Squamish Adventure Inn & Hostel — Hotel in Squamish

Let me start by writting this review to say that this USED TO BE my favorite hostel.

I have stayed here before, 2 years prior to this review. In fact, I cannot believe I did not leave a review then. I was in love then. However, my experiences were vastly different between then and now. Now, I feel ripped off and burnt on this place. I doubt I will ever come back.

When paying over $200 USD (more in CAD) to book a private room - I expect just that - A PRIVATE ROOM. Even if it small or smaller. We have had that (a very small private room) when staying here before.

We had no idea the private rooms could be smaller than what we had the last time we were here but I promise the rooms can be the size of closet which I found out this visit.

A ROOM THAT USED TO BE A CLOSET IN A ROOM WITH 3 OTHER BEDS IS NOT A PRIVATE ROOM. THAT IS A CLOSET INSIDE A DORM WITH A MATTRESS.

The size of the room I was given with my partner was extremely tiny.

And, it was westward facing meaning, it was baking in the sun all day. This hostel has no AC and, our closet aka the tiny private room was so hot I could barely function once we got inside.

We went downstairs to see if this is correct - surely, if we paid this much we must have a different room. NOPE. This was our “room” aka a closet inside of a shared dorm and there was no available room to switch to.

Listen, I doubt I will come back.

I have LOVED this place in the past but take over $200 USD from me and give me a personal sauna / an easy bake oven style place the size of a closet which is supposed to be a room ?

Nope. There’s other places to stay in the area that cost less and, won’t bake you alive OR charge you over $200 for a CLOSET inside of a dorm room.

We found a hostel near by for the same price & got a room with a private bath and a HUGE room. That was PRIVATE !

SQUAMISH INN IT IS SHAMEFUL WHAT YOU ARE DOING - I consider it FRAUD - Stop overcharging for “rooms” or misrepresenting what you are offering !! Update the website with accurate pictures at a bare minimum & label correctly.

Room 306P the P stood for Private needs to be re-labeled 306C for CLOSET.

I added a picture of the “room” we saw online and paid for - this is NOT what we got at all. Not even close.

The room we received was the size of a king size bed or a walk in closet with a queen sized bed inside. There was NO room at all inside of it and it was terribly hot. This listing online is VERY misleading.

The room pictured in the online ad is actually the room we had last time when we stayed here two years ago and, so we were excited ! We thought we would get it again and, we were so thrilled.

We also went back into our records from our last stay and found that the last time we were here, for a room almost DOUBLE THE SIZE of what we got this time - was less than 1/2 the cost !

The room pictured in this review, the room we had last time, and the room we thought we were getting was $61 USD the last time we were here.

What we got THIS TIME was a modified closet in a dorm room that was not private and was not described clearly or pictured correctly online which was majorly misleading and we were charged over $200 USD for a CLOSET.

Again, I feel ripped off and, when I asked for help I was ignored. The website is misleading and, inaccurate.

On a personal note - I never get time with my partner. We had such a good time here the last time we were here we came back to rediscover that loving feeling at a place we both loved. Well, now we know how much we love each other for having to deal with this ridiculous situation and we both also know how much we do not love this spot anymore.

I’ll be staying elsewhere, sadly. Do not let this place mislead you or rip you off like they did to us this weekend.

Again, Squamish Adventure Hostel you used to be great. Please, do better and stop taking peoples hard earned money and misleading them. It’s heartbreaking. It’s misleading. And it’s...

Here is my attempt at a FAIR review. I think this is a solid 3.5 star hostel.

For context I have stayed at this hostel 6 times. I am writing this review because my friends have wildly different experiences and I hope this can help everyone plan their next Squamish vacation better.

-- The Worst Experience: Late Check Ins & Melted Groceries -- In my experience this is the #1 complaint that results in wildly different experiences for guests. This hostel has a late check in policy that usually kicks in around 10-11pm. This time is not clear and the front desk will charge you a fee. I personally have checked in with the front desk and then they still charged me a late fee. I didn't care at the time, but you need to be aware that if you are a weekend warrior planning to arrive late you will be charged.

Checking in late also has a huge parking issue. The lot for the hostel holds 15 cars. If you have a car seats, big gear, or other items you need to bring in you will be forced to park 0.6 miles away in a big empty dirt lot. The only way back and forth is to walk in the dark with almost no lights. The refrigerators are also locked at night so if you arrive late with groceries you will have to throw away all your perishables. I know more than a couple of people who had their plans thrown off by the nature of these logistics.

The best way for weekend warriors to deal with this is to plan ahead, but it is a significant point of annoyance for travelers who are not aware of this. International travelers will need to allocate a morning to grocery shopping instead of being able to bring prepared items the night before.

--- The Rooms --- I have stayed in almost every private room this hostel has so far. The beds are firm and they are carpeted. When you book on the site, the exact photo you see is the room you get. If you are over 6 feet tall, you will NOT fit on these beds.

Be aware the pillows are also very thin so for comfort expect to bring your own. Curtains in each room vary wildly so if light is a problem definitely bring light blockers. In the summer there is a fan in each room and the window opens half-way with a screen. Expect to leave the window open at night.

Otherwise, this is very nice for a hostel. Bathrooms have plenty of toilet paper and the water is hot.

--- The Kitchens --- You have two main stoves with one big island in the middle to prepare food. It comes complete with knives (bring your own sharpener if you want to cut anything seriously though), plates, bowls, cups, and a left-over spices bin. This is very nice for a hostel but international travelers may be surprised by how gross the kitchen can get. In the summer the compost bin becomes a fly and fruit fly nest that swarms the kitchen. The trash is open air as well so expect a certain level of grossness. Probably the least pleasant experience in the hostel.

But this is also the most fun because here is where you mingle and meet people and swap drinks for groceries. The layout of the hostel is close and great for making new friends.

You get 1 medium shoe-box sized plastic bin to put your groceries inside the fridge and also 1 plastic bin outside for dry goods.

--- Summary --- There are some clear inconveniences that can really piss people off who have not visited before. It is not the most friendly for late night weekend warriors driving here after work. However, this is still the best (also only?) hostel in Squamish. Waking up next to the river and randomly encountering other crazy adventurers is still a delight that can't be replicated easily elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

Tip: Visit the ice cream car right next to the hostel in the summer and enjoy some funky unusual flavors next...

I was there in March 2017. Awesome experience at the Squamish Adventure Inn & Hostel. The place is very close and walkable to Smoky Bluff Park, Stawamus Chief Park and the "downtown" area of Squamish. The place is also 'close' by hitch hiking/transit/walking to Alice Lake (did not do, but still wish I did) and the Sea to Sky Gondola (which I came to do and did not do, instead doing the Stawamus Chief peaks were much more worth it I think). The atmosphere is very friendly and everyone is nice, the staff are also long term visitors to Squamish, and everyone including other guests were able to help me plan my time in Squamish. The Whistler bus run by the Inn was very convenient, clean and brought me safely back and forth from the Inn to the Bus Exchange Loop near the lifts in Whistler Village. Great meeting everyone including staff Doug, Neil, Emily and others whose names I wish I could remember and who helped answer my questions or come with me up the Chief.

Food wise the kitchen (and the rest of the building/house/inn) is very clean and organized and I could buy groceries from nearby and never had an issue with the kitchen being overcrowded with the "double of everything" inside e.g. two stoves and two locations for pots, pans, cutlery, utensils, sinks, etc. Common areas are very comfortable as well, especially besides the fire on the couches. Wifi-wise I had issues connecting to wifi on the 2nd floor for most of my stay; however, it did improve (maybe someone was hogging the connection). Wifi for the rest of the building was decent in the mornings (meaning maybe there isn't enough bandwith for everyone to use?). Rooms area a good size, and I appreciate having wooden instead of metal frame bed bunks, the room in a room is kinda weird but I had no issues, there are lockers that fit backpacks in each room, and plugs were not an issue with a power bar per bunk bed.

Walking access at night, I had no issue with coming to and from the inn during the night to "downtown" Squamish, it is somewhat lighted (though not the path under the bridge) as your walk the driveway. Transportation, there's Pop a Ride (which I did not use), there's BC Transit for local transit (did not use), and I took Greyhound to arrive at the Chieftan Downtown Squamish Stop from Vancouver. The Greyhound arrival and departure location is the same as the transit stop "Stop ID: 102729 Westbound Pemberton at Third, Squamish, BC V8B 0J8". Note the Chieftan Downtown stop is different and serviced less than the Squamish North Garibaldi stop which is more frequent as it is a terminal (you'll be quite a far walk if you stop there, and may have to take transit or a taxi to get to the inn).

I would definitely come again in the future to explore the area and visit Whistler! Happy 1 year anniversary (I left on the day of the...