I’m not sure why I was nervous when I arrived at SameSun Vancouver Hostel. It must have been the rain that began as soon as I left the train station. It wasn’t heavy. I only had three blocks to go. SameSun Vancouver Hostel had an entrance cluttered with people smoking right outside. I don’t care if people smoke around me but it made me wonder what type of experience I was in for.

As I check-in, the friendly receptionist explains the drill. She gives me a key and tells me to use the keycard after sundown. Only hostel guests are allowed after dark. The hostel has a bar and restaurant upon entering. That part is open to the public. However, for security purposes, they keep the rooms accessible by a keycard.

I pay my $200 CAD for 5 nights (which is $40 CAD per day.) The receptionist says my linens are brought to the front desk after I check-out. She gives me the wi-fi password and room number and I’m set. I’m nervous. I’ve done this before. I shouldn’t be nervous.

I walk up the stairs and look for my room. The center of the building has stairs that spiral along the walls to the top. I land on the second floor and look for my room. I enter. It’s empty. There are a few packs on a couple of beds. I look for the first empty bed. I place my towel on it and look for an empty locker to use. The locker is big enough for my backpack, which is great. However, my lock is too thick to use. I should know this by now. It’s common among hostels.

Tip: Always take a thin lock for your hostel locker. Thick locks may not always fit.

I settle in, walk around. I walk into the lounge. There are loads of people here, playing pool. Some guys are on their laptops. Other groups are chatting as they sit on one of the many tables available to them.

I continue exploring and make my way to the gigantic and well-equipped kitchen. It’s one of the many great things about hostels. The kitchen allows you to buy groceries, cook your own food and save money at the same time. Restaurants can get expensive over time. Cooking is best if you’re on a budget.

Tip: Save money by buying groceries and cooking at hostels. Restaurants can get expensive over time. SameSun Vancouver Hostel has an amazing kitchen.

SameSun Vancouver Hostel Review

I should mention there’s a SameSun Venice Beach Hostel in LA. I have no idea what that one’s like. However, I LOVED this hostel. I CANNOT recommend this hostel enough. SameSun Vancouver Hostel is full of great memories.

To start with, they offer free breakfast every morning. It was too early but I always managed to make it. They had bread, juices, hard-boiled eggs, spreads like jam, peanut butter, veggie mite, and cereals to choose from. They had my favorite, coffee!  I usually sat with a stranger and struck up a conversation. It was always fun.

As I began to hang around, one by one I managed to meet my roommates. I met a young Australian girl, living in San Francisco for college. She had the bunk below me. She was awesome and very outgoing. Everything she said was a great story. When she disappeared for a few days, everyone in our room wondered where she went. Her stuff was still on her bed. We knew her trip wasn’t over. When she returned she told us the crazy story of being stranded at Whistler mountain because she lost her passport and spent the night looking for it.

I met Tom, who was sleeping on the bottom bunk next to mine. We became really good friends. Several times throughout our stay, we managed to have fun drinking beer together. We still keep in touch.

Above Tom, was Tim, a very outgoing and super fun Australian guy. He was always fun to chat with. He was headed to Whistler mountain for a job he had waiting for him.

Across the room from me, on the top bunk was Georgia, a great Welsh girl who was too hungover to move when I met her.

Below her was an English guy who moved out the next day. I can’t remember his name. He was pretty cool. Although, it’s too bad he wasn’t around longer.

SameSun Vancouver Hostel also has a restaurant (called The Beaver.) It has a bar too. It’s a blast. Although I have to say, it’s not a party hostel, per se, but there’s definitely always a party at The Beaver restaurant.

The Beaver Restaurant

On the first night, we all managed to get together and drink several pints of beer. I got to know each roommate while drinking and talking about our awesome travels. Past and future travels. Everyone was addicted to travel. It made me feel like I was with my type of people.

I learned that each person was on a long journey and Vancouver was one stop of many. I was excited for them, but most importantly, I was excited to make like-minded friends.

The Beaver restaurant has cheap booze and fun games. We played trivia one night. As one of the only Americans in the hostel, everyone looked at me to answer the American geared questions. Questions, I didn’t have the answers to. Like, which American state is the only state triple land-locked? Um… hello!? I don’t even know what that means! Ok. Americans are stupid and I’m one of them.

The Beaver restaurant has a loft with more seats and tables. It has a nice view. By the end of the first night, we managed to exchange Facebook information and become friends.

I learned Tom’s next destination is New York City. Then he was headed to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. We arranged to meet in LA once he arrived and I would show him around.

I later discovered he was headed to Toronto after that. Meaning, we would be in Toronto at the same time. I told him I would show him LA if he would show me Toronto. Done deal! Great new friend. But honestly, Tom is an awesome guy and I am glad we became friends.

That’s how it goes at hostels. You bond so quickly and make amazing friends.

Getting back to The Beaver restaurant, each night has a different theme. It keeps the hostel guests entertained and it’s fun as hell! For sure!

I only managed to eat the food once. It was a burger. It’s tasty. Although I can’t tell you more than that.

SameSun Vancouver Hostel Amenities

The hostel has free wi-fi service. Although I should tell you, it was so weak in my room, I had to step into the hallway each time. I didn’t care though.

The showers are big and plentiful. If the stalls were occupied, I went up and down one floor. I never had an issue finding an empty stall. For your information, they clean the restrooms every morning around 7 or 8 am. If you’re trying to use them, they’ll be closed for cleaning.

With that said, the restrooms are always clean. Although, if I remember correctly, the shower I used drained slowly but it wasn’t an issue for me.

Tip: Make sure to bring shower sandals. You never know what invisible fungus might be hiding on the shower floor. Not just for this hostel, for all hostels.

Make sure to use the front desk for any needs you may have. They have a plethora of information. They’ll also give you discount coupons for many things. I managed to get a discount for a bike rental they recommended.

Aside from maps and general information, the front desk has city tours as well. They also have information and booking services for busses that go to Whistler and other places you might want to check out.

SameSun Vancouver Hostel and What to Expect

Everyone at this hostel is pretty outgoing. It obviously depends on the group of people there at the time. I didn’t meet everyone but I managed to meet a good amount of people.

Every day, I had dinner and drinks with a great new posse. We managed to laugh and have fun. It was freeing. These experiences are what make travel addicting. You meet great people from all walks of life. Everyone is different and you grow as a person because of this.

At one point, I was walking to my room and a German guy stops me and says “Hey. What’s your name? Let’s go party! Meet me in the kitchen at 8 pm. We are getting fucked up tonight!”

I was so nervous I actually ditched him and never met him. Although, I thought about it for a while. I didn’t know him. It caught me by surprise. I was a bit freaked out about his sudden invitation. 

I tried to avoid him all night, just in case.

The next day I ran into him and his buddies in the kitchen. It was now or never. I didn’t want to pretend like I was actually avoiding him. I sat with him and asked how the party was. He looked at me in awe and was like “what do you mean?’” His friends began to laugh.

I told him about his invite and he responded with “OMG. I was so wasted last night. After I invited you over we woke up naked in a hotel room and don’t remember how we got there. I still have the hotel key in my pocket.”

Although my trip was 5 days long, I had an array of experiences I will never forget. I think you will too. Go make some memories!

Thank you SameSun Vancouver Hostel!

Let Me Break It Down For You:

SameSun Vancouver Hostel is amazing.

$40 CAD per night is actually a little pricey in terms of hostels. However, the Canadian Dollar is kind of weak at the moment, so it’s actually not bad when you convert it.

The Beaver Restaurant has awesome theme nights. Great beers and fun times awaiting.

Breakfast is free every morning.

WiFi signal is okay. It didn’t work in my room. However, it was strong in the hallways.

The showers are big.

They recently went through a renovation. Things look totally updated now.

The hostel has lots of tour deals, bike rentals and much more info for you to make your Vancouver experience a great one.

You make great friends and life-long memories.

I will leave a banner and link to HostelWorld. That’s where I found this hostel. Click on the link if you want to book it. I should tell you its an affiliate link. If you choose to book it, I will get a small commission and you’ll be supporting my website.

Go make some memories!

I posted this video on my previous post on getting around Vancouver, but it has a lot of SameSun Vancouver Hostel Footage. I’ll leave this here just in case.

Sharing is caring yo!