The Parkdale Hostellerie

Upon arrival, the first thing that I noticed were the piles of garbage and old furniture outside of the building- not a very appealing first impression.The staff at reception was very kind and offered to help with luggage. Check in process was smooth.When booking online, it said that I would have a single bed and it looked as though it would be in a private room. When I got there, I learned that it was a bunk bed in a small shared room with three other females. Photos online should show a clearer representation of the bed and room.The place gave me more of a shelter vibe than a hostel vibe with guests that appeared to be staying there long term, mostly men.As a young female, I had some safety concerns knowing that there is no one at reception after 10 pm, although staff are on site but sleeping. I think I would have felt more comfortable if there was a lock and key to get into the bedroom rather than a padlock with a code that could easily be found out by other guests.It’s obvious that efforts are made to keep the place clean, the bathrooms looked and smelt clean but the overall building is just very run down so cleaning can only do so much.

In a world of compromises... you do not get what you pay for. I cannot in good conscience recommend this hostel when there are similarly-priced or cheaper hostels throughout the city. Welcome to the good, the bad, and the ugly.Anyone complaining about sharing a dorm is a fool. This is a hostel; sharing a room with other people isn't the problem.There are some positives worth acknowledging and I do have plenty of good memories from the hostel, but it's ultimately a mixed bag, and unfortunately more bad than good.The location is in the Parkdale neighbourhood. Historically a bit of a slum, the neighbourhood is rapidly gentrifying, so you get an interesting mix of Toronto's cool urban character while also seeing the ongoing crisis with housing and mental health -- there are plenty of transients in the area and some people may feel unsafe, although Toronto is largely a safe city and you're unlikely to experience any real harm. Despite what some reviews say, you're quite close to the urban core and can easily access the city's main attractions by transit.The clientele is primarily composed of two types: local Toronto residents down on their luck, and recent immigrants trying to settle in Toronto. Both types are only there because they cannot afford proper housing or more comfortable temporary accommodations. Guests are around 90% male, most over 35. Young women may feel intimidated by this and should definitely opt for the female dorms.The owner, Leanne, is actually a very friendly, pleasant woman to interact with, but the bottom line is always about money, and you can detect that she has some disdain for her clientele and does not put much effort into their comfort; you can feel how cheaply everything is maintained.The staff are a mixed bag, and even with individual staff members, your experience largely depends on their mood. Sometimes they will go out of their way to help you, other times you will be rudely shut out for very simple requests. Most of the staff live at the hostel and this detail is taken advantage of regularly. Workers are expected to perform at 150% and paid minimum wage to do so.Amongst both long-term guests and staff, there are moments of levity and joy, but most of the time, everyone seems bitter and exhausted over their circumstances.The dorms vary -- the cheapest have quite uncomfortable mattresses and are very shabby looking, but decent effort is made into maintaining cleanliness. The pricier dorms are nicer, but as of writing this, the most affordable dorms are still nearly $60 a night.Some bathrooms are quite modern and well maintained. The older ones are very run-down, but the hostel is in the midst of renovations to improve conditions.Speaking of, the ongoing renovations will mean constant noise, and the kitchen has been out of commission for literal months now, with no end in sight; one would think guests would be notified of this massive inconvenience and the rates reduced, but no, you will still be charged the full rate to live off of takeout or microwave meals, while a working kitchen is still advertised.As of writing this, the Wi-Fi is very shoddy. Only one network works with mediocre consistency -- the rest will fail more often than not, so some dorms will have no Wi-Fi at all.There is a large TV in the main room, although guests or staff are expected to provide their own streaming accounts.If you do not like vermin, there are recurring problems with roaches, bed bugs and mice.Despite all this, the motley crew of misfits and shabby living conditions make for a unique experience where you'll meet interesting people and learn a lot about yourself and the world around you. Stay for a night and you'll get a half-decent sleep with a slight bitter aftertaste. Stay for a month or longer, you'll learn new degrees of humility.A lot of potential, but very little love and a shoestring budget is put into this place. Stay here if the other hostels are booked up and you'll survive, but experience resent you didn't know existed.

It's true the pictures are brighter than it is and yes, you can tell it is old and much used, but I had a good experience for the night I spent here. My room was clean and the linens were fresh, bathroom i used was clean, the kitchen looks new (i didn't use it), and I felt comfortable overall. Reception was polite, the dorm door has a code entry. It's not the fanciest hostel I've been in, but its not bad. I I think it's important to say Hi to ur bunkmate/fellows and establish some friendliness, and I felt safe in my 4-person female room. I wouldn't, perhaps, come with a large suitcase on a group vacation getaway, but the location and the price are fair. It was perfect for my purposes.My biggest con would be the volume of Queen St W as people leave clubs in the early morning, as there isn't much noise insulation, but it passes. I think if you have a longer stay and you are solo, you could make a friend or two. If I come back for a solo overnight trip (ie concert), I will stay again.Note the immediate step down upon opening the door from outside, it almost took me out.

Hostel of average quality. They are well located and the location does easy access to bus/link trains, has also plenty of shops, supermarket and pubs at walking distance (including Metro and Dollarama).The rooms are spacious however all the common spaces looks old and a bit dirty, the fact also that they don't provide big lockers is not making you feel super safe, they do have small sized lockers, however they fit a small bag only (tho use these bring your own padlock).The WiFi connection is reliable and fast, ideal if you need to do some work too. Shower/bathroom is clean, however morning time, you may have to queueing a bit to use it.Reception hours are short from 8am to 10pm, they can accept late check-in up to 2am, however this has an additional fee, to get in/out after the reception hours, you can obtain a RFI card, you have to deposit 20CAD for the card, this is fully refundable when the card is returned.The staff is really friendly and approachable and happy to help about general information about the city.

The place is too dirty, the main entrance is hard to find, keep in mind it not an all inclusive hotel, but it gets the job done, shared bathrooms, there is a microwave, books, pillows and amenities, but it's mostly a place just to get around Toronto and have tours

Let's start with the good: comfy beds and half decent location. Now the bad: instead of being the AVERAGE HOSTEL PRICE of $20-35 a night, it's a hostel charging the prices you would expect from a motel/hotel so for this price you might as well just go with a motel and get your own PRIVATE room for the same price instead of sharing a space with up to 16 strangers. They say they include a free breakfast, but there was not in fact a free breakfast... there wasn't any breakfast. Most of the building is under construction which is very annoying as crew is always in the way and should at least allow for a discount. The kitchen" is just a tiny fridge

Most affordable place to stay that is close to Downtown.Pros:1. The lady that checked me in has excellent customer service and answered all my questions. She even let me borrow a hairdryer and shampoo.2. Affordable compared to a private room in hotel.3. Walking distance to 2 bike share stations.4. Bathrooms work well and are cleaned everyday.5. Blanket they supplied is comfy, big, and amazing.Cons:1. Mattress I slept on felt kinda cheap and had a bit of a bump in the middle.2. I slept badly for the first 3/7 nights due to three roommates snoring at the same time. I was able to sleep after I bought earplugs.3. No free breakfast. (you get what you pay for)Message to female/non-binary identifying individuals:My 10 bedroom mixed room was around 8/10 to 10/10 male. For around 5/7 nights I was there it was all male.If you are a solo female travel you may feel unsafe because of this.Some of the guys in my room slept in just their underwear and went in and out of the bathroom in just their underwear. I didn't mind this at all but if you are female -again- you may feel uncomfortable, just warning you.You also share the bathroom with them since it is inside the room.I believe there is the female only dorm which might be an option for you.

STEER CLEAR OF THIS PLACE! They cancelled my reservation a few hours before I was meant to arrive in town (no explanation or apology provided), and then they completely ghosted me when I tried to get more information and find a solution. Called their phone number over 10 times that day - nobody ever answered. Left a voicemail, nobody called me back. Wrote an email, nobody ever answered. Treat yourself to a more legitimate place where they care about their guests and aren't looking to shortchange or disrespect anyone!

Paid around 100$ a night for a double bed in a room by itself. This was one of the few places close enough to downtown for a decent price.The room was attached to a 10 bed dorm, so you need to walk through the dorms to get to it. The walls were very thin so you could hear any snoring or moving about in the dorm attached.The room came with a large bed, a mini fridge and a desk. The bed was very firm.The bedding and fridge were very clean but the rest of the room was pretty grimy. The shared bathroom for this room was in the dorm and was very dirty. I did find another one upstairs that was in much better condition.I would probably not recommend staying in the mixed dorms for females staying here alone, security seemed very minimal.The receptionists were very nice.Overall, it wasn’t the cleanest hostel I’ve stayed at, but it’s definitely the cheapest room within a reasonable distance to downtown, and there are some solid places to eat near by.

Ive stayed here many times. Unique place in a great location well worth the price. Not super fancy but I like that, nothing pretentious just pure hostel vibes.