Gorge View

This is a privately owned hostel and it shows. Hostels run by organisations like HI are absolute top notch. Gorge View is a few notches down. There is parking for about 10 cars so that is good, the premises are a large house that has been turned into multiple rooms for bunk beds. The kitchen and dining area appears to be the only common area inside. There is no TV and Wifi is very slow. There are a few board games but as far as entertainment goes that’s all. The room I was in had 4 beds with an extra 2 beds in a side room. There is 1 toilet for all room members, 1 sink and 1 shower. The bedding was spotlessly clean and the bed was comfortable but very creaky. There are good sized lockers for each bed, supply your own lock. The kitchen has a cooker, oven and microwave and various cooking equipment. There is a hodgepodge of random crockery and cutlery but there seemed to be enough. The kitchen and common area were a bit grubby with sticky surfaces. The manager/owner was pleasant enough giving good advice about what to see at the falls, check in was easy, check out, just leave your key in the box by the locked office. For the price I paid ($45 direct) it was a bargain, it is a 15 minute walk to views of the falls, and further down 3rd st are a few restaurants and liquor shop. If you don’t mind it a cheap, a bit rough and ready then this is the place to go.

Personally, I hate dorms because I am a bad sleeper, and only book them when I visit extremely expensive countries, so I was positively surprised with this hostel. A bit of a walk from downtown, which was ok for me. The house and neighbourhood are beautiful. The owner has bought this property and this is basically his job/retirement plan, so he minds the business on his own - I agree, a massive task. He may have some weird tirade (which could sound a bit harsh) for those expecting flowers and smiles. The building has high stairs. And if your bedroom toilet is taken by another dorm guest, you're stuck until they are finished doing their business...

You won't find a better located hostel. Right across the street from the Niagara park trails and the aquarium. The kitchen/dining room was well lit, clean, and well-stocked with dishes/pots/utensils. Our room was FABULOUS. We rented the family private room on the front of the building and we were able to watch the fireworks from our window every night. The building is not situated to be able to see the falls, but that's not really an issue for us. The walk to the falls area was flat and about a mile on scenic paved trails.