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Grand Canyon International Hostel
Categories: Event Planning & Services Hotels Hotels & Travel Hotels Hotels & Travel Hostels Hotels, Hostels [Edit]
19 S. San Francisco StreetFlagstaff, AZ 86001
(928) 779-9421
- Price Range:
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$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
20 reviews for Grand Canyon International Hostel
Review Highlights
"...I staying during my road trip across the great southwest."
(in 3 reviews)
"Clean rooms, friendly staff, reasonable price."
(in 4 reviews)
"Free breakfast (oatmeal, coffee, plenty of fruit, toast..."
(in 4 reviews)
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20 reviews in English
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Review from Sebastian K.
Portland, OR
1/13/2012
Stayed here on New Years Eve on my cross country trip, and it was my first time staying at a hostel ever. I must say, I am greatly impressed! Let me list the many pluses of my stay here.
+Very friendly staff. Not only was I able to check in early to use the internet, I was also allowed to eat breakfast there! They had many different foods for breakfast, and I was quite pleased with the selection. I was able to get everything I needed, with a smile and "you're welcome". They also allowed me to place my luggage in a storage area while I explored the city, so my stuff would not get stolen.
+Very comfortable. I never felt threatened at all, and I got a good nights sleep (at least as much as you can on New Years Eve). Nobody was loud or bothered me, but then again, I am a deep sleeper.
+Free Wi-Fi. Always a nice thing.
+Very cheap. I only payed twenty one dollars for my one night stay, and I am very pleased with what I payed for. Definitely better than staying at a hotel, and more comfortable than camping.
+Plenty of hot water. When I took my shower, there was a constant stream of hot water, even though I took around twenty minutes. Always a plus.
+Great location. Literally down the street from the Greyhound and Amtrak stations, it is very convenient if you are a semi-vagrant like myself. It's also not terribly far away from the 40. I heard there are also tours to the Grand Canyon from this location, but I unfortunately did not have time to take one. Oh well, maybe next time.
It is honestly hard to find negatives about this place without nitpicking. I would say that the only thing I found negative about this place was the range of the wireless internet. I was able to get it in the lobby area and movie room, but in my dorm I was not able to access the internet for some reason. This was disappointing, considering I wanted to lie down and view the internet before going to sleep. Oh well, it's a minor problem.
So if you are traveling through Flagstaff (or even Arizona), I definitely recommending stopping here for a night or two. You will not regret it, or the experiences you will get from staying here (I did not even mention all the awesome and interesting people you will meet here). -
Review from Lisa W.
Olmsted Falls, OH
12/25/2011
First time at a hostel for 2 of us! We thought it was great - interesting and clean! 2 of us who had been to a hostel found thi one to be nicer and cleaner! We were here on Christmas day, and the hostel had a potluck dinner for all! Nice touch! Very reasonably priced! The person at the desk was quite helpful in guiding us to area attractions!
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Review from Carolyn V.
Columbia, MD
6/19/2011
This was my very first hostel experience and it was great. I cancelled 3 hotel reservations because of my cheap ass and booked 3 nights at the Grand Canyon International Hostel. What a great decision! The private room, and community bathroom and kitchen were clean. My $40.00 a night private room was so much better than I expected. The location on South San Francisco was fantastic because you're in the heart of Flagstaff with its hippie bohemian lifestyle. Lots of coffee houses, restaurants, and hangouts for the plethora of students from Northern Arizona University and visitors to the Grand Canyon. People were so friendly and nice. The breakfast is free and there are 2 grocery stores nearby on Route 66.
Flagstaff, AZ is centrally located to the Grand Canyon, Petrified National Forest, Canyon de Chelly, and everything else that
Northern Arizona has to offer. -
Review from jackie t.
New York, NY
11/29/2011
Great location to Amtrak and easy to walk right into the heart of town. All of the visitors I met were incredibly friendly. The free breakfast is basically just toast and fruit, but its good enough. The dining room has one big table which really encourages lots of friendly conversation. The rooms are clean, the staff friendly, and the prices reasonable. Of all the hostels I have stayed at in the US, this is my favorite.
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Review from Andoni U.
Chicago, IL
10/21/2011
We hightly recomend this hostel. Friendy staff, good located and great escursions to the canyons! Andoni urzelai.
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Review from itiswhat i.
Anaheim, CA
12/16/2011
the rating is all I will I give for it does not deserve that credit I came to this hostel on 2 separate occasions, having never actually staying, the 1st time I had been camping with a friend for 3 weeks and we both were some smelly camping travelers at the time the staff member at that time told me they did not serve our kind...contacted the owner whom told me that the next time I came into Flagstaff he would comp my room, now a few years went by and in my life I have come to find myself physically disabled, of which my disabilities requires me to have a service animal, when I asked the rates and explained the room comp to the employee I volunteered to pay for the room and be reimbursed once the owner had verified that my story was legitimate, now this is it where it got hanky...I was told that no animals whatsoever were allowed, I contacted the owner via email he did return my call only to yell and curse and scream and tell me that I should have called him in F#@!! advance (and those are his exact words) but wasn't my idea sufficient as well,..furthermore I do require a wheelchair at times and especially during the winter months, I was able to obtain pictures of the ice that had yet to be removed from the entrance driveway which made it almost impossible for me to walk to the office and did make it impossible for use of my wheelchair...Now John did tell me he makes special arrangements for disabled guests, such as helping them in and out of the vehicle while going on tours and offering assistance in a few other ways, he must not realize that there are other manners to aide the disabled and must not have well informed staff on these matters. Though he seems to have no problem taking it out on individuals whom do know these things.
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Review from Jenny B.
4/9/2011
For my first "true" hostel experience, this place was just lovely. The place isn't obtrusive, by any means, from the outside. In fact, I missed it three times, which is a bit frustrating on a one-way street. On the inside, however, it felt so homey, with wood floors and mismatched furniture. Like staying at your Grandmother's, if she had international youth smoking on her stoop.
Adequate parking behind the hostel (be sure to get parking slip for car). Rooms are separated by sexes, I believe. Perhaps you can request otherwise. Rooms sleep 4 on old school wooden bunk beds. I found it quite charming, as I am living out my childhood shortcomings. GCIH provides pillow, sheet, and quilt. Sleeping bags are not allowed for fear of bed bugs.
Free breakfast in the morning (oatmeal, toast w/ jam, fruit, tea and coffee) and also a fridge to keep your own items cold. Sink in rooms for face washing and teeth brushing. Two toilets and shower on the first floor. I recommend showering at night before the masses.
Front staff was helpful with all of the Arizona maps and pamphlets you could need. Best $19 I spent at a place to stay. Bring our extroverted personality, as there is plenty of opportunities to make worldly friends. -
Review from Gail P.
Grants Pass, OR
9/7/2011
I stayed at the Grand Canyon Hostel for two nights last month, on my way into Grand Canyon National Park and then again on my way out a week later. Because I am 68 years old and do not consider myself to be a fan of hostels generally, I had some trepidations in advance, but this was a low-budget trip for me, so I decided to try it. And it was so good that now I'd never consider staying anywhere else in Flagstaff. I'll list the reasons why below:
(1) They pick you up from the Greyhound station for free, and when I called them to say I was at the bus station, they arrived within ten minutes.
(2) Every staff person that I interacted with during both of my stays was cheerful, friendly, and efficient.
(3) The hostel was impeccably clean.
(4) Each dorm room has a mini-frig and a sink and a window that opens.
(5) The bathrooms down the hall are private once you are in them, and there are enough of them so that you rarely have to wait.
(6) There is a spacious kitchen for guest use, a separate eating area, and cereals, toast, fresh fruit, coffee, and tea for breakfast.
(7) There's a desktop computer ($2 for 30 minutes) in a separate, private-feeling room. There's also another room with comfortable furniture and a TV and movies, plus more living-room type furniture in the lobby area. There are a couple of chairs outside you can sit in. It feels homey.
(8) My four-bed dorm room was full the first night, and there were three of us in my room on my second night. Everyone was incredibly considerate about not making noise, and I slept very well both times. (I know that with a hostel who you wind up with in your room is the luck of the draw, but I suspect that the orderly, clean, and homey atmosphere of this place influences people's behavior positively.)
(9) While most of the clientele are young, there were a couple of other people there over 50 while I was there, and I certainly didn't feel out of place.
(10) They have a great map of the immediate area posted in the lobby and will give you suggestions and directions to whatever interests you (Macy's a couple of blocks away for coffee, a great Thai restaurant less than a block away, etc.).
(11) The first night I was there, a fan was in the room and the window was open, and I wasn't hot. The second night there was no fan in the room when I arrived, but I asked for one and they got one for me, and then it was fine.
(12) They go out of their way to be helpful. For example, I asked where the nearest supermarket is, and besides giving me directions they gave me a discount card to use there, just asking me to bring it back to them when I returned.
(13) If you are interested, they run their own tour into Grand Canyon National Park (I had made other arrangements, so I didn't take advantage of this).
There is one small thing I wish had been different. Most of the bathrooms have showers and toilets (and hand sanitizers), but not sinks. Each room has its own sink, which is great, but one person brushing her teeth while others are still sleeping in the room may unavoidably make a little noise. It would be great if there were sinks in the bathrooms too - but I understand that the cost of doing that is probably prohibitive.
Anyway, to sum up, I think this place is great, and of all the hostels I have ever stayed in, here or in Europe (I counted up, and I've stayed in 12), the Grand Canyon Hostel is hands down the best. -
Review from Rita M.
Manhattan, NY
8/29/2010
A great place to stay if you're young and on a budget. It's not the most luxurious of places to stay, but compared to some of the other dumps we stayed at during our road trip, this place was just lovely.
Pros:
-Free breakfast (oatmeal, coffee, plenty of fruit, toast, jelly, etc)
-Kitchen with a fridge and plenty of cookware if you want to use it
-Free wi-fi (they said it wouldn't work in the rooms but it did in ours)
-Friendly people (the guys at the front desk were all really nice and helpful)
-Relatively clean rooms
-Good location (near bars, restaurants, downtown Flagstaff)
-Young crowd, would imagine it would be easy to meet good people here
Cons:
-Our room had a broken refrigerator that smelled like something had died in there. Seriously, think twice before opening yours.
-Bathrooms and showers weren't the greatest or the cleanest. Toilets and showers in same room so they're always occupied.
-Gets hot in the room during summer, good ceiling fan but it was loud and rickety
We paid $42 dollars for a private room. It was small, but was big enough for the two of us. -
Review from Allie S K.
Austin, TX
9/25/2010
This place really should be a bed and breakfast! It was really inexpensive perfectly located to everything and the rooms and common areas were so clean and inviting. Plus what a great selection of dvd's and vhs tapes!
Staff was supper friendly and very resourceful! -
Review from Brendon D.
Long Beach, CA
6/6/2010
Cheap.
Great location.
Clean rooms.
Not too loud (we were there on New Year's Eve).
Awesome staff.
Near bars and restaurants (all local / no chains)
Stay here if you don't need a boring chain hotel. You'll be stoked. -
Review from Leslie L.
Flagstaff, AZ
Updated - 7/17/2010
(I apparently already reviewed this hostel. Well, here's another one. I guess I feel pretty strongly...) :-)
I have stayed at this hostel many many times and I absolutely love it! It is one of my favorite hostels in the United States!
They give you breakfast (cereal, fruit, toast, etc) and I love that I have access to a kitchen while traveling so that I can prepare my own meals.
The dorm rooms are small but I always make friend in the rooms and and during meal time, and that has always been a wonderful advantage to staying at a hostel, especially if you travel a lot on your own as I do.
The atmosphere is safe and clean. I leave my gear in the room while I'm gone. The most I do is lock up my stuff inside my suitcase so that it's not super accessible. But that's probably more than I need to do. Every dorm room sleeps 4 people and only those 4 people have keys.
Sinks in the room... nice touch if you just need to wash your face or hands.
Rooms in the summer can get stuffy at night with 4 people in a tight room and only a fan.
Proximity to NAU and downtown is great. Go bar hopping and don't have to worry about driving anywhere. This is the least expensive place you will find downtown.
Communal bathrooms sometimes get busy during morning and evening when people are there to shower. I've never had to wait that long, though.
Internet can be spotty. That is probably the one downside. But usually I can get it... it just goes kind of slow.
Tours to Grand Canyon, but if you don't have a car, you can't get to Sedona, I don't think. I've never had a problem because I have always had a car when staying there, and usually I make friends with people who need a ride to Sedona and they just cover gas or buy me lunch.
Staff is friendly and helpful. I love that there's someone at the front desk until midnight because I've gotten in pretty late on occasion and needed to check in.
The private rooms are also very nice. There is one private room that overlooks the street and in the summer it gets a breeze into the room that feels wonderful.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/7/2010
This is probably one of my favorite hostels in all of the United States!
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE this… Read more »
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Review from Carrie B.
Carrollton, TX
5/26/2011
I am only giving it two stars because the service I received was excellent. They waived the key deposit because we had to leave at 0300 AM which I thought was cool. Maybe I was expecting too much from a hostel but the place did get average 4.5 stars! Our room and the kitchen was fairly clean but the bathroom was disgusting! I did not take a shower due to a forrest of pubic hairs present. Not the owner's fault but I thought hostels were a place to meet people. When I was trying to take my luggage to my room, someone literally pushed past me to get to their room. I also tried to smile at someone on the way to the kitchen and they actually frowned at me. I don't think I will ever be in Flafstaff again so I don't think I have to worry about giving this place another try...I guess I'll never know if it was an off night
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Review from Kim D.
Cambridge, MA
3/13/2010
The Grand Canyon International Hostel was my first stop on my cross-country road trip from San Diego to New England. This is a perfect place for a solo traveler to stay and a great base to explore the Grand Canyon and Sedona. They'll allow you to check in at any hour you need, as long as you give them a heads-up, and there's an easily accessible parking lot in the back which is safe and secure if you've got a car full of personal belongings like I did.
The rooms are small but cozy, on two floors, and if you go in the off season, you'll only have one or two other people sharing the space with you. There's a sink in the room to make up for the lack of sink in the bathrooms. Every morning they offer a free breakfast of simple instant oatmeal, toast, fruit, and coffee/tea, and a decently stocked kitchen (actually, one on each floor) is available to make some low-budget meals. They have free wi-fi (yay!), computers for those without a laptop, a tv room with some resources on local sights, and washers and dryers if you need to do laundry. The staff was friendly and offered good advice on getting to the Grand Canyon during winter storms, but most of all, it's a great place to meet some fun people to explore with.
With a great central location, it was a super pleasant place for me to come back to after a day of hiking and wandering the Grand Canyon with new friends. It's also perfect for swinging down to Sedona for a day if you can't afford the luxury accommodations in that beautiful town. Super reasonable rates, clean, if worn, bathrooms, and welcoming. Just what I was looking for in a hostel, and a place I'd visit again next time I pass through the region. One of the top hostels I've stayed at, though not really a party hostel, which is nice if you need to rest on your road trip! -
Review from Mo d.
Miami, FL
10/30/2010
I stayed here for a couple weeks in 1998. I loved it. :-)
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Review from Elle T.
Phoenix, AZ
4/7/2008
Cozy, clean, friendly, centrally located, reasonably priced, basic breakfast in the AM. In the upper echelon of my US hostel experience thus far. Have been a handful of times with friends on way to Grand Canyon and will probably be back again...
Listed in: Super Star Fabulousness
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Review from Cameron K.
San Francisco, CA
3/26/2007
A great time with welcoming staff and a warm environment. I'll definitely return. Not the place to stay if you mind being around a bunch of people doing drinking games on weeknights though.
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Review from Mikell B.
Phoenix, AZ
2/23/2009
It's been years since the man-friend and I had stayed in a hostel, but the price was right and it was just one night. ($41+/-) No frills, but we don't need frills. We got a private double, which had its own teensy little bathroom and a desk. The hostel is in a great location, the staff was extremely friendly and full of information. The breakfast was alright. Our only real gripe was the noise. They did give us ear plugs as a peace offering, but between the trains and the late-nighters coming home it got pretty loud at some unsavory hours.
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Review from Tom H.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2006
Pretty good spot. Clean rooms, friendly staff, reasonable price. Probably one of the better hostels I staying during my road trip across the great southwest. Sure beats a motel.
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Review from jean w.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2009
spending christmas at a youth hostel when you're almost 40 years old could have been sort of depressing, but i had one of the best december 25ths ever at the grand canyon int'l hostel.
made a bunch of instant friends from all over the world, we played charades and busted out the tunes and had a jolly good time. there was even an improptu holiday buffet that the owners organized. nice!
the place is squeaky clean with an incredibly helpful staff that let's you hang out and enjoy yourself without imposing many rules. at 18 bucks a night the price can't be beat, and being located in central flagstaff makes it a perfect gateway to the grand canyon or sedona.
