I stayed at a party hostel in Vancouver. This is what I experienced.

During my recent stint in Vancouver, British Columbia, prior to my Alaska cruise, I stayed at a party hostel. The fact that it was a party hostel was no surprise to me; I knew this upon booking a dorm bed. However, I’d never stayed at a party hostel before and didn’t give much thought to what this meant. Needless to say, I learned pretty quickly.

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It all started with me searching online for “hostels in Vancouver”. I’ve stayed at plenty of hostels in the past, and don’t mind the dorm bed situation so long as the hostel is in a good location, and I can get an inexpensive rate. When I came across Cambie Hostel Gastown, the location was exactly where I needed to be, and the rate was fantastic. I booked it almost immediately.

The website did mention that this was a party hostel, and that noise should be expected. “Not to worry”, I thought. “I’ve stayed at plenty of hostels to know that noise is normal, and I’m not bothered by it.” 

When I arrived, I walked into what appeared to be a club. The bartender saw me with my luggage and let me know I was “in the right building, but ‘ya came through the wrong door”. I headed over to the correct entrance and began the check-in process.

During the booking process, I selected a 2-bed female dorm. The hostel staff informed me that the other bed would be vacant–sweet! I basically got a private room for half the price! What a score.

I struggled to hoist my luggage up the three flights of stairs. By the way–I was on the “first floor”, which is a bit misleading considering the amount of stairs you have to conquer to get there. When I finally made it to my room, I let out a huge sigh of relief. The room seemed decent enough.

On the main floor (one floor below me where the check-in desk is located) is the club I wandered into before reaching the right door. This is an important detail (you’ll understand why later on). 

I dropped my luggage in my room, freshened up, and left to explore the excitement of Gastown and downtown Vancouver.

With food in my stomach and my shopping itch scratched, I made my way back to the hostel. It was around 6pm and as I approached the hostel, I could hear it before I could see it. The music was blasting through the downstairs windows of the club. “All good, I’m sure it’s quieter inside.” Oh boy, was I wrong.

I got up to my room and, to my surprise, it was even louder than it was outside. The floors creaked and the walls shook from the vibrations. “Ah, so this is what they meant online.” 

Luckily for me, I packed my AirPods and laptop. The WiFi was quite good–strong enough to stream movies and television shows on Netflix and Hulu. This was my saving grace for the hours until I became tired enough to fall asleep despite the noise downstairs. 

Exhaustion set in and the music seemed to fade. But I wasn’t asleep for long. I woke up around 2am and the music was still playing. Somehow, it seemed louder than I remembered. Then, I realized it wasn’t actually louder–it did, however, seem amplified because of the dozens of voices screaming along to the music. Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and the live vocalists that accompanied the track sung me to sleep. 

When I awoke in the morning at roughly 7am… dead silence. That was one of the perks of staying at the party hostel–the nights were loud, but the mornings were quite calm. Nobody was awake other than me and the hostel cat, Oreo. I enjoyed an hour or two to myself before the party-ers started surfacing for water and coffee. That was my exit. 

The overall lesson learned from this experience? Don’t stay at a party hostel unless you want to join in on the party festivities. A quiet night’s sleep does not exist at a party hostel. If that’s what you’re looking for, best to explore other options. Or perhaps buy some ear plugs before your trip! However, the atmosphere did seem fun and exciting, and I’m sure if I was interested in dancing the night away–Cambie Hostel in Gastown would have been the perfect spot to do so.

The facilities and accommodation at the hostel were decent. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy my stay on the whole. As I mentioned above, I totally acknowledge that I booked this stay knowing full well that this was a party hostel. And now I know what that really means!

If you came to this post interested in finding a party hostel in Vancouver, I would recommend Cambie Hostel Gastown. For a quieter experience at the same price point, check out some other hostels in Vancouver like HI Vancouver Jericho Beach or even Samesun Vancouver.

Visiting Vancouver, BC, and looking for things to do? Check out these activities through GetYourGuide below!

• Capilano Suspension Bridge Park Self-Guided Tour
• Vancouver B.C. Whale Watching Tour
• Floatplane and Capilano Suspension Bridge Combo Package

Have you ever stayed at a party hostel before? What was your experience like? Tell me in the comment section below, or send me a message via email at sydney@sydneybrowntravels.com!