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Green Tortoise Hostel

4.2 (271 reviews)
Open Open 24 hours

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Joop V.

I needed a quick decent place to just rest my head for a night in Seattle and head out to the airport in the morning. No way would I want to spend hundred of dollars for 10 hours use to lay my head. It was also quite affordable...for just ~$45/night (shared female-only bunkbed room though, not private!). That was where Green Tortoise came into my plan. The hostel was in a convenient location. It was just 5 min walk from Univ Street Light Rail Station, so it was great to be able to go to places from downtown to airport without breaking a bank. P.S. Be ware, the this is a hostel, so amenities aren't necessarily tops. They also don't take anyone local or anyone who lives within 50 miles of a hostel I believe (e.g. only travelers!). For me, it was fine as I barely spent some hours there (good for me to just take a quick, quiet nap, have access to internet, shower/brush my teeth and explore a city a bit). If you are looking for real hotel amenities, this wasn't it.

Danny A.

No frills pretty run of the mill hostel experience. Plenty of amenities and friendly staff

Pike Place Market a Few Steps out from the hostel
Aspen W.

I really enjoyed staying at the Green Tortoise. They have very fun events, and their central location is truly unbeatable. It's a 25 minute walk from the Seattle Center, and a 1 minute walk from Pike Place. I loved getting a different breakfast from a different culture each morning at the market. I stayed in a co-ed dorm for four nights and never had issues (bring an eyemask and earplugs if you're staying in a hostel dorm). The dorms have privacy curtains, outlets, personal fans, and reading lights, and they are clean. The restrooms are cleaned twice a day, I felt perfectly fine showering in them and was always able to find a vacant one. The commons are lower quality than a lot of hostels I've stayed in. There are a lot of tables and chairs, but few couches or more comfortable seating, which I love for new friends and studying. They are still very lively, however, and people regularly stayed up past 2 am while I was there. Unfortunately, the noise of those post-pub crawl or karaoke night owls did make it very difficult to sleep, even with earplugs and a floor above them. This is certainly a social hostel, so be aware. Parking was not fun. I parked at the west edge garage, which does not have great reviews for safety, and the rush hour downtown traffic was a nightmare. I removed everything from my car preemptively and put "In-car camera" stickers on my vehicle. It worked, and I was not broken into, but many others have not had such luck. It was over $100 dollars for 4 days. I met someone who parked outside the city and bussed in to avoid the high prices and thieves, and honestly, I wish I had done that. So, something to consider for those with cars. Overall, the hostel was great as far as hostels go. I only spent one day by myself because I kept making friends and going out with groups. There are so many cool things nearby, and I loved the Starbucks Roastery, Pike Place, the Ferris Wheel, and Seattle Center. I recommend getting a citypass if you are staying for a couple days.

Great staff, room had great A/C unit. Plenty of bathrooms. Across the street from likes place also!!!

Front entrance
Lindsey J.

This spot is killer!! And I booked thru air bnb so I got a pretty good deal! Upon arrival, I noticed their hours were posted as 24/7 which was awesome so I didn't have to worry about going out for a few drinks late at night. The service was super friendly and helpful. There's laundry and refrigerators for food storage although I did not use them. The bunk I had was in a room of 6 and there was a lock box for my stuff underneath the beds. I liked that the bathrooms were cleaned 3x a day and the shower pressure was nice. The only thing I would recommend is some updates to the furniture, carpet, and other interior stuff (some of it was a little musty).

Great place. I particularly enjoyed breakfast at this seat.

I had a wonderful stay. The staff is very friendly and the location is fantastic. I really enjoyed watching the Pikes Market come alive while eating breakfast. Made some friends to explore Seattle with too. Would definitely stay here again.

Private room
Brianna B.

You get what you pay for! Apparently, this place is in a prime location! I went a couple weeks ago during the pandemic. Everything was still closed. The market was dead on a daily basis---but I take the local's word for it. With parking costs, the price honestly might even out. Parking was $21/24 hours including the discount. The kicker is, the garage closes at 6pm and there are not in-and-out privileges. My friend and I decided to park at an airport parking lot and take the train back to the hostel---it was a hassle but much more economical! Friend was able to keep his bike in the room. I was pleasantly surprised that the 'private room' consisted of 4 bunk beds. Each bed had a privacy curtain. The bed was comfortable enough and the provided light and personal fan were a nice touch. There were storage areas underneath the beds. Locks are not provided but are available to purchase or rent---as is toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap and towels. Breakfast was 100% self-serve. You have to cook your own eggs and do your own dishes in the kitchen. All-in-all would stay again. Just know that the amenities are extra.

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Yesss I do recommend this place, clean friendly customer service and great spot in Seattle WA

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Staff is friendly and helpful. Amenities were great. The free tour was fantastic

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Green Tortoise Hostel Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Green Tortoise Hostel

If you book the Queen bed dorm room is it just you and your traveling companion or does someone else get the top bunk?

Hi Kathy! We have queen bed dorm rooms and private rooms. If you book a queen bed in a dorm room, there will be other travelers using the other bunk beds in the room!

Can you lock the room when you leave? Especially if you have a private room?

All the room doors automatically lock including the hallway doors!

Does the hostel provide bathroom linens and bedsheets?

They do provide bedsheets....and they offer towel service for$1

Is it safe to leave your luggage in the shared room? Is there any designated spot to keep your bags safely while you're away to see the town?

Well there is plenty of room in the locker under the bed and you could purchase a lock to lock it. Also they will hold your luggage for free which they have a nametag system. We left our stuff under the bed unlocked because we didn't have anything… Read more

Hi! Do you offer parking?

Hi! We don't offer parking at the hostel but do partner with the West Edge parking lot to give a… Read more

Hi, I was wondering if it was a loud place? Thanks

I stayed here and it wasn't loud. The other roomies were as respectful as you'd expect anyone sharing a room with strangers to be. And we couldn't hear from room to room. It was really fun and very clean. Nice bathrooms too.

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Review Highlights - Green Tortoise Hostel

It's in a perfect location and right across the street from Pike Markets and 5 mins away from Seattle Aquarium.

Mentioned in 58 reviews

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San Juan Island Hostel - Our living room - some flowers from Pike Place Marjet. And a bottle of wine we picked up on the island.

San Juan Island Hostel

(6 reviews)

We stayed here for 3 nights in a private family room for 4 of us, and overall, it was a good stay…read more On the plus side, it was a great location right in Friday Harbor, liked the common room w/ pool table, games, TVs and community kitchen. Cons: only one key for a room that slept 6, no closets, dressers or shelves; we had a sitting room, but if you turned lights on, they were also on in the bedroom; the bunks were fairly rickety, and every time my daughter above me rolled over, the bed shook and I woke up. I also misunderstood that we had a private toilet, shower, but all rooms share community bathrooms. Not super cheap for a hostel ($250/night for our room), but on an island w/ extremely limited, was nice to have a place to stay!

The two of us stayed at the hostel in late June 2022. It was VERY expensive for a hostel, but…read moreheck--it's summer--and we were glad to have a place to stay that night. The only room we could get was one with two bunkbeds, with a very slim double on the bottom of one. That's the one we used. No one else shared the room. The showers down the hall were hot, and one of them had a hair dryer. Later I found that the very large and nice kitchen / lounge / pool ball area also had additional, larger bathrooms. It would have been nice for Manager Min to show that to us when we checked in, but on the other hand, he clearly had a lot of responsibilities. Next time we'll ask for a little tour! :) As another reviewer noted, patrons were polite and quiet. Min was helpful at all times, as was the young woman whose name I didn't catch but who filled in for him at times. She provided us with additional bath towels at no cost.

Ocean Island

Ocean Island

(56 reviews)

$

I am sitting on the bed in room 22B, and I'll tell you...I am pleased as punch. It is clean, and…read moretastefully, sparcely decorated with an IKEA meets World Market vibe. Now if you know me at all, you KNOW I love fresh air. At many hotels, I 100% loathe the act of desperately sucking my "fresh air" through some dusty window air conditioner thingy, but in 22B, glory be! I can open fully an old-wood-framed window and lay here gazing at the green leaves of a tree swaying in the breeze as I inhale copious lungfuls of the oxygen I love so much. In addition to free air, free breakfast is also promised, which is pretty normal in hotels, but get this...drumroll...FREE DINNER and a drink! We, unfortunately went out and wasted our money on bad food at a restaurant (Dosa Paragon...read the review), so don't know how the free dinner was here. My expectations are reasonable, so if they have coffee and bread at breakfast, we are good! If they have a waffle spinner,that would be typical but surprising here. Yes, it's a little noisy, but not as much as I feared for being in the heart of a bustling downtown. Stay here and get room 22B! Update: Excellent breakfast and there is a communal kitchen! No waffle spinner.

*BED BUGS* Stayed in Room 17K and left early because the…read moreroom was gross -- hairs in the bed, dirty counters, and a small red bug in the sheets that I *hoped* wasn't a bed bug. Spoiler alert: it was. The air freshener under the sink was so strong it made me nauseous. When I tried to check out early, instead of asking "How was your stay?" or trying to help, the front desk just said, "No refund for you!" -- which is a great way to make a guest feel unwelcome, not valued. They say they don't want to greet guests that way, but that's exactly what happened. Management says they "need to be advised at the time" to fix issues, but how was I supposed to report bugs at check-in when I hadn't even been in the room yet? And when I tried to raise concerns at checkout, I was cut off. So, no chance to fix things on site -- which they say is why they won't refund me. They admit their "high standards of quality" weren't met -- the hairs and dirty counters prove that -- and that the "nauseating air freshener" is a love-it-or-hate-it thing they could have removed or even moved me to another room, but none of that happened. They claim they found no evidence of bed bugs but will "treat it as such" because it's a serious complaint. I have photos of the bites I woke up with at home, and I saw a similar bug in my own apartment later. Seems pretty connected to me. Finally, they say they won't refund me because I "threatened" to leave negative reviews -- except I'm just sharing my honest experience, which any traveler deserves to hear. They offered a discount for a future stay, but after this, I won't be going back. If you want a clean, safe place with guest service that actually listens, look elsewhere.

Wayfarer's Rest - The barricade we had to create.

Wayfarer's Rest

(21 reviews)

Had a great stay here. For the price, it's an amazing value, especially since I could cook my own…read moremeals instead of paying island restaurant prices.

TLDR: Unsafe! People had the code to our private room and entered to use our shower! Owner was 0…read morehelp. Run, don't walk away. This was singlehandedly the worst Hospitality experience we have ever had and probably ever will. Allow me to preface this review, with the fact we had selected the "PRIVATE ROOM/SUITE", not one of the hostel options with shared kitchen/bathroom spaces. The only positive I have is the convenient location near downtown Friday Harbor. I will start off by saying, our room was very dirty. Dust everywhere, dirt on the floors (my feet were black after walking across the room barefoot), dead bugs and spiders, even garbage under the couch (I'll get back to why I even had to move the couch in the first place). The sheets and blankets appeared to be clean, but I felt pretty uncomfortable about the cleanliness situation so that didn't help. Here's where things start to become dangerously unacceptable. I am laying in bed, trying to sleep (my fiancee is already asleep), when I hear people enter our room. I hear a quiet muffled conversation and they leave. At this point I am questioning my sanity, I get up, open the bedroom door and go over to lock the door (at the time I was 90% sure I locked the door before bed but not positive, and so I chalked it up to someone going to the wrong room and me not locking the door). That being said, my heart was still racing and I was pretty panicked/shocked so I put a couple of chairs in front of the door after I re-locked it, that way I could know for sure if someone was attempting to enter our room. At this point, sleep is not even on my mind. Low and behold, 5 minutes later I hear someone attempting to enter the room. I ask what they think they are doing, and they (bewildered as I was) said they were here to use our shower. The woman was nice, polite and confused. She said she received a code for our space to use our shower. I threw my hands up at this point and let her use our shower. We immediately reached out to Paul he replied, "I'm sorry but if somebody is confused and can't find their room and that happens again please contact me and I will assist them, paul" - first of all, they shouldn't even have our code - we replied "Someone is in the shower right now and someone earlier also entered our room. Please assist now." We followed up with a phone call, he answered and said he would be right there. A couple minutes later, Paul arrives, we let him in and he immediately starts trying to blame the poor confused woman. He leaves with her and shows her where the communal showers are. He comes back to apologize, we ask him if he can change the code, he says it's not possible without removing the lock from the door (total lie, these codes typically are easily changed and should be changed after every guest anyways, this is how people get murdered). He apologizes, says he will offer compensation in the morning and that "you guys will probably be fine, it shouldn't happen again". Nice, very reassuring response Paul! He also left his key in the utility closet with the door open which had keys to every single unit, again, how incredibly dangerous. This guy is not qualified to operate in the hospitality industry and should be barred from operating before someone gets hurt or killed. We ended up barricading our door with the couch, chairs, and desk so that we could feel safe enough to get some sleep as there were no nearby vacancies and our other option was to sleep in the car. A photo of this is attached where allowed, as I am posting this review everywhere I possibly can. Morning comes, no word from Paul. We reach out again at 2:30PM and he finally replies "it has to go through Airbnb so just ask for $100 and I will agree to the refund. Sorry, never happened before, very weird, thanks for your understanding, Paul" Yes that's right he didn't even offer to comp the whole stay. 0/10 stay away unless you seek the thrill of strangers entering your room while you're in bed.

Green Tortoise Hostel - hostels - Updated May 2026

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