Hostels in Montreal

[TayL 0]

I've been looking for ways to keep the costs down when I have to go to Montreal and one of the things I've considered is going to one of Montreal's hostels. They're much less expensive than a hotel. I typically pack very light, so I could get away with not taking anything that I would care if it was stolen (aside from my important documents, which I would obviously keep on my person at all times). If I did this, I could afford to stay in Montreal long enough to book my medical a couple days before the interview. I'm pretty good at navigating bus systems, so even though the hostels are further from the consulate and stuff, I should be okay.

What do you guys think? Anyone tried this? How did it go?

[Chica Yeyé 41]

We stayed in the Econolodge Centreville; which was cheap as can be but not yet a hostel. You might want to check it out.

[SapphireDreams 71]

We booked a hotel through Hotwire for $58/night. I know its not as cheap as a hostel, but it was reasonably cheap I would say.

[LDora 7]

I stayed at a Hostel in Vancouver for four days when I went for my interview, and I didn't get axe murdered even a little. It was full of people my age (early twenties) who were all travelling around, and a lot of them didn't speak much English, but everyone was very friendly and wanted to buy everyone else a drink at the bar that was downstairs, especially when the nightly concerts were going on. (Conversations SHOUTED IN YOUR EAR were still almost impossible to hear) Upstairs was usually pretty quiet. You're asked to respect the other occupants by not using the phone after certain hours, and to be quiet in the corridors at night.

It can get a little rowdy, but it was actually quite safe. I never saw any drug use at all. The doors to the upstairs living areas were electronically locked, and you needed the passcode to get in. Typically, you'll need to share a room (mine had three other girls in it), and you can specify if you'd prefer roommates of a certain gender, but most hostels will let you book an entire room for yourself for an extra fee, provided they aren't booked solid. The showers are seperated by gender and in little "stalls", so you have your privacy, but sometimes getting into them at certain times of the day was near impossible. It was very clean. Breakfast was included. (Nothing special, just bacon and eggs and some coffee.) It was 25$ a day.

It was definitely an experience, and I'm glad I did it, actually. I met so many cool people, it really broadened my horizons. My roommates included Bubbles (yes, that was her real name) who was backpacking across the country and was from England, and a girl from Tokyo who went to night school, slept all day, didn't speak a lot of English, but always wanted to braid my hair in new and interesting ways. There was also the girls across the hall from Switzerland who bought me sushi across the street to celebrate when I passed my interview -- and I'd just met them that day.

I would compare the whole thing to crashing on someone's couch for the weekend. Just be prepared for a lot of young people having a good time.

[TayL 0]

Thank you for your experience, LDora. I figured that would be about the atmosphere. I'm not worried about axe murdering--just theft. And even that, I suspect is rare. I'm a Scout leader and an avid folk festival goer--I can sleep almost literally anywhere. That sounds like what I was hoping it would sound like. There are a couple hostels that are literally one bus away from the consulate and it seems like the best option to me. I think I'd feel WAY more isolated and nervous in a hotel where people keep entirely to themselves.

[LDora 7]

Glad I was of help! I don't know if it's common practice, but at the hostel I was staying at they rented out lockers that were kept in your room for an additional three dollars a day and told you to keep the key with you and keep your valuables inside it when you went out. They also tell you not to leave anything valuable in your room when you go out. I did ask out of curiosity, and I guess they take theft pretty seriously, because so many people are just there to enjoy life, but they hadn't had a problem with it. My roommates continually left laptops, cellphones, Nintendo DS's, and more scattered all over the room, so I guess they were fairly comfortable.

Again, I can't vouch for other places, but I was really surprised at how positive and energetic the atmosphere was. As long as you're friendly, you can generally expect people to be friendly back. As my husband put it when I marvelled over this to him, "People who don't like other people don't stay in hostels". Just buy someone a beer or a soda and you've got a friend for life.

I hope you have a good time!

[TayL 0]

Sounds awesome. I've got to go on my own (Kori can't afford to take a lot of time off work because of how slowly time off accumulates there and he wants to take a couple days off for us when I move down and when we actually do our "courthouse run"), and that sounds like the kind of place you *can't* feel alone.

[LDora 7]

Definitely. I really look back on it as one of the great positive (and sometimes strange) experiences in my life, and I hope it is for you, too.