Reviews of HI Castle Mountain - Hostel

Location was good. Price was cheap. They had big fridge. Place to store your items under the bed. Some people would leave behind some food or shower items like shampoo and body wash - so everybody could use it. You can use new towels every day :)

Obviously sharing room with at least another 10 people of the same gender is different. I'm very sensitive in my sleep. I'm only sleep in complete silence.

Second time to stay there Nice place and good location to discover Banff and lake Louise

Nothing

Location, cleaners, cuteness, quietness, wilderness

Nothing

It was a pure disappointment

Staff was just terrible.

Absolutely nothing to complain about. Small family oriented hostel in the nature. Excellent price, always super clean, everyone was so respectful. I stayed 5 nights and enjoyed it so much !

The location was great, the kitchen was well equipped and I liked that they had a bonfire and a barbecue grill.

The was a fly problem in the bathroom, there were like 5 dead flies in the toilet and 5 in the shower. There were no plugs in the rooms, so if you wanted to charge your phone at night you couldn't use your flashlight to get to your bed at night. Rooms were also cold.

The location is absolutely perfect—close to everything and super convenient. The hostel was very clean and well-kept, and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful throughout our stay. As a fun surprise, we even spotted a bear on the property (from a safe distance!)—definitely a memorable experience. Would absolutely recommend and stay again!

The only downside was that there’s just little kitchen with one sink, so it could get a bit crowded at times. But overall, everything else was great and we’d definitely come back!

Good location, friendly staff, well equipped, good amount of social space and the dorm was spacious.

Lovely lounge with cosy seats and fireplace!

Men's washrooms are a bit tight.

Nice location in Banff NP. Bathroom and kitchen clean and tidy. Fireplace in the common area was great. Very friendly staff.

Beds are bit uncomfortable due to the plastic cover of the mattress.

The place itself and the service were great actually. Beds are comfy and you cannot beat the price. Clear instruction were given about the place and how it was to be run by the guests. The winter condition with the new snow during the night made the landscape a very nice postcard and very magical place especially with Christmas around the corner.

The guests are what make or break a stay like this. Few people were snoring loud but with so many people, statistically it was to be expected. This with every hour a train passing by made it difficult to sleep. It became a mess when some guests arrived at midnight. Check-in is closed by then but they came in it means they had already checked in. They made lot of noise talking, ignoring the quiet time and guests sleeping. They were also visible drunk and at least one guy could not resist vomiting in the bedroom. Maybe the hostel can ban them from coming again. Better luck next time I hope.

nothing

staff and facilities

A really nice and little remote (you need a car to get there) place in nature with access to the lakes and hikes. We really liked the cozy common room with the fireplace in the middle and Shawna was a lovely host :) Kitchen and bathroom were always clean and well organized and there's even a washer and dryer available. We enjoyed our stay, thank you! :)

no small rooms, only a 12 bed dorm for each, male and female

Had all the basics, very cosy vibe. Incredible for stargazing

Staff are really nice and everyone was actually very respectful of the quiet hours (which was very nice). The bathrooms are relatively clean for how many people were using it. The kitchen is well stocked with pots/pans/plates/kettles..etc. things you can use to cook. There was always space to sit somewhere. Area is also very quiet and nicely located between lake louise and banff. Lounge area around the fire is nice. They also get you to take off your shoes up front which helps minimize the dirt trekked in.

It's a very weird, strict, and late check in time from 5pm onwards (literally no one was there/doors were locked) and there are no staff during the day. Bathrooms, albeit minimally clean, were very wet. The dorms can get very hot esp if you're situated right next to the heater. So a central fan would be nice. Parking can also be limited depending on how well other people park. Not a huge deal but not the most pleasant when you have to walk 5 mins in the dark to grab something from your car. The mattress also has a sort of plastic (?) wrapping around it that makes it very hot.

Convenient place, quiet and calm

The kitchen is a bit small for that many people. There were no shelves for shampoo in the shower

Great location. Lars, who worked there was very friendly and willing to help, to answer all the questions about hikes around. Kitchen fully equiped.

Nice location, good place to stay in Banff park as a hostel. (This is dormitory, be ware of)

cheap, convenient location between Banff and Lake Louise

people sleeping in the common living room kitchen too small for the amount of people