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HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Hotel amenities
HI Ottawa Jail Hostel
3.5 of 5 stars 58 Reviews
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58 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
    10
    24
    6
    8
    10
Date Rating
Fort Frances, Canada
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 May 2012 NEW

For those who run Ottawa Marathon, and/or want to bring your friends and family along for something different, this is the place. I've never seen a historic jail put to such good use, one, as accommodations, and two, as a place to learn about what being locked up must've felt like many generations ago. This is a very comfortable, clean... More

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Tel Aviv, Israel
Senior Contributor
46 reviews 46 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
36 helpful votes 36 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2012

Nothing to hate there, Had a nice open-mic night with great atmosphere, well arranged. The concept of staying and sleeping in real jail cells is funny and was ok. Go there if price is good for u. And know that rooms are not noise/light proof... Might be a problem for some of u. More

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See 2 more reviews by Ariel N for Ottawa
Nanaimo, Canada
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

I would definitely recommend this hostel to anybody who wanted a very unique stay while visiting the capital. It's basically a 200 year old jail converted in to a hostel when it was deemed "inhuman" by the city. They offer nighttime jail tours of locked parts of the hostel including the old Solitary Confinement rooms, Death Row and the Gallows.... More

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Garden River, Ontario, Canada
1 review
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 February 2012

We recently took the haunted walk tour at the jail, i thought it was great, very informative, got to take pictures, and the staff was very friendly, i would definately recommend this tour for visitors going to ottawa.... More

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Leeds, United Kingdom
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
Reviews in 42 cities Reviews in 42 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 December 2011
2
people found this review helpful

We stayed in a twin cell which was clean and had enough space for our bags etc with bunk beds, a small desk with chair and a cupboard. The cells have been renovated to incorporate 3 cells to make 1 room but maintained the prison style - including bars onto the corridors and arched ceilings meaning that you can hear... More

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Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 November 2011
2
people found this review helpful

An old jail that turned to be a hostel. The rooms were designed to keep the prison cell style. I wouldn't recommend for people easily impressed... More

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See 5 more reviews by repinel for Ottawa
Adelaide, Australia
Senior Contributor
38 reviews 38 reviews
Reviews in 20 cities Reviews in 20 cities
49 helpful votes 49 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 October 2011
1
person found this review helpful

I didn't pay to stay in a cell but the shared dorm rooms in the front part of the jail (the mansion) where very good. Clean, lots of space, reading lights on the beds. My complaint on the rooms would be that there are no lockers, not even a small one for your valuables. The kitchen, laundry and common areas... More

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See 2 more reviews by Nicola W for Ottawa
Vancouver, Canada
Senior Contributor
39 reviews 39 reviews
Reviews in 24 cities Reviews in 24 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 October 2011
2
people found this review helpful

A very nice old building jail at the super neat Capital of Canada...i crashed few nites in to the cell dorm,bit cold at night so i couldn't find another extra blanket. i was hiding all the time my expensive bottle of tequila, the staff confiscated the beer of my friends...i tried the pub Crew in downtown the guide was really... More

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Glasgow, United Kingdom
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 September 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Ok it's got "character", but with that comes the smell, noise and cramped conditions you would expect to find at a prison. There's bars above the door, so light filters in and there's nothing you can do about it. That isn't great but fair enough they can use the "character" excuse to justify it. I was most disappointed by the... More

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3 of 5 stars Reviewed 2 August 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Slept in a twin cell. Quite a bit of traffic noise out the windows in the morning. Perfectly clean, no bed bugs. Similar experience to a university residence. Confiscated our alcohol when it wasn't open and we didn't intend to drink it there. Cramped, but for a cell that's what I expected. Front desk was a little rude during check-in... More

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Additional Information about HI Ottawa Jail Hostel

75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Price range (per night):* S$111 - 119

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