 stay

The stay was ok, room was clean, sparsely furnished- no table lamp- The place wasn’t what I expected, but it was clean, quiet and reasonable priced

The place was not clean enough, hygiene supplies were not provided, we had heat on for the whole night (in summer) and they were not able to fix it

I love the location. I did not realize it was a hostel. I liked their shared kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. I loved my reception by Nik who is a super host!

Does the job well

The hotel is clean, eco-friendly and the staff is friendly, yet professional. Accommodations are basic - does the job and does it well

Great getaway.

Cosy accommodation great staff. Looking forward to my next visit here.

The guesthouse was okay. It is what you would expect for an inexpensive stay. The staff are really nice and the room and shared bathrooms are clean, just a little small. The room was hot at night as there was no air conditioning.

On their website they advertise free offsite parking day and night. That is not true. I was told to park in the parade but have to pay between 8am-5pm. Someone should change the information online to avoid guest disappointment

nothing! it is not for family that all!

For a Hostel, it had a great setting for a bed and bath. The community area was inviting for travelers, equipped with a kitchen as well as a TV/computer area. Yes, at night the city can be loud, you have to consider the location and where your room is situated. Al in all we had a good experience!

All good

Amazing stay, great staff

Everything is good

Wonderful experience, friendly people and staff

Horrible experience

I love this spot! Always stay here when I’m in Nanaimo. The location is great and the people are lovely.

Très belle hôte de jeunesse en plein centre-ville. Pas de parking mais parking public adjacent gratuit de 17hr à 8hr

Pushy and evasive front end staff. Didn't match photos.

booked a private room for 8 nights, staff still alloweing 2 strangers in 1 room during COVID-19! Signs ignored about masks must be worn. Entire time only 2 out of 6 staff wore any masks! I was on 4th top floor hard on my knees.Only positive Lisa ensured my room was nice and clean.Lied by staff Auckshaw many times about parking!Having lost my job and place during COVID-19, my funds were used for staying here. Auckshaws lying saw me get 3 parking tickets total $90.00! One later reduced to a warning. Constant stress took its toll on me!1 bathroom leaked all over the floor ,other one out of order. I told them about my fines,staff girl on last day said I couldv'e parked underneath nearest parkade open! Auckshaw lied and said:"Oh I didn't know that!"He hasn't apologized,caused me great distress! In business with guests, you need to know about parking.I warn others do not stay here! I didn't trust Auckshaw. In my purse my phone I recorded everything! When I spoke to Auckshaw saying I needed $7 to park for my last night, after all my fines, he denied everything!I said he was a liar for misleading me to stay at the hostel, he yelled,shook his fist and came after me! The other staff member used his arm to hold Auckshaw back! This staff told me "quit your crying because your tears wont work and I dont like it!" I left right away as I didn't felt safe! I called Expedia who called the hostel for 1 night refund. I was refused! I spoke to security guard outside,crying,I told him everything!

The Painted Turtle was a lovely place to stay in Nanaimo - the room was clean and the kitchen and common area were very well equipped and clean as well. The staff were helpful in answering our questions and making recommendations.

Misleading marketing.

Booked for business. According to the website it seemed like there were in room private bathrooms. That wasn’t the case so we went to a different place. They withheld 2 night (two rooms each night). Not huge cost but not ethical! Poor business!!

Homey close to downtown good staff Cooking facilities clean

Great value. Friendly and helpful staff.

Everything I needed for a quick visit. A bed and a good night sleep

Clean and comfortable. Noise from street easily heard

STAY AT P.T.

ARRIVED LATE 1030 P.M. CLERK/OWNER CARRIED HEAVY SUITCASE UP 3 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. CLIENTS NICE ALSO. CLOSE TO CONFERENCE CENTRE 3 BLOCKS COULD WALK AND DID.

Good location to the harbour front just 5 minutes away Located In the heart of Downtown Easy to get buses for transportation and sightseeing Supermarket and malls are 10 minutes away Good staff services Good living room and kitchen area for cocking meals Heritage Hostel, in the heat of down town 💕👍😊

Nice clean room. No complaints. Would stay again

Didn't stay long at all besides piping in for a bed and shower, but again close to wherever you need to go in town or harbour.

The bed in the private room was very comfortable and the room was clean. Staff are friendly and helpful. I only stayed one night and did not spend much time there but it served its purpose.

One-night stay

It was good, nice downtown location convenient to the waterfront, museum, gallery, library, restaurants and business establishments. The room and premises are clean and well-kept, but shared bathroom.

Location is fantastic and the staff were super friendly and more than happy to help with restaurant recommendations or suggest things to do. The room was a bit warm because we were on the top floor in August with no ac but they supply a fan for the room so worked okay. There are a couple clubs within a block or so from the hotel so around closing time the street below was definitely noisy but honestly we just got a kick out of listening to the drunk people below yell at one another. All in all good value for what you get. Nice enough room, beautiful kitchen and an excellent location.

It doesn’t have bathrooms in each room. I wasn’t paying attention when I booked!