Frequently Asked Questions
All guests must be at least 16 years of age and will need to have a valid, government-issued photo ID and a valid credit card. If you book a room and do not meet these requirements upon check-in we will still have to charge you for one night's stay as we have kept the room or bed for you.
We may pre-authorize your credit card on the day of or the day before your reservation. If this pre-authorization is declined your reservation will be cancelled.
All of our rooms have rates for both single and double occupancy (excluding Group/Family Rooms, which have rates for 3 or 4 people. Dorm beds are always charged per bed. Check out our rates here: Rates & Availability.
We’re in downtown Victoria, just one block away from City Hall, on the corner of Pandora Avenue and Blanshard Street.
From the ferry terminal:
If you’re driving from the ferries, follow BC-17 all the way into town and find us on the corner of Blanshard & Pandora. If you take public transport, take bus #70 or #72 and get off at City Hall. Walk up to Pandora Avenue and turn left, we are the end of the block on your right.
From the airport:
If you have a car, follow Willingdon Road to BC-17 and drive down to Blanshard & Pandora. Otherwise, we advise you to take the YYJ Shuttle which will drop you off in front of the hostel.
From the Inner Harbour (For Clipper & Black Ball Ferry passengers)
If you’re driving, drive up on Belleville and turn left on Douglas Street. Drive up to Cormorant Street and turn right. Drive one block to Blanshard and turn right. Drive up to the traffic lights and you’ll see us on the corner of Blanshard & Pandora.
Walk past the Parliament Building and turn left on Government Street. Walk up to Pandora Avenue and turn right. You’ll find us at the end of the second block.
Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena: about a 5-minute walk.
BC Ferries / Victoria Airport: 30-minute drive, 1 hour by bus.
Butchart Gardens: about a 45-minute public bus ride or a 30-minute drive.
Chinatown: about a 5-minute walk.
Market Square: about a 5-minute walk.
Royal BC Museum & IMAX: about a 15-minute walk.
Victoria Bus Depot: about a 15-minute walk.
Empress Hotel: about a 15-minute walk.
Inner Harbour: about a 15-minute walk.
Legislative Buildings: about a 20-minute walk.
Check-out time is 11am.
Occasionally, we do offer our guests the option to work for accommodation. More information can be found on our website or simply just send your cover letter and resume to hiring@oceanisland.com.
You can find more information on work visas and check your eligibility to work in Canada on the Canadian Government website. Unfortunately, Ocean Island is unable to sponsor working visas at this time.
Unfortunately, we require a credit card to hold your bed or room. When you arrive you can pay by any method you want: cash, credit card, or debit cards. Alternate arrangements may be possible for extended stays. Contact our office for more details: info@oceanisland.com.
No, but Victoria Transit runs from the ferries to downtown, and the YYJ Airport Shuttle operates a shuttle bus between the airport and downtown. Please note that due to COVID-19, YYJ Airport Shuttle is not currently operating.
We offer limited paid parking for our guests. As we only have a limited amount of parking spots, they cannot be reserved in advance. Alternatively, there is paid street parking available and we are just a block away from the Johnson Street Parkade, in case our guest parking is at its capacity by the time you arrive.
You can find many banks within walking distance. Please ask our 24/7 friendly front desk staff for directions. Unfortunately, Ocean Island Inn is unable to exchange money at this time.
We offer a variety of discounts to our guests. Our equipment rental discounts can be found here.
Yes, Ocean Island provides free baggage storage on the day of your check-in and/or check out. Overnight storage costs an additional $5 per day. Repeat guests who have an active paid future reservation can leave their bags on hold with us for a discounted nightly rate.
Due to COVID-19 we are not currently allowing visitors.
Generally however, Ocean Island happily welcomes your family & friends. Visitors of guests are allowed in the building between 8.00 am until 11.00 pm and they have to sign in at the front desk. Please note that no visitors are allowed in the shared rooms. Overnight visitors can stay for an additional fee.
We cannot allow pets at Ocean Island Inn Backpackers. Pets are welcome if you book one of our Garden Suites for a fee of $11 / day.
Our rooms on the ground floor are wheelchair accessible. Unfortunately, we don’t have an elevator and our rooms on the upper floors are therefore not wheelchair accessible. As our reservation system automatically allocates rooms, please kindly request a room on our ground floor.
Early check-ins are subject to availability. Our guaranteed check-in time for the Ocean Island Inn starts from 4:00 pm, but early arrivals can store their bags in our luggage storage for free. Unfortunately, late check-outs are not permitted and will be subject to an additional charge.
GENERAL CANCELLATION POLICY: We have a 1-day cancellation policy. This means that you must let us know before 6 pm(18:00) the day before your arrival if you need to cancel, otherwise you will be charged for one night. If you reserved a Queen Room with ensuite for more than 7 nights, or Garden Suite for more than 3 nights, a 14 day cancellation policy applies and a 50% deposit is required. If cancelled within these 14 days, the 50% deposit will be lost.
NO-REFUNDS POLICY: Once you have checked in, there is no refund for weekly, bi-weekly and monthly rates. For daily rates, there is a 50% refund for every day following, but not including, the day on which we are informed (by 6:00pm) that you are leaving.
We always try our hardest to keep multi-bed bookings in the same dorm room whenever possible. However this is always subject to availability, so please be aware that it is not guaranteed for you all to be in the same dorm room if you have booked multiple beds.
There’s always something going on in our lounge. Every night has its own music theme and we have several events during the week. Check out our lounge page for more details on our theme nights and events.
Linens are provided on every bed free of charge, and we actually do not allow guests to bring their own linens. If you need an extra blanket or pillow, let our front desk know and we’ll be happy to oblige! As for towels, they are available for a refundable cash deposit of $10.00 at our front desk. You can also trade out a wet towel for a fresh one anytime at our front desk. Locks are available for a refundable deposit, too!
We have a rotating menu, with two options available every night to choose from. Our menu is entirely vegetarian (and usually even vegan!), and you are more than welcome to have a second serving so you can try both options. Food allergies or dietary restrictions? Ask our dinner server to see a list of ingredients!
