Kensington College Backpackers

I guess you get what you paid for, but this hostel is probably the worst hostel I ever stayed in. The shower curtains were moldy & unhygienic. Always an awful smell in the shared restrooms & kitchen. There's a sign in the restroom stating that all used toilet paper must not be disposed into the toilet, so imagine the smell of accumulated poop unattended for days! Didn't see other guests & the front desk was always unattended during our 4-day stay. It was supposed to be opened at 10am and closed at 8pm according to their website, but I only saw it being opened for once during our stay (which was when we were checking in). The staff who checked us in was alright and friendly. That being said, the service is almost nonexistent as they never picked up the phone and they would most likely be unavailable after 8pm. We stayed in the so-called "Deluxe" Double Bed private room (the largest room they have) but the room is really dirty. It almost feels like they haven't been cleaned for a while. The chair is flimsy and we are most certain that the TV is broken. It was 0C outside & our heater in the room is barely working, we end up sleeping with our down jackets since the blanket was as thin as a bed sheet. The free breakfast promised by the website was nonexistent, apparently they stopped offering breakfast for almost a year (which I am sure that this is definitely false advertising!) The kitchen is super gross as there is a pile of dirty dishes unattended in the sink for days, and there's dead cockroaches and trash in the fridge. Despite situated near UoT and Chinatown, the nearby area is very sketchy with lots of homeless wandering around. It was noisy after midnight as well so I would definitely recommend staying in a hostel that is far away from the city centre (as Toronto transportation is actually pretty convenient). The hostel is not the most accessible place ever as you do need to transfer to a bus after getting off from the underground. It is pretty closed to Kensington Market so plenty of food options available. Unless you are very broke or a huge foodie, I would not recommend this hotel at all. I'm glad that I went there during the winter since other reviews are saying that there were cockroaches during summer - which does not surprise me at all. But yeah, find a better hostel in Toronto. Don't waste your money here and bother that small difference in room rates. My friend stayed in a different hostel (which is CAD$30 more expensive per day) but the experience was way better than mine. Don't make the same mistake like me, book a different place for goodness sake.

Do not book! There are no staff, the main door is locked and no one is at the desk until 2pm, you can't store luggage, shared toilet and showers are inconveniently located, you can't flush toilet paper, the kitchen is disgusting, bad location near a community centre with people yelling in the street and you can hear everything, the whole place is dirty and not worth booking!

Stayed here 3 nights as Toronto is soo expensive. It’s super basic and not gives only the bare minimum but it’s safe, the bathrooms are clean enough (although non working on my floor so had to go to the third floor). If it’s just a place to crash then it’s absolutely fine and in a great location. I was a solo female traveller and was fine here

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