Good

Liked: Great location, and the reception staff was very accommodating and friendly, there were some tech issues checking in, but we figured out a solution in the end. The bed was reasonably comfortable, and great place for a quick stop over mid travel. There is a bar downstairs and a nightclub behind the building, and even with the window open I couldn't hear either of them which was great.
Disliked: The room smelled very strongly of cigarette smoke, at first I thought it was because the window was open, but even with it closed the smell did not go away. The window was open when I checked in, and there is no screen so there were bugs in my room. The bathrooms could use a deep clean, lots of washable stains on the walls and doors.

Very good

For me this is the...

Liked: What is great here is that good people come from all around the world and get together in the very comfortable and well equipped kitchen / dining room/ lounge to cook their food and eat together.

Very good

Liked: The hostel has a perfect location in downtown. I loved the common room where the kitchen is located. It was very cozy. The staff is extremely friendly. They know the city very well and don't mind sharing their knowledge with their guests.

Never again!

Liked: Room was clean, person at the front desk was friendly, location was perfect. Or ALMOST perfect... see below.
Disliked: It's not the Painted Turtle's fault that street construction started up underneath our window well before 8 am, sounding like a huge flock of metal birds mixed with back-up beeping. Nor is it the hostel's fault that someone on the floor below us had an overdose or other medical emergency in the middle of the night, resulting in sirens and much thumping and chatter from paramedics.However, it is presumably the hostel's fault that there was neither toilet paper nor paper towels in one of the bathrooms, that the bed was uncomfortably soft, and that the room was depressingly spartan, without even a bedside lamp or clock radio. Not that we needed an alarm clock when the metal birds kicked in at 7:45 am.

Very nice hostel downtown Nanaimo

Liked: Very friendly staff, very well situated downtown.
Disliked: Nothing, everything was fine.

Sweet and central

Liked: Nice helpful and talkative staff made my stay very pleasant
Disliked: I would recommend little reading lamps for each bed

Not sure why a hostel...

Liked: As advertised
Disliked: Too expensive for what u get

Exceptional

Liked: location, staff, overall cleanliness
Disliked: Some guests don't follow the rule no noise after 11 pm; soap dispenser in the washroom didn't work