I've stayed at the Alpine Club Hostel 3 times now. I love everything about it; the log cabin…read morecoziness feel, the beautiful view, the rich leather couches next to the fire place, the hotel quality bathrooms, the massive deck overlooking Canmore and the price. I will continue to come back. It has a much more low key vibe than most hostels and I truly hope it stays like that. I recommend it to everyone who goes to Canmore solo or with friends. Unless you book a private room, it's probably not ideal for couples.

If you want to meet lots of young folks and party, go to the hostel in Banff. If you want to have a…read morenice calm stay at the cleanest, most comfortable hostel with an awesome shower and kitchen, definitely stay at the Alpine Club of Canada Hostel in Canmore. I love it here.

Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel is located in Banff National Park, British Columbia between Banff…read moreand Lake Louise. Wilderness is most certainly the nature of this place; surrounded by hiking trails, ski resorts, forest and wildlife (we received a wake up call from a local bear just outside our window) it is an outdoor enthusiasts dream (without the bears, of course). Unfortunately for me this was a one night stop over but even this short stint has left a lasting impression on me. Like most hostels Castle Mountain collects cultures from around the world. And, in the down time it's just right to sit around the central fire place in the large lounge area and have a drink and a think with your fellow travelers. During my time here I found the staff to be incredibly friendly and naturally accommodating, the interior to be cozy, comfortable, warm and so, so welcoming. I would recommend anyone to stay here just keep your eyes out for those bears!

This is a decent hostel, kinda hit and miss. Pro:…read more -location is perfect, right next to bus stop and walkable distance to Banff downtown. -their restaurant and bar open until midnight - staffs were extremely nice and they did the best to make things work for you. They are very responsive to your issue -it's clean and decent. They also have locker for your luggage storage - good wifi Cons: - they don't have elevator, so you must carry your luggage to 3th floor - it can be loud sometimes - quite pricey for hostel - we checked in and there were beds that weren't clean. We didn't even know which beds weren't occupied because some of them had belongings and some of them didn't but messy.

I've lived that hostel life many times, so when we booked a trip to beautiful (yet pricey) Banff…read moreNational Park during peak season, we decided to save money by staying in a hostel. We chose this hostel because it's located right in the middle of downtown Banff. You can walk to all of the restaurants, bars and shops, all while having a view of the mountains when you walk outside. Comparing this spot with the peak seasons prices of the hotels, I'd choose this spot again thanks to location and convenience. We stayed in one of the biggest hostel rooms. There were about ten different bunk beds within our room, but then our bunk bed was one of two set aside in a smaller room within that room. I took top bunk, my husband took bottom bunk, and then a stranger was sleeping in the bunk bed next to us (he was asleep every time we saw him... never got to learn his name/story in true hostel style!). There was a downstairs bar that all of the local ERASMUS/international students and workers would hang out. It was cool to hear so many beautiful accents and channel our travel days of befriending everyone in our hostels. They had huge ragers almost every night, and all of the windows in our hostel room were open, meaning that we could hear the music while falling asleep several nights. I'm a deep sleeper and was exhausted each night from all of the hiking we did, so luckily never had a problem. If you're at all particular or a light sleeper, I do not recommend this spot. Or perhaps I recommend seeing if there's a private room where you can be in control of the windows. Ultimately, it was cheap and allowed us to adventure, which I loved. It wasn't close to being the nicest hostel we've stayed in, but they let us use their bear repellent for $5 a day and had a few parking spots reserved (not enough for everyone) and I can imagine it'd be an easy spot to make friends.

It was my first experience staying in a hostel and it was a last-minute booking. So I didn't expect…read moremuch but luckily my staying was very pleasant and safe. It was lucky I got a loft space. The ceiling was low and hit my head sometimes but alright. I could open the window freely and enjoy the evening breeze while napping. You will get free breakfast but don't expect much. Four kinds of cereals, toast, milk, coffee and not 100% orange juice lol There is a community kitchen and you can use all tools freely. Even the fridge too. My advice: If the loft is available, ask for it. More privacy and quietness. Bring a pair flip-flops. As there is no bath mat, wearing flip-flops is better after shower. Better to have a small towel for yourself. The hostel provide you only a bath towel. There is a locker inside of your dorm. Bring a lock for that. The number of coat hungers were not enough. I saw some girls use the handrails for hanging wet clothing. There are etiquettes and manners in the hostel. Please considerate for others, especially after quiet time.

Pros: Centrally located, friendly staff, cheap (by Banff standards), comfortable beds and decent…read morefacilities, good wifi. Cons: parking is a nightmare, couldn't find a spot on both days, even the surrounding streets are pretty full, advice is to arrive early, or you will have to walk a bit after parking. Breakfast is average, expensive for a hostel. 3.5 stars overall

Pros - Very quiet location and a short walk from downtown…read more - Unique interior with a strange electric "fireplace" that provides interesting light at night. - Soaking Tub is great for long hot baths. - Very comfy mattress for nice, quiet night of sleep - Laura was very kind and gave us a great tour on arrival. - Lee was also very kind and engaged in conversation whenever we saw him. - Great location for viewing wildlife on the path into town. Suggestions - We stayed in the "Coach House". It would be nice if there was an electric coffee and hot water maker in the rooms. Getting tea and coffee from the main building and taking it across the parking lot to your room is tough, especially in the snow and ice. - They need to put some kind of holders for soap, shampoo and conditioner in the showers. - The channel guide on the TV needs to be edited to remove the channels not available. it takes forever to go through the guide. If you want a quiet, unique experience without the hustle and bustle of a hotel, this is the place for you.

Beautiful property and the most intimate and personal of the 3 places we stayed in Banff. It was…read morethe least expensive bc we booked this stay week of. Upon arrive at the house, there is a spot to pull up at and check-in. The staff gives you a nice tour. There is a good selection of local teas, coffees, hot chocolate, utensils, etc available to you 24/7. Breakfast is served 8:00-9:30. Due to the limited hours we missed it our first day because we had to head out early to the ice field parkway. We booked the king deluxe, which was located in the carriage house. It had a beautiful extra large soaking tub, radiant heated shower floor, bar sink, mini fridge, sun window, screened patio, and faux fireplace. I had a wonderful spa like soak every evening. Perfect after a cold and rainy day exploring Banff. There are also plenty of books, games, and puzzles available in the main house.

Overall, I had a nice stay. When planning my trip to Banff, I wasn't sure where to stay. I compared…read morehostels, and all had good and bad reviews. I chose this hostel for the fact that it was set back from the main busy town of Banff and the look of it. I like the cabin look and the fact it sits back with the trees. I understand that some may or not have means of transportation, which can be a deciding factor, but upon check-in, you are given a three day roam transit pass. Town is probably a good 30 min walk with Incline coming back. I stayed in a 6 bed all female dorm room w/bathroom. Showers are shared but not like it sounds. It is basically a room with one shower stall and a bench. The showers had hot water and were clean each time I used them. Shared just means others can use the same shower. My room was clean, and the bed was comfy. Just a couple of tips for a shared room. Bring a face mask for the light and ear plugs. I kept anything of value in my rental car, but there are lockers provided. Just bring a lock. I ate at the cafe a few times. Food is good and reasonably priced. Service is good. There is indoor and outside seating. I did not go to the bar or use the kitchen, so I can't say how they are. I would stay here again if in the area

This is a big, comfortable hostel that was full of skiers and snowboarders in mid-February when I…read morewas there. There is the main building,an auxiliary building for additional dormitories,and other buildings with more private quarters (that cost more). There's a big, industrial kitchen and a large dining room the fridge is a walk-in cooler with shelving and plastic bins for your perishables. There's a bar and billiards basement pub run by the hostel staff. The common lounge area of the auxiliary building is spacious and impressive! It's a beautiful, cozy zone for hanging out with a fireplace and hot cocoa. The dorm rooms have metal bunks and large, lockable closets for storage of gear and personal.

We stayed here for 2 nights…read more We got one of their renovated rooms which was nice. The washroom was quite large and was clean, fairly basic but fit our needs. The staff were pretty nice despite the chaos that a downed wifi caused them. They were pretty helpful with all our inquiries. The kitchen space is nice and clean. There's lockers for storing skis and other items. Was decently quiet despite being pretty full. Only issue was the wifi was down though it got fixed mid way through our stay. We did originally book a 5 person room and they only gave us 4 but they tried their best to fix it.

This is the nicest hostel I've ever been to. I loved it and have only amazing memories thanks to it.read more

Paintbox Lodge took the deposit, then cancelled the reservation after 4 weeks. The claim was that…read morethey overbooked? What computer booking program do you have that it takes 4 weeks to figure out which rooms are booked? It really messed up our group for an August weekend. Now I've read elsewhere that others had the same occurrence. Breakfast is no longer part of their offering either. Communication from Paintbox was non existent.

We have such a great time at the Paintbox Lodge we returned again to do a cooking class and stay at…read morethe Lodge. It feels more like staying in a large cozy house then a hotel. It is very clean and relaxing. The guests above us were noisy at night and early in the morning so if this bothers you I would recommend staying upstairs where most of the rooms are. The breakfast buffet was very fresh, healthy and amazing. Will definitely be returning here again and again.

Called YWCA of Banff Hotel. Decent stay- large rooms, clean. Provides soaps and shampoos but no…read morefree breakfast. The cafe was also closed for an extended period of time when we went. Large kitchen in the basement with 4 fridges and couple of stoves and storage space. The hallways to get there look kind of sketchy though. Pretty cheap for a hotel. Cheaper than some hostels to be honest (for private rooms).

Stayed here both in a 4 person dorm room and a private room with two blokes i met on my trip. The…read moredorm option was considerably cheaper but the room had a mini kitchen and private bathroom. Actually the dorm room had its own bathroom too but the ktichen was a common area shared with lots of other dorm rooms. There were laundry machines and coin operated computer terminals. Everything was fairly neat and clean. Its filled with the typical international fair, young fabulous and broke bohemians. But I think its awesome that in Canada there are actually hostels at their ski resorts. And basically you walked across a bridge and you were in Downtown Banff town so its walking distance to all the pubs and nightlife. Not sure how far this is to the busses to ski lifts though. Parking was a bit of a problem at this location but eventually found a spot on a side street.