Painted Turtle Guesthouse

I lucked out during my stay since the roads around the Painted Turtle were closed due to construction. Arrive after 4:30pm and no noise! Oh and the industrial size fan in my shared room was the best surprise EVER!!! :)

I stayed here April 25, 2025. I don't agree with the hegative reviews at all. I booked a single queen-bed room for the "American weekend" (I'm from Victoria) because I can't afford the local hotel rates. My check-in experience was stellar. As I got to my room, a cleaner was kneeling, scrubbing the doorframe. Another was kneeling and vacuuming all the stairs. My room was immaculate and spotless. The bed was nicer than my own bed; the pillows too. The bathrooms (there are several on each floor) were sparkling clean. Yes, the walls are a bit thin, so bring earplugs. For the quietest stay, book the 3rd floor (I was on the 2nd). No, they don't post fake photos, here are my own photos of my room, the shared kitchen and common room. If you need a budget place to stay and don't mind sharing bathrooms, stay here, the location couldn't be better. I would definitely stay again. FYI, no elevator, so you have to be okay with stairs. They also have a laundry room.

I’ve been to Painted turtle many times but not for a while (since 2020). In March 2025, we came for a one night stay after a visit on Gabriola island. The quality went a lot down and the price increased a lot since my last visit. It was the first time for my girlfriend and I was embarrassed cause it used to be not a bad place. I paid more than 100$ for a filthy “private” bed room with no bathroom. The nearest bathroom had no paper towel and was really dirty. I can say the same for the bed room. There was a really bad smell in the room and lots of dusts. The very few furnitures and surfaces were absolutely not dusted and even the bedding that we were expected at least to be decent had like a used smell and we found a bunch of hairs in it which made us thinking that eventually the housekeeping didn’t even changed the bedding ?! We both had a bad night due to the smelly and dusty environment and by the fact that we were able to hear the streets discussions all night from the our thin windows glasses. We came by car to this hostel situated in downtown and surprise… no free parking at the hotel. Don’t expect a breakfast as well like most of backpacker hostel do nowadays , nothing is included. For the price spent (more than 100$ for one night) and the service and quality of the room and cleanliness of the whole place it is not acceptable. I was shocked by what this location became and by what kind of hostel the young visitors and travelers of Nanaimo are welcomed.

Our grandson recently visited, and we were fortunate to secure a room for him at Painted Turtle. The staff were exceptionally kind and attentive, making him feel welcome and comfortable. His room was clean, warm, and quiet, and the establishment felt very safe, giving us peace of mind knowing he was in a great place. If you’re looking for a wonderful place to stay, both our grandson and we highly recommend Painted Turtle.

Sorry can't remember name but host was very friendly and helpful. Great place to stay.

The room heater is not work and no elevator and has to share bathroom which was not noticed at booking. The staff is not professional. The key is not easy to open the door. The location is excellent!