Samesun Vancouver

Rooms and decor

Samesun Vancouver sits at 1018 Granville Street in Downtown / the Granville Strip. It's part of Samesun Backpacker Lodges, a Canadian chain with four branches — Banff, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The hostel is a 4-storey building last renovated in 2019, with around 200 beds split across 4-, 6-, 8- and 14-bed dorms at $37-55 a night (CA$50-75), each with a large locker under the bed, clean linens and a USB plug per bed. The private doubles and twins sleep two in 12-15 sqm with an en-suite bathroom for $80-130 (CA$110-180); the dorms share gendered and unisex bathrooms on each floor. Real reviews on Trip.com (8.4) and Booking (8.3) mostly praise the value and the vibe, but flag the noise from the Granville Strip at night.

Food and amenities

The highlight here is the free breakfast laid out fresh each morning — a continental spread of croissants, bread and muffins, fresh fruit, cereal and coffee or tea, served 07:00 to 10:00, which pays off if you're staying a few nights. The Beaver Bar, a backpacker-famous pub on the ground floor, runs nightly 16:00 to 02:00 with a happy hour from 16:00 to 19:00 — CA$4 (about $3) beers and CA$6-8 cocktails, cheaper than bars out in the city. There's live music and open mic every Friday and Saturday and a DJ on other nights, which makes meeting people easy. Free group activities run daily: a morning walking tour, a Friday pub crawl and a weekly board game night. A shared kitchen with fridge lets you cook, bike storage is free for seawall rides, and there's coin-op laundry in the basement. Overall score 8.3/10.

Location and getting there

From 1018 Granville Street on the Granville Strip, you can walk to nearly every major sight. Granville SkyTrain station is a 5-minute walk, with the Canada Line reaching YVR in 28 minutes for CA$9.45. BC Place is 10 minutes on foot — home of the Whitecaps and BC Lions and a major concert venue — and Rogers Arena, home of the Canucks and concert nights, is also 10 minutes. Robson Street is 12 minutes, Yaletown 8, and Gastown 15; Stanley Park is a 15-minute bus ride. YVR airport sits 13 km away, 28 minutes on the Canada Line — the easiest way in.

Things to know before booking

Some straight talk to help you decide. First, the 8- and 14-bed dorms are loud — the Beaver Bar runs until 02:00 and people check in and out through the night, so light sleepers should pack earplugs and an eye mask or pay the extra $11-18 (CA$15-25) for a 4-bed dorm, which sleeps far better. Second, the Granville Strip draws drunks and homeless after dark, especially past 22:00 — walk in a group of two or more, or take an Uber straight from the door; the hostel itself is secure inside. Third, rooms are small and storage is tight, so big-bag travelers should use the under-bed locker and the central left-luggage room at reception. Fourth, big events or concerts at BC Place push prices up from CA$50-75 to CA$80-130 a night ($58-95) — book several months ahead.

Our take

Samesun Vancouver is the most sensible pick for a budget solo traveler or backpacker who wants to stay in the heart of the city — dorms from around $37 a night, fresh free breakfast daily, the Beaver Bar social scene, free group activities, and a 10-minute walk to BC Place and Rogers Arena for game and concert nights. If your trip is solo or a group of friends on a budget, you want to meet people, or you're here for a game or show on the cheap, this is the answer. If you're a honeymooning couple, a family with kids, or you need quiet, other places on this list fit better. Overall we give it 8.3/10 — best for budget backpackers, students, solo travelers and anyone who wants to make new friends.