Samesun Backpacker Lodges Vancouver

Decent rooms, nice layout and great location.
Unfortunately, of the 40 – 50 hostel experiences I’ve had, this was the very worst in customer service.
The front desk asked us to be sure and have a key to our room to be let back in at night. We needed to show it at the front desk to get past the door to get upstairs.
A guy working the front desk let me girlfriend in while I finished talking to a buddy outside. She showed her key and was let upstairs. I walk in a couple of minutes later, and the same guy, who I show an identical room key to refused to let me upstairs to my room.
This was after a long night out, and I just wanted to go to sleep in the room I paid for, with my girlfriend.
I got really upset and regrettably yelled at the guy for not following his own rules and disrespecting a paying customer by forcing him out of his room.
I’m steaming at this point while waiting. The «manager» walks down 30 minutes later, looks me up in the system (not sure why, they said we just needed a key) and then let’s me to my room to go to bed.
I couldn’t sleep so i walked back down to talk to him and ask what the disconnect was. He said he needed to leave for some reason, and left this guy who hasn’t been trained yet to run the front desk.
Rough… Would never recommend a place that allows untrained employees to deal with their Customers. Stay at one of the many other great places in Van.

I stayed here just this weekend with 6 of my friends and we had a fantastic time. The staff is very friendly and helpful and we were pleased with the quality of the hostel. Our rooms were spacious and clean with great amenities included. It is in a fantastic location — right in downtown Vancouver — and there is plenty to do. The hostel itself has a bar/​restaurant which also serves free breakfast every morning to its guests, as well as it has a lounge with pool tables and entertainment. I will definitely be returning as it was an overall fun environment (mostly people in their 20’s from all over the world) and it was very fairly priced. Thanks SameSun for a great weekend!

It’s a decent place. Staff are friendly and the bar has some good deals. The biggest problem that we had was our room was a sauna. As somebody who’s always cold, it was unbearably hot. I don’t think that I slept more than 3 hours because of it. That aspect kinda ruined it for me.

Great place! Hostel rooms are located on floors 2 to 4 I believe. Restaurant and bar at the base which made a great place to relax after being out and about all day. Location was perfect in downtown, downtown itself was dirty and had homeless people but the hostel was perfect!
I walked everywhere from the hostel. Stanley park, Canada place, English bay, Granville island, gastown, Chinatown. etc…
Best pricing for a room and met a lot of travels at the restaurant below. Great city and great vibe!!!

Good place, clean, nice helpful staff they go beyond their way to assist.
Street at night alot of homeless however still safe. Train station close by less than 7 min walk. Close to shopping area and lots of restaurants there. THANK YOU

I will say right off the bat, I’m not really a fan of hostels. I think it’s a sheltered way of traveling, where you’re often only exposed to other travelers equally clueless of the area, and getting to know the local area is why I want to travel!
That being said, Samesun is exactly what you’d expect. I booked it on a Fri night about two hours before arriving from my phone, and when I got there, there were a lot of late teens/​young 20 year old’s there to party. (Many it seems being from the US where they’re still underage) Samesun is in a hoppin’ area of Vancouver with lots of bars and even one in the lobby to prevent you from ever needing to get out onto the streets of Vancouver. Perfect!
I was beginning a road trip across Canada, so spent most of my evening using their wifi and a few guidebooks from their extensive lending library to plan my trip. For that, Samesun absolutely fit my needs. And the bed was shockingly quite clean and comfortable, had a little shelf, even for the top bunks, and a reading lamp! (though again, my use of hostels is limited to only a handful of times and in developing countries, so maybe my perspective isn’t the best for this.) I did end up going out and by the time I got back it was around 2am and my room-​mates still weren’t back, but I had no issues with the level of noise for sleeping. I can see it being a potential problem if you wanted to go to bed early, however.
I woke up the next morning, had a nice [free] breakfast of a toasted bagel, fresh fruit and coffee, complete with jock looking twenty year olds grunting and yelling at the Rugby game playing on the big screen TV’s. Seriously, I was astonished that there isn’t a turn-​off button for sports for these people, even hungover at 8:30am.
The icing on the cake that really wins them 5 stars? When I checked out and returned the borrowed guidebooks, I asked the front desk guy where I could buy one nearby. But apparently Vancouver is lacking conventional bookstores at the moment because one just closed and the other expected to be open won’t be for a few months. So he gave me the book! A $ 38 hostel, and he just gave me a $ 27 Lonely Planet guidebook! Which, man, sure came in handy the rest of the trip! For this, 5 stars. Thanks front desk guy! It came in SO helpful for the whole trip!
Fun Tip: If you have a car and arrive after 8pm, instead of parking in the Holiday Inn garage for $ 21 like they suggest, you can pay a street-​parking meter (2 hr max) until 10pm and then it’s free until 9am! It was perfect for me!

This hostel is MUCH better than the one directly across from it! Staff r present, room was clean with free wifi, cheaper than its rival, free breakfast… can’t really ask for more from a budget hostel.

Pretty chill hostel and the first hostel I have ever stayed at. It was much better than I expected. To get there, we walked down a really nice street (maybe Davie?) and then you turn onto Granville, which is the street of the hostel. It seems dingy compared to the previous street but it’s fine. We got there before our check out and they let us put our bags in the locked and monitored luggage room so we wouldn’t have to walk arouns with them. We got a private room for 4 which containes 2 bunkbeds, each bed having a mini fan, light and shelf, it was very convienent! The bathrooms were also pretty clean and had good showers, which are in stalls that locks! The free breakfast was pretty delicious, I had an everything bagel with cream cheese, apple, banana and cantelope! The desk attendents were chill, some had cool accents. The hostel has a kitchen, tv room, lounge and pool table! Totally recommend!

Went with three friends for the weekend to Vancouver and had a great stay at Samesun! It was our first time staying at a hostel and we had an awesome time! We arrived way before check-​in time and had no issues dropping off our bags in the luggage room. Desk attendants were very friendly and helpful, the room was clean, bathrooms were nice, and there was a great common area. Room was ready for us when we returned late afternoon, but had been ready for a couple hours (earlier than 1).
Great location on Granville & Nelson, walking distance to everywhere in downtown Vancouver, including Stanley Park! Free breakfast was great (fresh bagels and cream cheese, muffins, fresh fruit, coffee & juice) and check-​out was at 11 AM. We didn’t have any issues leaving our bags in the luggage room for the day until our bus at 6:30pm. I felt very safe at Samesun! Traveling with all girls we were a little nervous about our first time at a hostel, but we had no reason to be. There was a code to get upstairs where the rooms are, and it changes every day. At night, someone stands by the door and asks to see your room keys before you can go up. It wasn’t cheap, but it was cheaper than a hotel, and a fun atmosphere for the weekend. All in all, a great stay! We’ll be back!

I like the Samesun in Vancouver for several reasons.
It’s one of the nicer Hostels I stayed in, but it definitely has the greatest atmosphere, for me one of the big plusses for Hostelling/​Lodging. The kitchen is well equipped and has space for all ya goodies. It has a lot of common spaces, and you”l probably make some new friends or even meet olde ones, ya’ll never know.
The biggest downsides are Granvillestreet in the front (what’s also a plus), and that the WiFi, if crowded goes down to almost ISDN.

We stayed at this hostel for two nights. I’ve never been in a hostel but I had a good idea what to expect. The experience was amazing! It’s in a perfect location if you want to party and meet other people. We made a ton of friends within a few hours. The bar downstairs is very convenient as well. I really enjoyed the tours they offered! They’re also pretty strict on who can get into the rooms after hours which is nice. The only reason this isn’t a five star review is because of the parking. I wasn’t given a straight answer on where to park and we ended up forking out $ 30/​night at another hotels property a block away. I wish I would’ve known beforehand that we had to pay so much for parking.

One of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed at. Very clean, good breakfast, great downtown location, and very social, I always make friends here. The staff is really helpful too.

I love this hostel. The staff is always extremely helpful and nice as well. It is great having a bar just downstairs and is a good place to meet friends from all over the world.
The only cons are the rooms get pretty hot, and if your room overlooks Granville street, it will be pretty loud until 4 am or so and then the street sweepers start, haha.
But overall, a great place at a great price!

This is definitely the place to be for backpackers!
The hostel stuff is really nice and friendly. They help you with everything and want you to feel comfy.
Washing rooms, laundry room and the kitchen are always clean.
The wifi connection is always good.
In the common room is a good pool table where you can play all night and you have enough space to hang around.
The balcony is big enough to eat & drink some beers until 11pm.
I really enjoyed staying in the samesun! When I ever come back to Vancouver I’ll stay there again.

Fully not impressed. I tend to travel solo, so I really value hostels that have a nice, social atmosphere for me to meet other travelers, maybe put together some random adventures. And Samesun is most definitely not that. The front desk people seem like they don’t want to be bothered and the general atmosphere of the place is a little too crowded, a little too boring.
The main problem, I think, is that they have a bar. It’s a fine bar, pretty affordable, but whenever a hostel has a bar, they rely on it to manufacture the social life. Which it doesn’t. The layout of it is conducive only to sitting at a table with people you already know and doing things you’re already planning on doing. I’d definitely hang out there. But in a hostel, it just sucks away any chance you have to get to meet new people.
Otherwise, the hostel is fine. The rooms are clean, secure and comfortable. It seems like a good place to go if you’re traveling in a group. But if you’re alone and like me, this isn’t the place for you.

I stayed here on my first visit to Vancouver this July, solo. This is one great hostel — right in downtown and close to most of the major attractions. The front desk staff were very pleasant and helpful when I was looking for things to do and directions. The premises itself was very well maintained, which is a major peeve with most other hostels I’ve been to. Clean bed, a charging point and a bed lamp right next to it, plus free wifi — couldn’t ask for more !
The pub downstairs is a great place to hang out and meet new people. Includes a decent breakfast in the price too — win win !!

My first hostel experience and it was pretty good. The front desk staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and answered any questions I had about the city. (even calling me a cab when I needed a ride to the train station early) I got there early, so I couldn’t get to my room right away, but there was a locked luggage storage that I was able to put my bag in for a few hours.
I had a private room for two nights, and it was much larger and much cleaner than I expected. The room had a full bed, desk, chair, fridge, TV, and a rod to hang clothes. There was a large window that let the sun in, but also drapes to keep out the light at night. I was worried that there was going to be a lot of noise, but I was able to sleep pretty soundly through the night with the window open.
The bathrooms are communal and are okay. They get cleaned daily, but the cleaning happens right in the morning when people are getting ready!
Of the area itself: it is really fun and happening. Granville street seems like the place to be in Vancouver, open late and just a short walk from public transportation and the waterfront.
The biggest plus of this hostel had to be the free wifi, especially when you are coming from outside of the country with limited cell service.
Overall, I really recommend Samesun, and would absolutely stay there again.

This hostel is probably one of the better ones to go to in Vancouver. It’s downtown on Granville in the shopping/​bar area of Vancouver. Close to the Stanley Park and easily to get by Skytrain.
The hostel itself is enormous. Just spend an afternoon in the common area and for the night or next day you have already plans to do trips with other backpackers. The kitchen is small, but it got all necessary things you need for cooking, unfortune is that if you need pots or pans you have to hand in your room key and go downstairs to get these at the reception.
Next to the kitchen is a small nice outside smokers area, if you do not like to hang out on the street.
Restrooms are small, but clean. Per floor three showers and three toilets, but never a line up.
Rooms are different, according to size. Small and big. Most rooms are quit small, but hey it’s only for sleeping. All amenities needed are present. A fan, an open window, mirror, hangers and lockers. Every bed has a private shelf to store away some stuff. Enough outlets to charge all you got with you. However it is a bit noise, how hard the staff tries to keep everyone quiet between 11PM and 7AM, not only from the hallways but also from the rooms above.
Including in this hostel is the Beaver Bar with pretty much, for Canadian notion, cheap beer and good food.

Good and probably one of the most affordable places to stay in Vancouver (the winter rate was as low as $ 28/​night for a hostel dorm bed but a bit more for private rooms (I think you can get an even cheaper rate if you stay longer than a week). I was there for a week and it was a great, safe location, with convenient stores, shops, restaurants, transportation nearby and that I could use as a base to walk or get anywhere. The shared dormitory and a shared bathroom (separate for men’s and women’s) were surprisingly clean at almost all times.
Samesun also offers free continental breakfast (toast, bagels, muffins butter, jam, coffee/​tea, fresh oranges, fresh fruit salad), free wi-​fi and has a common room upstairs and a bar/​small restaurant called the Beaver on the first floor that you can use to meet new people, too. The hostel offers some trips and activities (walking tours, trivia nights, adventure tours, etc that their customers can join in, some even for free (and actually are a good way to meet/​chat with other travelers), too.
At night, the place can be really loud up until 2−3am (Granville is an entertainment/​bar/​night district after all), so if you are looking for a peaceful night, either ask for rooms that don’t face the street or look elsewhere for more comfortable nights. For the price that I paid, however, this place is quite worth it if you are looking to save some money and are not too picky about noise (get an earplug or update yourself to some rooms that don’t face the streets). However, if you are looking for more upscale/​luxurious place to stay, this is definitely not a place for you.
The people were pretty friendly and I got to meet/​chat with many interesting people from all walks of life, too. I would recommend this place and wouldn’t mind staying here again, especially if I’m just looking for a low key place, on a tight budget or am not looking to splurge while on vacation.

Si vous lisez cet avis en faisant de la recherché pour une place où rester à Vancouver sans payer trop cher et que vous avez déjà passé du temps dans des auberges jeunesses, cette place est pour vous. Oui, il y a pas mal de bruit jusqu’à minuit-​1h. Oui, les douches sont petites (mais propres) et les lits moyens (les matelas auraient besoin d’être changés) mais vous y trouverez vraiment tout ce qu’il faut si le but est de faire des rencontres et simplement avoir un endroit relax pour socialiser avec des gens de partout au travers le monde. Le pub du premier étage offre des spéciaux différents à chaque jour et les déjeuners gratuits qui y sont servis le matin sont très bien aussi. Yay pour le café illimité de 7h à 9h30! Si vous cherchez un endroit pour une bonne nuit de sommeil et votre propre salle de bain, un hôtel normal serait plutôt recommandé dans votre cas.

Une des meilleurs auberges que j’ai vu, c’est vrai, les chambres sont de vraies cages à lapin, mais à part ça tout est parfait dans cette auberge! Des toilettes et salles de bain à chaque étage, lavés tous les jours.
Cuisine complète, il suffit juste d’échanger sa clef de chambre en échange des casseroles le temps de cuisiner, afin d’assurer une bonne hygièné du matériel.
Un grand salon avec des canapés, table, billard, ordinateurs.
L’auberge à un restaurant au Rez de chaussez qui organise chaque soir des soirées, souvent sportives.
Le petit déjeuner est offert au resto et très complet (lait, bagels, pain, jus, thé glacé!
Le service est très sympa! Une auberge très agréable et au centre de la ville: 10min du train, 20min du Canada Centre, des bus qui passent dans la rue, une épicerie à 10min à pieds.

This review is for 12/​31/​2011 to 01/​03/​2012. With my last minute trip to Vancouver swinging into full motion, I had no place to stay. I could check into a nice hotel or find a buddy to stay with. However, I did find a hostel, but it wasn’t any ordinary hostel. This hostel had class and that fit up my alley. Vancouver is home to the SameSun Backpacker Lodge.
I am not too familiar with hostels since there is not that many in the United States or perhaps I am really closed off to the world. I booked my hostel online and had no idea where I was staying. First impression was that I was staying in some ghetto building in New York with random sick people, but I forgot that Vancouver is much classier than that. For about $ 20 a night, you can have a place to sleep, shower, and have free breakfast. Are there any downsides? Nope. Not even with sharing the room. I had three other roommates and they were wonderful. With only a short stay, I didn’t get to know them well, but I did get to informally meet with them. Meeting new friends in a town you’ve never been in plays a big role.
The building is secure with a password that rotates. Make sure you find out with the front desk. Every room has their own design and I got the French Flag Door for Room 211. I am not sure if there are «WASHROOMS» on every floor. The washrooms or restrooms, as a Yankee would say, has three shower stalls, two toilets. There is free Wi-​Fi in the building for us members who want to be in contact with home without buying a cellphone plan in another country.
As I mentioned before, there is free breakfast at the Beaver inside the hostel. There is a kitchen and recreational room for those who want to stay indoors if its pouring outside or just lazy to leave. Basically, think of SameSun as a dormitory with class. After breakfast is over, the Beaver operates into a restaurant and dining hall. If you don’t plan to stay at the hostel during most of your stay, the location of where your hostel is pretty cool. It is in the middle of downtown where all the clubs and bars are at. There are tons of places to shop, dine, and have fun. Just seconds away from fun.
Before you leave, make sure you grab your linens since all they ask you to do is turn them in. Ugh… I miss this place already. As I was leaving the Tuesday morning, I got to meet the guys who made the video. If you haven’t seen it, here is the link:
. Just don’t watch the movie, Hostel. Its not the same thing.lol.
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