Painted Turtle Guesthouse

Painted Turtle Guesthouse descritpion

An on-site launderette is featured at this Nanaimo accommodation. Free Wi-Fi is provided in all rooms. Departure Bay Ferry Terminal is 2.5 miles away.
Simply furnished, each room at Painted Turtle Guesthouse comes with shared bathroom facilities. Linen and towels are included. A fan is provided.
A kitchen is offered for guest use at Guesthouse Painted Turtle. Table football and games are featured in the TV-free common room. Luggage storage is available. Vending machines offering snacks are located on-site.
Whale Watching tours are available from Cowichan Bay 55 minutes’ drive away.

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The staff speaks English——Painted Turtle Guesthouse's staff speaks:Chinese,English,German
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Facilities of Painted Turtle Guesthouse

Kitchen ：Shared Kitchen

Ski ：Ski Storage

Pets ：Pets are not allowed.

Activities ：Cycling | Bicycle Rental | Game Room | Library

Food & Drink ：Snack Bar

Internet ：Free!WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge. | Wired internet is available in public areas and costs CAD 6 per hour.

Parking ：Public parking is available at a location nearby (reservation is not possible) and charges apply.

General ：Non-smoking Rooms | Family Rooms | Heating | All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private) | Designated Smoking Area

Languages Spoken ：Chinese | English | German

Reviews for Painted Turtle Guesthouse

Review 1：In found the hostel to be clean and the staff helpful and friendly.The kitchen is well equipt and there's a nice common area. I would stay here again.

Review 2：Excellent staff, Monique big friendly smile helpful and the best welcome you foul hope for, Dani promptly helped me and fixed an issue I had in no time, Laura kind and helpful. Thank you guys!

Review 3：Poor value for a double room - over $100 for a shared bathroom, tiny shower stall, one towel each, no bathmat. Had to pay an extra $5 for shampoo/conditioner. Poor lighting, stuffy with no air conditioning. Super noisy with the window open (above a pub and a bus stop). Booked The Painted Turtle because it had good reviews and looked cute. Had to apologize to my partner for the mistake! On the way home we booked at a budget hotel walking distance to town for less and got a/c, quiet, more room, lotsa towels and free soap.

Review 4：Great location. Good for backpackers.

Review 5：The place was shady. Stair case was scary and could fall any time. The room smelled bad and the showers are so small that it is hard to turn in the shower. No air condition lest there was a fan that too a small table fan which was no good. I would not recommend this place unless you are not left with any option and do not have a place to sleep, do not even think of booking this place.

Review 6：There is nothing to like here

Review 7：My bed was overly squeaky. Every time I even took a breath it would squeak. I couldn't move throughout the night so that I wouldn't annoy the other girls in the room.

Review 8：Great staff! Great building and rooms. So clean and welcoming.

Review 9：somehow the place was completely empty when we were there. not too lively

Review 10：the cleanliness here was unparalleled and so was the comfort, amazing beds, amazing facilities, everything SUPER clean, 5* hotel standards of clean.

Review 11：Bad wifi connection in the room. but good wifi connection in the guest room (living room & kitchen )

Review 12：SUPER clean washroom and room, nice spot in down town(easy going to walk around), all kindly staff, quiet place (sometimes people made noise but it was fine after 11pm or midnight, all quiet :) so good for sleep) and cheap!

Review 13：My room was poorly lit which made working in my room difficult. I found the bathrooms were generally clean, but sometimes they had a sewage smell. As well, the walls are very thin and I could hear someone snoring every night for my stay.

Review 14：The location was great! Close to the harbour, local restaurants and attractions. The staff was very accommodating, and the bed was really comfortable. The kitchen was very clean.

Review 15：Unfortunately there were a couple negative points worth mentioning :( mostly in regards to a certain seemingly long term resident that was blatantly rolling his marihuana cigarettes in the communal lounging/dining area and even if he wasn't smoking it on the premises the smell was definitely strong enough to the point where the staff were even mentioning it but seemingly oblivious or pretending not to know where it was coming from. This was compounded by the same resident having his girlfriend staying with him (presumably without being a resident herself overnight in a dormitory room) who left her half smoked cigarette butt laying on the kitchen counter one night when I ventured out to have a late night snack. It made me feel uncomfortable to the point I was jokingly calling it a half way house for addicts ! Don't get me wrong this is a good place and fairly priced with the exception of this one resident that should have been asked to leave being that he was clearly subjecting the rest of the residents with his a little too laid back lifestyle which included leaving his and his girlfriends belongings laying in the communal area while they went outside to presumably smoke cigarettes and/or marihuana ! There you have it, a nice place that just happened to have a not so considerate resident making it a little not so nice. I would still go back to this hostel as otherwise it was a very pleasant place.

Review 16：We liked the location which is within walking distance to many shops and restaurants, although we cooked most of our meals in the communal kitchen. Our private double bed room was simple and clean, as was the many shared bathrooms just across the hall and I never had to wait to use the facilities. We liked the common dining/kitchen/lounging area overlooking the corner of the two cross streets this heritage building is situated on, just one block away from the harbour. Lastly the staff were all very friendly and helpful !

Review 17：1) The bunk beds are not good- that older, cheap type with a thin metal frame, where the ladder is awkward painful to climb with bare feet. I hated sleeping on the top with my face right next to the window, especially as the curtain wouldn't pull across all the way. 2) No elevator- it is very difficult to be on the top floor when you have heavy luggage, and those stairs are pretty steep. 3) Very small lockers. You will be in trouble if you have big items or loads of valuables. 4) If you're a HI member, don't book a bed here through Booking.com. I am a HI member- usually when book a room through this website, they quote the member's price and state that you will pay a few dollars extra per night upon check-in if you do not have a HI membership card. When checking in and presenting my HI card here, I was informed that this cannot be taken into account. I checked online later and realised I had paid more through Booking.com than I would have if I had booked directly with the hostel, or using the HI website. BE WARNED.

Review 18：1) I think most people would agree that the best feature of the hostel is the main kitchen/living area, which is cosy, comfortable, and attractive. 2) Good security. 3) Nice bathrooms 4) Overall decent facilities. 5) Location is great. 6) Charging facilities with (small!) lockers in room.

Review 19：Could've been a bit cleaner.

Review 20：The kitchen and common area were comfortable. Separate bathrooms are nice too. Free laundry. Staff were very helpful and friendly.

Review 21：Hard to beleive how clean and comfortable this place is. Staff go out of their way to help and accomodate. The main/social room, or as they call it " the great room " has comfortable sofa, high chair, dinning table....

Review 22：We really enjoyed our stay at the painted turtle guesthouse. Staff we're very friendly and helpful, the rooms we're comfortable and cosy and the kitchen/living room facilities we're ideal. Would recommend this place highly.

Review 23：Weary mattresses (but hey, it´s a hostel)

Review 24：Outstanding for a hostel. Staff are great and have solutions for every problem it seems. Very nice kitchen / Living Room area. Central in Nanaimo.

Review 25：One of the bathroom doors couldn't be locked. The lockers are really small.

Review 26：Staff, location, nice and well equipped kitchen, possible charging in lockers

Review 27：Was a bit hot during the night, despite the fan. (August)

Review 28：Friendly staff. Large light airy and clean kitchen/living area. Fan in the bedroom was very silent.

Review 29：Too much noisy in the night for the pub, sheet old, no games for young kids, very small fridge in the kitchen, the staff correct but not nice.

Review 30：Good location, kitchen, clean, nice living room.

Review 31：The shared bath experience was one I will not repeat. The facility was a bit older and amenities were limited.

Review 32：This location was in the heart of downtown Nanaimo so it was very convenient. The property was very quaint and had a bit of a rustic feel.

Review 33：You aren't trusted and you will be treated like you are being introduced to prison. This place is right next to a very busy street and very active bus stop. There is no air conditioning and the beds are mushy.

Review 34：the lockers are extremely small, only big enough to put small valuables and electronic devices such as laptop, phone, wallet.

Review 35：the staff were very helpful and friendly. The place was very clean. Quite a few washrooms. Good location. Bought a $2 Painted Turtle bracelet that gave me good discounts at restaurants and coffee shops.

Review 36：everyone was friendly and it felt like you were home.

Review 37：Location was good and the staff were really friendly with good knowledge of what to do.

Review 38：club/street noise - no a/c just a fan

Review 39：available and clean

Review 40：location was great, really center of he downtown.

Review 41：Loud music in bar below

Review 42：. extremely friendly, huge common room

Review 43：very nice and clean hostel. Friendly and helpful staff. Located centrally, close to the waterfront,

Review 44：no Air conditioner，only a small fan，too hot. Down.the stairs is a lounge,too noisy.

Review 45：nice location.

Review 46：no air conditioning

Review 47：inexpensive, great location, good staff, clean

Review 48：It's very close to the bastion and main street. They have large kitchen and livingroom.

Review 49：Both sides of hotel have a loud bar on it, and a pub in main floor, so falling asleep before 2am on fri/sat can be tricky

Review 50：The best youth hostel, and I take a lot youth hostel before! very clean, spacy, the kitchen very well furnished

Review 51：everything was good!!perfect!! I wanna stay again~

Review 52：nothing, all good!

Review 53：Beds are very confortable Lot of attention put into making the place quiet and homy

Review 54：Lots of Water on the bathroom floor

Review 55：The cleanliness was much better than all other hostels!

Review 56：Half the time the wifi wouldn't work.

Review 57：Towel included was pretty sweet

Review 58：Could be cleaner

Review 59：Location, staff

Review 60：wouldnt refund a night after booking four nights on my phone and didnt see the fine print

Review 61：hot water comes out really slowly...

Review 62：nice staff and room setting; good location for the price

Review 63：As an older person,next stay I am requesting a lower bunk.

Review 64：,quick & easy check in.Good value,for the traveler on a budget.

Review 65：The room had a bit of a weird smell.

Review 66：Location, staff, value for money. Great common areas

Review 67：Very helpful staff! Nearby there is a great vegetarian raw food restaurant called Power Bar.

Review 68：everything. Very nice and friendly

Review 69：Bathrooms and bedroom really not clean. Dusty, bad smell, noisy... disguting sheets.

Review 70：The kitchen

Review 71：Being on the street side - bit noisy - with window open

Review 72：Location, cleanliness

Review 73：nothing

Review 74：simple and comfortable

Review 75：On my 2nd visit turning off the lights turned off all the power points so dead phone in morning...May have just been a one off!

Review 76：Very helpful, knowledgeable staff...great storage charging station..

Review 77：This is the third time I have stopped here but definitely the noisiest Don't take room c it backs onto bathrooms and toilets and is noisy all night There was also no toilet paper in any of the 3 toilets in the morning I thought that this hostel was no longer the value for money that it used to be and doubt I will stop here again

Review 78：The staff on arrival seemed anxious to please but gave wrong info about catching greyhound bus They sent us all the way out to departure bay to catch it but we found out later we could have just walked down to the London drugs store bus stop

Review 79：The shower room was rather small and it was hard to wash in. While I was able to access the web on my phone to a certain extent, it had trouble connecting occasionally.

Review 80：The staff was extremely kind, friendly, accommodating and hospitable and I was immediately greeted with a tour of the entire guest house. The ambiance of the place was really nice (I loved the hand-drawn door signs) and I was given excellently warm treatment for the best price that could be asked for. I also very much appreciate that the guest house offered anything that its guests could have potentially forgotten. I was glad to be able to get toothpaste when I realized I'd forgotten mine. I highly recommend this guest house for anyone needing a brief place to stay with a low budget. - A B. C. Resident.

Review 81：My daughter (17) and I stayed on Thursday night before Good Friday and the nearby clubs were very, very noisy. It was difficult to sleep. Such a shame, because it's a great place! I would highly recommend it, but would caution travelers to choose their dates wisely.

Review 82：no large lockers in dorms, dorms kind of small, but no major complaints

Review 83：Easy check-in and check-out, awesome common room, private bathrooms, location in town centre

Review 84：The room was too cold even after turning up the room heater all the way. Also, the wifi was very slow or not responding

Review 85：Nice value for the stay Friendly staff

Review 86：Bedding was not good quality. Terrible smell of fish throughout the hostel due to a pot simmering on the stove first thing in the am.

Review 87：Friendly staff. Use of the kitchen facilities. Great price. Great location.

Review 88：It's a little bit noisy place till 2 AM as they have a bar right around the corner

Review 89：Good price Perfect location (just next to the water front on the commercial street) Social room with table soccer and cooking facility

Review 90：Access to washrooms in the morning might be a problematic, sometimesthis guesthouse may accomodate strange people who may represent aserious problem for people around

Review 91：Friendly staff, good location

Review 92：The bathrooms could have been cleaner and the sheets were threadbare aswere the towels.

Review 93：The Location is great. The staff were all very friendly and helpful. Itwas what I expect from a Hostel accommodation. Great value for theprice.The kitchen was very clean.

Review 94：Rooms not air conditioned or well ventilated for a particularly warm night but I realise this was very unusual weather.

Review 95：Great kitchen lounge area for guests. Friendly staff One of the nicest hostels I have stayed in.

Review 96：It can be quite loud outside the hostel at night, because of its location in the neighbourhood of bars. Ear plugs will do!

Review 97：Nice rooms, friendly staff. In the middle of Nanaimo.

Review 98：bathroom not always clean; walls dirty in room; website didn't talk about accessibility for strollers - at least not that I saw.

Review 99：Good downtown location; good value for money; friendly staff; nice bed

Review 100：The stairs, with older knees not too welcoming.

Review 101：I liked that I could sit up in my lower bunk w/o hitting the upper bunk framework or having to duck low to get out & up. The proximity to the water & the downtown core was excellent, the staff very friendly & approachable. Great place...

Review 102：Everything is very clean and there is plenty of bathrooms to accomodateeveryone. The staff was very friendly and helpful. You can buy awristband for 2$ that gives you good discounts at manyrestaurants/pub/museum around. Definilty worth it.

Review 103：I couldn't find any demerit point.

Review 104：Living and dining-kitchen room was nice place for relaxing. People staying there were good, keeping their manners.

Review 105：Climbing the wooden three flights of stairs. But I managed ok. Just hard on the asthma!

Review 106：Liked the location as it was a block from the waterfront & Port Theatre. And the cost fit my budget perfectly!

Review 107：It was loud at night due to the bar.. would not recommed to a family or older couple.

Review 108：Other guest were friendly.. first lady I spoke with when I checked in was very kind and showed me around the room and where to go and what was available for my stay. Location in Nanaimo was awesome! Close walking distance to interesting stores and ocean harbour.

Review 109：Found PT online. Read some great reviews. It was very well located for my needs. Wasn't disappointed. Staff were very friendly & helpful. I'll definately be coming back, as my kids live on the island. Tris

Review 110：Shared unlockable shower room

Review 111：Run!

Review 112：Not that clean in the kitchen

Review 113：The nice staff, the great room, the rooms, the situation

Review 114：Clean, only 4 men dorm, very helpful staff

Review 115：Light (too dim) Wifi(no signal in my room)

Review 116：Kitchen Washroom Location Price

Review 117：Cold in room Light in room very dark

Review 118：Kitchen great room cheap clean nice staff Game night Location

Review 119：Could be a cleaner.

Review 120：Staff were welcoming. Guests were friendly. Communal area was a good place to meet people from around the world.

Review 121：Shower

Review 122：Great room(kitchen)

Review 123：The friendly and very helpful staff. The clean well organized house situated town down a few minutes from waterfront.

Review 124：Lumpy bed

Review 125：Easy access to showers.

Review 126：Everywhere is clearn and there is near bus station, grocery store and its in old city. Parsonaly I like taking rest in dining there!!

Review 127：as ok

The Fine Print

You must show a valid photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all special requests cannot be guaranteed and are subject to availability upon check-in. Additional charges may apply.Please note this property does not accept American Express as a form of payment.Please note there are no lifts at this property only stair access is possible.