Monterey Hostel

Absolutely horrifying experience. My two friends and I checked in at 10:30 pm and had to wait a half hour for the front desk lady to get back. But if only that was the worst part of our experience. Upon checking in, each of us were given two tokens, each for 3.5 minutes for a shower. My friends and I all graciously declined the tokens, 1) because we didn’t need a shower for one night, 2) because the system and idea of the shower shutting off mid lather was horrifying, 3) because we could tell the showers wouldn’t be suitable for humans. We then were given a room key code to check in to our room majestically titles «big sur.» I thought we would be walking in to an oceanic paradise smelling of the beauty of Monterey. Instead, we walked in to the stench of people who were evidently going on some shower strike. My friends and I started crying hysterically. Then when we finally retired to bed, we hit rock bottom. I felt like I couldn’t breathe– I felt like any moment a naked man would wildly jump into my bed. My friends suffered from the same perturbing thoughts. At 3 am, the real crisis started. A man in a cowboy hat walked into our room and started just chatting, God knows about what. A few minutes later we heard loud moans. At first I dismissed these roars as just snoring– however I then realized this same man was masturbating violently making sounds only two bears having sex would make. The next morning, we awoke (after not having slept) and the masturbation man tried asking my friends if he had seen his sock. My friends were creeped out to find him sitting on a chair in the corner of the room waiting for them at their most vulnerable so he could pounce on his prey like a cheetah. We left immediately, and no his sperm-​filled sock was no where to be found. As we left the man walked out of the room in his wet underwear to say goodbye to my friend. I am still suffering from Post traumatic stress from this experience. I can only hope management is sensitive enough to grant us a refund.

Excellent hostel overall, probably one of the best I’ve stayed at this summer. The facilities were very clean. Quietness was stressed and I slept fine in a room of 16 beds, mostly all full. They even offer extra shower tokens from previous customers if for some reason you need more. The parking is in a safe area. Overall this was a great experience.

Basic, simple, to get the job done. If you’re passing through and don’t mind an older basic place to stay in order to explore beautiful Monterey or continue down to Big Sur, this is a great stopping point with reasonable accommodations.
Pancake breakfast and even some other free food items are offered in the kitchen. If there is anything you need snack wise, CVS is around the corner so you can stock up on some food.
The neat thing about the place is there are books you can read or trade (huge fan of this!) and there are also board games available and a large communal area to read, play games, chat with new friends, etc.
If you like simple and a tad older & cheap, this is your place!

It’s a hostel so it’s pretty bare bones. Great price in a great location. Just blocks from Cannery Row. Friendly staff. A large kitchen and numerous bathrooms. Bring your own shower shoes and toiletries. Hostels are as social as you’d like – chat with others or be a lone wolf. Giving it a 4 out of 5 stars only because of the shower tokens. I never could do what I needed to do in 3ish minutes. I always needed about 30 seconds more to finish up.

Monterey Hostel is awesome! The staff is great, the building is cool, there are lots of awesome travelers. There are plenty of good restauraunts and fun things to do in the area. Monterey is awesome!

I thought I reviewed this place back in October 2013 when we stayed.
A GREAT FIRST EXPERIENCE in a hostel. we thought it was going to be weird… and uncomfortable. but surprisingly the beds were tempurpedic (sp) COMFY! they give you extra blankets, it can get chilly. but you cannot bring any of your own bedding in (to prevent bed bugs) Nice large kitchen and living area. Lots of magazines, and info on nearby restaurants. Pancakes in the morning. had to cook on own, but still FREE!
lots of couches, not matching but it gave the place a specialty to it. Wi-​Fi is available no extra charge.
you get two shower coins per day I believe they were 3.5 minutes each. they only had 3 showers in the girls dorm and one was broken. it was a FULL night with students (young) from france.
we arrived later then they ask for check in, and they accepted us which was great.

This place has such a special place in my heart. First ever real experience with a hostel and it turned me on to them permanently. Beautiful, clean rooms in a beautiful, clean location. Staff was awesome, free breakfast pancakes were convenient, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Not really a party hostel, but Monterey isn’t really a party town get over it okay. will always come back here when in the area.

This is a totally great youth hostel if you are looking for a low key, safe and convenient place to base your adventures out of. It is not an entertainment hub, but rather a safe, comfortable and friendly place to stay.
There is a very spacious lounge area with couches, tables, chairs and WiFi. It is very clean and the beds are very comfortable… thick memory foam! They did not skimp on the mattresses. They provide all the bedding and towels etc, so just leave your sleeping bag in your car. And if you are not smart enough to have remembered your earplugs they have a bowl full of them on the front desk, just put 50 cents in the jar and you are good to get a fabulous night’s sleep.
In the morning they cook pancakes and make coffee for you.
The hostel has a large parking lot and the location is perfect. You are a couple of blocks from Cannery Row and tons of scuba diving schools just a short walk away.
I will probably go to Monterey more often now, just because it is so cheap and easy.

Very spacious hostel with many bunk rooms. All the beds are comfy and the living area is full of couches, tables, and chairs to hang out on.
Definitely a family sort of place, which I liked as the lights in the bunk rooms were off at 9 and most people were in bed by 10 and getting up at 6:30ish.
The place is super super clean! And there’s a lot for parking! Will definitely stay here again.

Thankfully, I got the very last bed here after I was told the Santa Cruz Hostel didn’t have any room left for the next night that I was in the area. I got there and they immediately checked me in. The man at the front desk offered to tell me all the local spots around the area to eat, and other good places to go. I was very tired, so I went to bed early and to my surprise, they had memory foam mattresses! I should have brought ear plugs because the woman below me was snoring like your grandpa, but if it had been totally quiet, I would have slept the best in a long time.
Location is so great, $ 30 a night for a bed 3 blocks from the aquarium and Cannery Row, a short bike ride or walk to the wharf on their nice trail, and free parking in the hostel parking lot.
The only thing was that the bathroom seemed kinda dirty, but other than that, it was a great stay and there was great company during the complimentary pancake breakfast.

Loved staying here. Clean, quiet. Great all around

A great place to sleep but no social aspect
There are a lot of rules at this place. If you’re into getting a great night sleep and have no interest in going out at night then you will enjoy your stay here. However, if you are young and looking to have a good time while you travel (like myself), then stay away.
The guy at the front desk was very nice and helpful and told me the best spots for food (I used Unilocal anyway). He also pointed out some key locations in the area.
There is no drinking allowed at the hostel and you must be back by 1:30. So don’t plan on having a great time partying and meeting people here.
Other than that, standard hostel. Showers do take tokens which is annoying. Everything seemed very clean.

It’s a fairly well kept hostel in the middle of town — just a few blocks from Cannery Row and the aquarium. The communal kitchen is big and the living room has lots of seating — couches for lounging, tables for eating. The clientele seems to be a mix of families, older travelers and young folks. Very mellow crowd.
For the price you get sheets and blankets for the bed plus towels for the showers. The showers are token operated but they give you the tokens too. There’s no breakfast included — just instant oatmeal, coffee, tea for 25¢ each (honor system). The rooms are clean and the showers are okay. It’s kinda what I expect for a dorm and shared shower.
Staff are super nice and helpful. We told them ahead of time we’d be coming as a group of 8 people with bikes and that was fine with them. By the time we showed up the bike lockers were full but they just let us bring the bikes inside and store them in the back — no hassle.
The only downside is that it’s an alcohol free hostel. Yeah, only in America. Seems a bit ridiculous but not surprising.

I never stayed at hostel before, but because of Unilocal and all your reviews, I booked a reservation at this hostel in Monterey. I was still a little nervous before I checked in, but the staff person totally put me at ease in filling me in on the routines.
So, I just want to thank all of you reviewers!

Allez soyons fous, mon premier avis international! Profitant d’un voyage dans l’Ouest des Etats-​Unis, j’ai eu l’occasion de découvrir cette excellente auberge de jeunesse non loin de Cannery Row à Monterey. Hostelling International, ça a beau être une valeur sûre en termes d’hébergements à pas cher, on est plus souvent dans la catégorie bof en termes d’accueil qu’au top du top. Mais pas ici! Les chambres sont certes plutôt moyennes mais conformes au prix payé, l’architecture du bâtiment pas franchement engageante, la salle commune *de malade*, la disponibilité du personnel d’accueil et l’open-pâte à pancakes du petit dèj rattrapent largement le tout, assurant une halte fort agréable au pays des loutres et des lions de mer.
*In my own pathetic english*
Simply the best HI hostel I’ve been (and I’ve seen a lot of them). Okay, the building doesn’t look that nice on the outside, the rooms are a bit dark, bit the people are really nice, the livingroom absolutely gorgeous and the pancake mix is more than welcome in the morning. A great place to stay in a oh-​so-​expensive-​in-​the-​week-​end city.

This was a nice hostel in a great location. It is an easy walk from the Monterey Bay Aquarium (amazing!!) and the beach.
Our room was clean, the beds were comfortable, and the showers were hot. They have a self service kitchen and provide pancake mix and toppings for breakfast. Their common room is cozy and they projected the Olympics onto a big screen in the evening. It made for a very nice atmosphere.
It was a little pricy for a hostel — $ 180 for two nights in a private room — but that isn’t too bad when compared with other options in the area. Still, I think it was too much for what it was.

I always book my hostels through
and this one does not disappoint. Rooms are clean (a little on the small side though) and there is a huge comfortable living room area. Lots of ample parking and a short walk to the aquarium and cannery row tourist area. Everyone was friendly and there is free pancakes for breakfast in the morning. Eggs on Sunday! Service is limited after 10pm though. You get a new door code each day for the main door so be sure to check for it. Would definitely stay here again if I had to visit some friends.

A great hostel for backpackers, single travelers or couples and even family. I really enjoy every aspect from cleanliness, conveniences, location, the people, the private parking and bike storage. Located within walking distance from the cannery and aquarium, local boutiques and restaurants, we had no problem going around.
Breakfast is simple (pancake mix, oatmeal, cereal). Coffee and tea on donation base. The communal kitchen is lovely because everyone is neat clean and share food. A lovely way to meet new people who travelled from everywhere.
The lounge is big and spacious. Enough space for big or small groups. They have a lot of board games, and musical instruments. Again, a great way to meet people and talk about anything. I also really enjoyed the board to keep visitors noticed about the local events. We went to a farmers’ market one evening and ate at a local restaurant nearby.
Very informative staff and beyond friendly. I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoy an adventurous trip and comfortable place to stay but without splurging too much.

I stayed at this place on the Thanksgiving day and day after Thanksgiving. I could not have asked for better place than this one. The locals and hostel staff made a thanksgiving dinner which was one of the best dinner I had in my life. I had a good conversation with the people who were staying in the hostel and hung out with few of them in and around Big Sur. The hostel is clean and friendly. My stay here is very memorable. This place is close to Big Sur. The Monterey town is pretty nice town and relatively lot to do during day as well night time.

I really enjoyed my stay at the Monterey hostel. It is about 3 – 4 blocks from Cannery row which is convenient if you want to spend time there. I went in a group of 4 guys with 4 bikes. I was happy to see they had bike lockers. I was hesitant to lock up a very expensive bike in the lockers but they survived. We got a private room which was less than $ 30 a person. The bathrooms were clean and staff were friendly. I also loved that they had parking. I’d definitely stay here again if the situation required it.

This hostel is very clean, organized and fun to stay at. It may not suit everyone’s style (not a party place) but it is spacious with free wifi, coffee and pancakes. There are dormitory style rooms and private rooms.
I would knock off a star for the showering experience which requires tokens and when the water cuts off with soap in your eye, that’s all folks. However, if you compare it with a campground or marina with similar amenities and price, the hostel is the clear winner.
The other bummer is the hostel lock-​out at 1am. If you aren’t back by then better have a sleeping bag on you. I was lucky, a night owl let me in.