Myself and my girlfriend had the terrible misfortune of staying at the Venice Hostel on Pacific Avenue in Venice, California. We drove up and immediately found absolutely zero parking so we had to park a block away in an in/out lot for $50. A bad start that was about to get worse cuz there is a buzzer-activated entrance that MUST have someone on duty inside to press. We waited 45 minutes outside in a very, very sketchy section of Venice with our bags until the mgr. Yoshi (who barely speaks English) let us in. Now we were informed that even though we had a credit of $169.00 for a changed reservation we paid earlier, we would have to pay an additional $171.50 and wait for a refund within 10 days. The place looked absolutely dark and impossibly dirty from entrance to exit. The stairs had breaks in the planks and the room was: HORRIBLY DIRTY, ROACHES WERE SEEN AS WELL AS A BEDBUG (We used a beach sheet to sleep on), HOLES IN THE WALL, MUSIC UNTIL 2am, USED SHEETS W/STAINS, LYING MANAGER WHO BARELY SPEAKS ENGLISH, BROKEN STAIRS, NO SECURITY, NO ELEVATOR, USED CLOTHES ON FLOOR IN RIDICULOUSLY DIRTY COMMON EATING AND VISITING AREA, POOL TABLE WITH HUGE TEARS IN THE TABLETOP, NO TV, NO MICROWAVE, NO COFFEE, FURNITURE WAS TERRIBLE, MATTRESS 30 YEARS OLD CONSERVATIVELY, BOTH TOWEL WERE WELL WORN AND VERY SMALL, NO PHONE, KITCHEN HELP CLEANING AND COOKING WITH NO HAIRNET AND THONGS, and absolutely no HELP from mgmnt. is what the ultimately $171. 50 PER NIGHT AFTER REFUND I WAS CHARGED buys you for one night at the less than deplorable Venice Hostel. To say this place rivals a Tijuana type of hostel, motel or bnb gives it too much credit as they are an established hostel that relies on false advertising, very dated pictures and completely fake and terribly deceptive reviews to lure people in then charge at will to hostel goers with no choice but to pay. I got no receipt upon leaving so was only appraised of this dumps double charging from my bank statement. Trying to reason with the manager is impossible due to his lack of the ability to speak or comprehend English, and his obvious self-interest in keeping our money! DO NOT GO HERE AND IF OVERCHARGED HIDDEN FEES NOT DIVULGED BY VENICE HOSTEL CONTACT Yelp, the BBB, TripAdvisor, Google Reviews and your local health department. read more

Venice Beach Hostel - Ripoff extra fees and double charging my card for one day stay - Hostels Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Outstandingly rude host. Got immediate bad vibes. Insisted we got an email with a ton of rules that we never got. Then started asking personal questions (ie where I was flying to, what I was planning on doing). When I objected ("why are you asking me that?") cancelled my booking. He shouldn't be running a hostel. read more

Beautiful cozy place with lots of eccentric charm. Comfortable, welcoming, and inviting. I felt like I was living there. Slept really well. The patio with the ocean view is a prime people watching spot. I loved staying here. Definitely coming back. read more

See all

Worst hostel I've ever stayed in. Only good thing was the location, but I'd rather stay somewhere farther from the beach that is clean and comfortable. Our room was up 3 steep flights of stairs, there were stains on our bedding, the sink wasn't working properly, no ac and was sweltering, and the smell of the building was atrocious. Had to leave the windows open at night because of the heat, but couldn't sleep with the clubs blasting music and drunk people shouting. Do yourself a favor and book at a motel 6. read more

I went there in the last summer with my aunt and my cousin and sister and it was terrible. The lady in front didn't even help us at all she was out smoking when we ask were the ice was. Also The rooms are for like a small family like a 5 and 4 year old but not for us. It said it had free parking when it didn't .The only good thing was the beach.SOOO DONT GO HERE read more

One of the grossest buildings I have ever been in in my entire life. I went here to visit some European friends who stayed here for like $30 bucks a night. The beds looked like cots. It was hot, sweaty, no ventilation, cramped quarters, looked so dirty and dingy, not to mention that just outside is drug-ville. I would much rather sleep in my car. read more

This is by far the worst hostel I've ever stayed in. I reserved a bed online and was quoted a price of $123.00 included taxes and fees for 3 nights. They charged me $157 and had a bunch of BS excuses including a $10+ "credit card fee" and a "holiday weekend fee." I'm going to file a dispute with my credit card company for the $35 difference. It's a total scam and they take advantage of travelers. They also make you do your own dishes, allow smoking in the hostel and don't provide towels. The place felt more like a prison than anything. If you're traveling by bicycle they don't allow them in the building. It needs to be shut down. read more

Haha this place got crap reviews. Must be their staff members. It was great when I worked here. They need to hire new people who know how to have a good time! read more

See all

This is the best absolutely bar none best hostel I have ever stayed in and whenever I am in Los Angeles I stay here, the breakfast is amazing value and the staff cannot do more for their guests. the beds were comfy and their was pool and a fantastic TV room and loads of other amenities. The receptionists are always very helpful when suggesting where a person might wish to visit. I love this hostel and were I live they are nothing like this and it's a shame. It's great value and there is a fantastic atmosphere. read more

They Stole My Money! Stay away. They used my credit card without authorization, billed $142 for a night I never agreed to, I've never even stepped foot in the place. Spent 30 minutes on the phone trying to get a refund, but couldn't reach the management, now calling the bank to do a chargeback. These guys are criminal. read more

I would NOT recommend this place. The owner is a cheap ass, low life who's all worried about just making more money and not getting robbed. All around you see a lot of threatening posts on walls saying things like you'll be banned forever if you do this or do that. Plus they charge you for almost everything. And if this place is earning so much charging and hiring guests as staff they should change the couches and fixing the roofs and doors that are as old and rotten as the owner. The staff is okay but there seems to be some tension in the air and you feel uncomfortable with all this "warnings" that make you feel kind of in a prison, along with the decoration. In few words. Only go here if you want an extremely close place to the beach. But well, eventually you'll do something without noticing and will be banned from the place forever. There are some other options around, try them better. read more

I stayed 3 days there, I think another day wouldn't be possible. I'll make it simple: _Bed bugs. My face, back and arms were on fire for several days afterwards... _Breakfirst: a real joke _Dinner: I don't know, never been there on time _Dirty building/rooms _No elevator for heavy luggage _Drunk roommates _The guy when I came to take my caution back for the key: GUY: So I heard you had bed bugs. ME: Yes indeed. A lot. And turns out that it was only on my bed. GUY: OK. And that's it! The star is only for the location of that hostel. Oh by the way, there are fees if you pay by credit card. More than a dollar for each night. read more

Most of the staff are cool, a few of them have no problems talking about other guests in front of guests, one staff member called simon starred at me on my bed from the balcony, inches away from the window, who knows for how long, but when I made eye contact to let him know I could see him, he kept staring for 10 more seconds. this peepin tom stuff is a serious invasion of privacy and I know in my line of work, if I did that I would be fired on the spot. it made me feel very uncomfortable, even more so after I complained to the owner and nothing was done about it. I had a feeling it wasn't going anywhere when the owner became rude and pedantic about where his staff member was staring from exactly, as if to imply I was making it up (so this is why I wrote this review). As I said most of the staff are cool but Simon and the owner are the lords of douchetown! read more

Surprised by negative reviews. Good service, private room was spacious and clean. It is a hostel, you get what you pay for.

initial review, Was very pissed that there was a credit card charge for use, $8 charge,this will need to be removed

IT'S ALL IN THE FINE PRINT . . . OR IS IT? Nothing like taking the early train, carrying your luggage up the Venice Beach hostel stairs, and being given the choice between paying 3 1/2 times what your reservation quotes or being charged for a night or more as a "no show" cancellation fee to go back out on the street. Online, Venice Beach looked like too much savings to pass up, so I forced myself to forgo a reservation at a much higher-rated, favorite hostel. The email confirmation of my Venice Beach reservation quoted $59.22 for 4 nights, and the breakdown of those charges per night. Like my confirmations for other hostels, it said taxes would also be added, and a refundable deposit. The Venice Beach Hostel receptionist printed out an invoice for the same $59.22. She hand wrote in ~$10 for taxes. So far, so good. Then she hand wrote in a $40 charge for food and internet. Never at any point online or in person, had I been asked whether I wanted to purchase food and internet for an additional charge. This addition brought Venice Beach to the same price as the much higher-rated hostel (which offered free internet & breakfast) I'd forgone out of thrift. Finally she hand wrote in a deposit of $100. One hundred dollars? My forgone favorite hostel charges NO deposit. What's the highest deposit you've ever been charged for a 4 night hostel stay? $20 for the key? $25? How about $100? Do we have the winner here or what? Good thing Venice Beach had already won my trust by sticking so closely to its advertising and reservation quote. I said the $210 she was asking for looked unbelievably different from the less than $60 I'd been quoted. She asked if I'd like to speak to the manager, who told me the extra charges had all been in the fine print online. Here are direct quotes pasted from the web page that sold me Venice Beach hostel: "Free Internet & computer in rooms & ** free wireless" " free food - breakfast fixings & dinner basics for you to cook." I guess this is where keeping up your hand writing skills in the computer age can be worth it. Look how creative you can be with your invoices! read more

The Auschwitz of the hostel world, at least in California: ABUSIVE. They are not bike-friendly at all, and they are hostile toward anyone requesting such. They will not allow you to put bike in your own PRIVATE room, nor in their Garage. They misled anbout parking for auto, said they can get you some, but it turned out to be 5-6 blocks away on the street... which is why I used a bike. When I complained, and because I was less than friendly, the night attendant verbally assaulted me when I asked for the name of the owner. Soon a crowd of their groupies surrounded and verbally assaulted me. I called the LA POLICE, and because I did so, they then called the police, and the night attendant threatened and repeated that he did not care and was going to kick me out. Filed police incident report #5653, with sergeant Cook (LAPD) LA Police, June 5, 1952 at 12:15 AM Joe dC read more

I have never stayed in such a rude hostel in my life, the people that work there part time in exchange for staying there are some of the most unhelpful people I've ever met, asking them any info or help is just a big hassle for them. I don't know who that so called Japanese manager was but he was a total prick to me for no reason, he can't even make eye contact with you. Never staying at this place again, I even left my GoPro there but don't even care about getting it back because I'll NEVER set foot in that dump again! read more

Me and my girlfriend booked this hostel in May via hostelbookers.com. When we wanted to check in 4 days ago (end of july), they said they had an overbooking, so we couldnt stay in this hostel unless someone would cancel his/her stay. We were surprised because they said it was defenitly their fault and the only thing they said was "yeah sorry, we did something wrong with our administration". We already did pay some dollars with our reservation, so thats what they gave us back. Oh and they gave us a suggestion to stay in another hostel a couple of blocks away. They arranged a taxi to get us there and paid for this taxi. So the taxi dropped us off somewhere faaaaaaar away from the beach. The only thing we saw was a really crappy motel, with atleast 3 homeless people infront of it. There were no lights on this motelterrain, not even a car on the big parkinglot. So we decided to move on and get a motel back ik downtown LA, which was a little more expensive, but defenitly worth the money! So first of all, they made a big mistake in their own administration, 2; they didnt even call or sent an email to us to say they were overbooked, while we already booked this hostel in May, 3; there was this asian guy who could barely speak english, 4; they sent us to a really crappy motel, instead of something compared to their hostel. read more

this is the the worst piece of shit hotel had crack heads coming out of it! i made a reservation and when i finally got there they said that i didnt even tho i showed them the confirmation number amd code and receipt! theyre were trying to charge me like 282 for 1 nite!! the manager wasnt helpful at all never stay here im glad my reservation didnt work put place was dirty af! read more

Never stayed in a place with such a bad price/service rating. We made the reservation via phone, but didn't get told about the extra credit card fee before arrival. We were told to pay one whole night if we cancel our reservation under these circumstances. Even in a private room there are loft bunks. It's way cheaper to stay at a hotel a bit further away from the beach and take a taxi down there. In the evenings everything gets a mess with a lot of drunk people. Seems like no one of the staff is responsible at night anymore. The breakfast included is more or less nothing. You have to pick the toast slice by slice at the reception. There is nothing more like cheap marmalade and coffee. It was by far the worst stay in LA we had. read more

Normally I would give this place 5 stars because of the hospitality shown on my first visit. However, I'm sad to say my second experience has been nothing short of a 1 star rating at best. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to cancel my reservation. Ian, who works there, told me I would not get my deposit back and I would be charged for my first night there because I should have cancelled within 48 hours, not the 24 listed on Hostel World where I booked. Not only that, they had my reservation for 2 people when I was clear it was only 1. Apparently if you book a private suite, it automatically makes it for two people and doubles the charge. Not only am I being double charged and then some, but my favorite place to stay is now a nightmare memory. Ian was extremely rude and unprofessional, even laughing at me and saying he didn't care. If you want honest, this is NOT the place to stay. Very sad. read more

the owner does not pay his staff when he's supposed to. beware of working for this person.

I just spent the last 20 mins writing a scathing review. It felt good to get it out of my system but quite frankly, i won't waste anybody's time having to read it. This place doesn't really deserve a review. All I can say is...just don't stay there. It's terrible to say the least. read more