Northwest Portland International Hostel

First time staying at a hostel and this was a great first experience. The dorm style rooms are separated by curtains and share a restroom. (There are other restrooms that are in the hallways) There are several restaurants, coffee shops, bars eye within walking distance of the hostel. Only negative side to the location is parking. Parking can be pretty hard to find and you need to have a permit but the hostel has permits to borrow which was awesome!

Have you stayed in a Hostel before? If the answer is no, this may be a great first try. Why? Keep reading…
This is a great hostel in the Alphabet District/​Nob Hill area in NW Portland Oregon. The advantage to the location is the proximity to Forest Park, Downtown, Boutique Shopping on 21^st and 23^rd street, historic homes and nearby light life.
The hostel itself is great because it is half B&B, half hostel. True, they offer the typical dormitory-​style options for the budget conscious, young and old adventurers alike. But they also offer great private rooms which we have reserved twice. You get the privacy of a hotel but feel like you are staying in a real bedroom – so it’s feels like you are at home. Though you can come and go as you please, they also have trips you can take with other hostel buddies.
The staff has always been really upbeat, down to earth and friendly. We’ve never had an issue there. The limited laundry facilities can be challenging but there are other nearby options a few blocks away. On our first stay, we were in the main building and had a great view out of a triple window. Our second stay was in the Green Leaf building which was as well kept, but didn’t have the same wow factor. That said it was still really nice.
Make sure you have a chance to enjoy Portland’s music, comic, and art scene. Their boutique shopping is great. Buffalo Exchange is a great experience if you’ve never been before. Take some time to enjoy the 4T hike (which includes a bus ride, tram ride and street car ride). If that’s not enough, Forest Park has something like 60 miles of trails. We rented a car for a day and enjoyed the Columbia River Gorge – WOW. Highly recommended.
On our next trip, we are hoping to come out in August to enjoy a different season. January and March are fun, especially if you are coming from a cold climate – but rainy. So be sure to have a flexible schedule when you visit.

I’m giving this place a low rating, but not because of the service. The employees are extremely helpful and nice. They even have bulletin boards covered in current events and offer fresh bread with jam and peanut butter for free in the mornings.
I stayed in a private room with a queen bed for two nights, and while the place was tidy and felt very friendly, I don’t think I can ever go back there. I’m allergic to mold, and every time I set foot into our room I had a pretty bad allergic reaction. It’s evident that there’s mold throughout the place because you can smell it… on walking into our room, the smell was so strong that we had to open a window (which ended up not being much help, but it was worth a shot). If you look up at the ceiling in the shower, you can see black mold above you. I know it’s more common in shower areas, but by the smell it’s obvious that it’s under the paint throughout the building as well. Really disappointed that I was unable to enjoy my stay.

Great experience here. Clean, organized, nice free breakfast with pastries, breads, coffee and jams, and located in a good neighbourhood with lots going on. Tons of cool people roll through here and it’s easy to meet everyone. Courtyard is cool too — they often have open mic nights and shows.
The only downside is the early closing time of the common spaces and the weirdly conservative rules regarding drinking in the common areas (only allowed outside, before 10pm)

I enjoyed my two nights here.
The guests and staff were fun and knowledgable.
The location is awesome.
The beds comfy and many bathrooms.
The garden out back was awesome to have a drink and meet friends.
They also offer delicious croissants and breads in the

I stayed here for three nights in an all female dorm and really enjoyed it.
Location: It’s in a safe and trendy area. It’s a bit removed from downtown, but it’s about a 10 – 15 minute walk to the center of everything.
Safety: There’s someone at the front desk ²⁴⁄₇. Each room comes with lockers you can use to stow away your things.
Cleanliness: The rooms were clean, as were the bathrooms and showers.
Staff: Friendly, helpful, and excellent! They were always willing to offer a recommendation or give directions.
Facilities: The rooms are a decent size and are fairly new looking. They have board games and books to borrow. They offer a light breakfast in the morning. They have an outdoor patio and bike storage as well. They have deals with a lot of local places, like bike shops and restaurants, so be sure to check those out.
I would recommend this hostel! I would return here if I ever am back in Portland.

Super friendly staff, really clean, comfortable… All in all a great place to stay!

I stayed here for 2 nights recently and had a blast. I stayed in a 6-​person coed room.
The Pros: Within walking distance of tons of awesome places, super friendly staff, spacious storage lockers, comfortable beds, private parking lot, delicious bread on the light breakfast spread, clean communal bathroom down the hall.
The Cons: Limited street parking, their private lot is tiny, limited number of electrical outlets in the rooms and common areas.
Would I go back? Absolutely!

Great location. I suppose more budget than a motel, but a private room with shared bath still cost $ 100 + tax. If you stay here, keep in mind that it is an old house they converted, so room walls are thin and stairs creak. You will be sharing bathrooms with others who are paying a higher amount (than those sleeping in a dorm room). But be prepared for someone to poo and NOT flush. Or a woman to make a mess putting on makeup and combing hair and just leaving it in the sink. Wonder what their home bathrooms look like.
They do have plenty of tasty coffee. There are also loaves of bread that you cut yourself (and butter, jam and p butter). I didn’t partake in any bread, cuz the hands that are touching the bread while cutting their piece are the hands of people who don’t flush their poo and I bet don’t wash their hands either. And when you look around at the other people sitting there in the dining room… getting a bagel for a buck sounds much more appetizing.

Friendly staff, clean and neat rooms and a location near Pearl District make this a winner! The free breakfast offering to fuel an early morning start was a bonus, along with the storage room for our bikes.

My wife and I booked a private room with a queen bed. The room we got was amazing, and totally relaxing to be in. For my first hostel experience, it was actually more like staying at a european motel. I would one hundred percent suggest staying here, especially given the low price for a room right in the middle of the downtown area.
The positives: The room was large, the bed and pillows were comfortable. They had free breakfast of breads, jams, and coffee. They gave us towels and the linens were already on the bed, so we didn’t have to make them or change them out ourselves. They’re centrally located, and only a couple blocks from transit, so everything is within walking distance. They will sell you bus passes right at the front counter.
Negatives: The shower that I used had mold growing in the corners and on the ceiling, which I would expect them to at least clean if not do a full repair, they were fully booked which should cover the expenses I would think. The neighborhood can get a little noisy in the evening until around midnight or so.

I stayed for 4 nights. This hostel promotes group activities and tourism. I would definitely stay here again. Great hostel experience!
Pros:
— safe area: located in a residential, pretty, middle-​class neighborhood
— secure building: must use key card to enter the building and to enter the dorm room
— half lockers provided in dorm room
— great location: just 3 – 4 blocks from shops, restaurants, and nightlife; just 2 blocks to the bus stop; 15 minute walk to downtown Pearl District; right across the street from World Cup Coffee house
— very clean hostel
— lots of group activities planned; promotes new friendships
— huge amount of tourism information available; more than most hostels offer
— towels provided for free
— free extra blankets are available for Portland’s cold nights
— large kitchens
— cute garden area with seating
— free wifi
— parking lot for hostel customers
Cons:
— the interior of the hostel isn’t as quaint as the exterior; décor and appearance inside is dingy and worn down
— stairs: a long flight of stairs up to the check-​in desk makes it difficult if you have a heavy bag

Pretty good as hostels go. My first bed was as thin as a quilt, but I asked to move bunks and my new one is a proper mattress, so try to get a think one when you check in.
Breakfast is just bread (and butter/PB&J) they rarely have pastries even early in the morning, and in the rare event they of get a pastry you can only have it if you the first person to the kitchen.
They get the essentials right — towels provided, WiFi works, location is close to downtown.

I stayed in the next door Guesthouse, but since they shared a common area in this hostel, I felt I could rate my experiences here as well since I was in and out several times a day. For my reviews on the Guesthouse, go here:
PROS:
Shared kitchen between the Guesthouse. It was pretty spacious, and had two stovetops and a microwave.
Super friendly staff!
Very easy to check in and very easy to check out.
They have a calendar of each week, listing daily events. I love when hostels do those sorts of things!
Free light breakfast, with some bread, pb&j, and coffee. One morning someone even brought some of Ken’s pastries. YUM!
Love the cloth napkins and wash cloths in the bathroom, which cut down on waste.
There are two sinks in the girl’s bathroom, which is great because one person was sitting on the sink, with their feet in it, talking to another person… ICK.
AWESOME location. Really close to transit, the Pearl district, Ken’s Bakery, Powell’s, and a ton of other breweries and coffee places.
Shared communal garden with the Guesthouse.
They let you store luggage downstairs before your check in.
CONS:
The fridge here is more like a cooler where grocery stores serve sodas, right next to the checkout lanes. So, kind of small and cramped. If you wanted to put something in the freezer, it was in another part of the house.
Bathrooms were tinyyy. When you open the door, it basically goes flush against the toilet. I’m not even a big person, and I could foresee issues with that.
The hostel guests here were pretty grumpy, and didn’t really seem to want to interact with anyone there.
If you stay here, you have to pay an additional fee of $ 3 per person, per night for the Hosteling International pass.
THE VERDICT:
All in all, I’d probably rather stay in the guesthouse next door. There’s more privacy there, but you also get to share in all the nifty amenities of the regular house. (Kitchen, garden, luggage storage, activities/​events, light breakfast).

I have heard people describe great hostel experiences, and I have heard them tell about the bitter memories they made. I have been pretty lucky on that account, as this place made for another one of my positive experiences. We booked the place in advance to make sure we don’ t have to drive around in a new city looking for vacancies.
Let me give a short account of my experiences in a roughly chronological order. The lady at the front desk was super friendly, and she gladly pointed out a few must-​visit places on the tourist map. The hostel had silent hours after 10, lockers and bunk beds in the dorms, a ‘secret garden’ for smoking, and a common diner and kitchen. The restrooms and kitchens were shiny clean, not a single complaint in that department. There was also free bread, butter, jam on offer on mornings, increasing the bang for the buck.
They arrange for pub crawls and history trips of the city for hostelites. We never got to join that bandwagon as we were already swamped with other plans, but, given the enrollment rates in the pub crawls, I am sure hostel folks had a gala time on these events.
Special tip: make sure to check out this local pub called Rogue that offers discounts to inmates! They have pretty good beer prices too, just saying.
N.B: Cool lady at front desk did not know about Tim Hortons! :)

This place was really clean. The staff was very friendly as well. Overall, no complaints.

Im a fan of the NW hostel because the beds are SO comfy! I have a memory foam bed at home so Im a little bratty when I dont get to sleep in my own bed but I loved the beds here! The hostel is also pretty clean too!
They provide breakfast which consists of bread, pastries, coffee, and tea which is always nice. They also have hostel events which is a great way to meet people ! I went on a beer crawl led by Tom (HI TOM!) and it was really fun! The crawl included 3 pubs, one of which was Blue Moon which has pool tables (and some other game I dont remember).
The staff members were really friendly and helpful my friends and I get around! Its about a 10 minute walk to the Pearl District and ¹⁵⁄₂₀ walk to the portland food courts/​mall area!
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay!

When traveling I only stay in hostels if possible. With that said I’ve stayed in plenty of dumps and a handful of gems. The NW Portland International Hostel is certainly a gem!
First off, Location: This hostel is in a neighborhood close to parks and plenty of restaurants/​cafes within walking distance. There is a parking lot for those of you with a car (first come first serve i believe for a fee).
Cleanliness and feel: I stayed in the «guest house» in back of the main hostel. The private rooms were spacious and had a charm about them The carpet felt newer. Washrooms were clean and the water pressure was solid.
I didn’t stick around for breakfast or any of the activities offered by the staff/​guest but I was able to get a good quiets night sleep. That’s what matters most, right?
I will be staying here again when in the Portland area

The hostel is about what you expect if you’ve stayed at HI hostels before. Old house, cozy, shared bathrooms. The dorm rooms smell a little (or a lot) like BO. Try to get a private room if you can. They aren’t as cheap — over $ 100 — but they’re in a separate building and really spacious though you do still have to share bathrooms. Try to get a room on the 2^nd floor if you can. We ended up in the room right next to the entrance and there was lots of clomping around as people left then again as they returned late at night (definitely bring ear plugs). The curtains are flimsy like at most hostels and don’t block any night. Again, a problem for the room right next to the entrance as they keep the outside lights nice and bright all night long.
They have storage for bikes and luggage downstairs.

Out of all the hostels I have stayed in, I have to say this one was by far the best. Free, simple breakfast in the morning, bike rentals, activities, large kitchens to cook food in and bunk beds in cute bedrooms with lots of character.
My friend and I stayed here for 3 days and we were able to come in and out at all hours of the night and day, and we felt completely safe. I was never worried about my things getting stolen. We made burritos in one of their many kitchens and drank beer one night and another night they played ‘Portlandia’ on a projector for dinner.
This hostel is also in a very busy area in Portland, and transportation is very convenient. It’s also very close to the Amtrak train station.
The only thing I would say that was slightly irritating was one of the staff members was not helpful at all when we were trying to figure out where the nearest bus stop was to a specific area. She seemed pissed with us and told us we’d have to figure it out ourselves.
Would definitely say you must stay here if you’re in Portland though! Totally worth the $ 30 a night.

Il est tout près du centre ville et il y a des bons restaurants, des bons cafés et le transport commun est gratuit dans le zone un donc on peut facilement traverser la le centre ville de l’auberge.
Quant aux facilités tout est bien propre et organisé. Les gens sont sympas et on a tout ce qu’il faut.