Had a great stay here. For the price, it's an amazing value, especially since I could cook my own meals instead of paying island restaurant prices. read more

TLDR: Unsafe! People had the code to our private room and entered to use our shower! Owner was 0 help. Run, don't walk away. This was singlehandedly the worst Hospitality experience we have ever had and probably ever will. Allow me to preface this review, with the fact we had selected the "PRIVATE ROOM/SUITE", not one of the hostel options with shared kitchen/bathroom spaces. The only positive I have is the convenient location near downtown Friday Harbor. I will start off by saying, our room was very dirty. Dust everywhere, dirt on the floors (my feet were black after walking across the room barefoot), dead bugs and spiders, even garbage under the couch (I'll get back to why I even had to move the couch in the first place). The sheets and blankets appeared to be clean, but I felt pretty uncomfortable about the cleanliness situation so that didn't help. Here's where things start to become dangerously unacceptable. I am laying in bed, trying to sleep (my fiancee is already asleep), when I hear people enter our room. I hear a quiet muffled conversation and they leave. At this point I am questioning my sanity, I get up, open the bedroom door and go over to lock the door (at the time I was 90% sure I locked the door before bed but not positive, and so I chalked it up to someone going to the wrong room and me not locking the door). That being said, my heart was still racing and I was pretty panicked/shocked so I put a couple of chairs in front of the door after I re-locked it, that way I could know for sure if someone was attempting to enter our room. At this point, sleep is not even on my mind. Low and behold, 5 minutes later I hear someone attempting to enter the room. I ask what they think they are doing, and they (bewildered as I was) said they were here to use our shower. The woman was nice, polite and confused. She said she received a code for our space to use our shower. I threw my hands up at this point and let her use our shower. We immediately reached out to Paul he replied, "I'm sorry but if somebody is confused and can't find their room and that happens again please contact me and I will assist them, paul" - first of all, they shouldn't even have our code - we replied "Someone is in the shower right now and someone earlier also entered our room. Please assist now." We followed up with a phone call, he answered and said he would be right there. A couple minutes later, Paul arrives, we let him in and he immediately starts trying to blame the poor confused woman. He leaves with her and shows her where the communal showers are. He comes back to apologize, we ask him if he can change the code, he says it's not possible without removing the lock from the door (total lie, these codes typically are easily changed and should be changed after every guest anyways, this is how people get murdered). He apologizes, says he will offer compensation in the morning and that "you guys will probably be fine, it shouldn't happen again". Nice, very reassuring response Paul! He also left his key in the utility closet with the door open which had keys to every single unit, again, how incredibly dangerous. This guy is not qualified to operate in the hospitality industry and should be barred from operating before someone gets hurt or killed. We ended up barricading our door with the couch, chairs, and desk so that we could feel safe enough to get some sleep as there were no nearby vacancies and our other option was to sleep in the car. A photo of this is attached where allowed, as I am posting this review everywhere I possibly can. Morning comes, no word from Paul. We reach out again at 2:30PM and he finally replies "it has to go through Airbnb so just ask for $100 and I will agree to the refund. Sorry, never happened before, very weird, thanks for your understanding, Paul" Yes that's right he didn't even offer to comp the whole stay. 0/10 stay away unless you seek the thrill of strangers entering your room while you're in bed. read more

Just sit right back and hear a tale a tale of a filthy trip That started from this cluttered shack Half built from a stranded ship The mate was a worn out writin' lad The skipper an artist true They'd launched a Toyota early that day For a twenty-four hour tour. A twenty-four hour tour... The ship-shack was surely rough It had no working lock If not for immune systems tough as nails The couple would be lost... The couple would be lost... The ship hit a shack on the innards of This heavy touristed isle With hippies here And dandies too Some millionaires And a pirate crew... Some struggling writer types And their baes The proprietors invisible Here on San Juan Isle! So this is the tale of our shipwrecked folks In nautical, jury-rigged shantytown, irritated but alive They won't need to make the best of it. They can get in the truck and drive. They will get in the truck and drive. No locks, no lights, no heat in sight Not a single way to see Like Tom Hanks with his volleyball It's primitive as can be. It's primitive as can can be. Willllllllsonnnnn! Unsanitary and unsafe with false advertising. Our booking agency promised a "quaint" and private room with private bath. There wasn't even a safe source of heat or a door that locked. The nautical theme appeared as though it was inspired by a rotting shipwreck, because the curtains were filthy and looked like rags. The shack looked as though a boat flew through the air and crashed into a tiny house and people just decided to leave it there and make the best of things. The curtains were dangled from an oar like a sea hag's hair or the dandruff-bedecked and liver-spotted pate of an elderly, drunken sea captain with a skullett. They were impossible to close without having the oar come loose from its jury-rigged mount and crash down on your head. The sole source of heat came from a portable heater that was plugged into a wall socket that was burned and melted. It obviously wasn't safe to turn on without the risk of burning the shack to the ground. It made me wonder if the electrical system was jury-rigged as well, and if these places had to go through any sort of inspection for health and safety. Not only did the door to the shack not lock, the heavy door itself threatened to fall completely off the hinges when opened or closed. As for the private bathroom, one had to enter and walk through a large house with other people staying there to get to it, making the facility seem more like a ramshackle and overpriced Air B & B than a real hotel. Interestingly this "economical" place offers "towel rentals" at $2.00 extra per person, and brags about how cheap their bicycle rentals are at $25.00/day. The hotel just two blocks down the street is not only clean, safe, and run by professionals, but offers free bicycles and no cheesy up-charge for towels. And bonus: you can actually lock your door when you leave for the day! I want to support small business over big chains. I'm not prissy, and I'm willing to accept a certain amount of filth and no frills for a place that is charming if rough. However, small businesses rip people off too, and if you advertise private bathrooms and don't even deliver locking doors, I will call you out whether you are a Super 8 or Suzie's Sunny Happy Hippie Hole (name made up for alliterative emphasis). Thanks to the amateur hotelier movement, standards are low everywhere as price gouging becomes the norm, and the average person is getting ripped off under the aegis of being provided with an "authentic" experience. What happened to the good old days of privacy--anonymity even--cleanliness, and the ability to do as you pleased (as long as you were polite) rather than having to please your host? I don't go on vacation to share the toilet or my kitchen with strangers with different hygiene habits (I didn't say worse!) from my own. Isn't that what family is for? At times, I like meeting new people and hearing their stories, but not in towels and slippers or before I've had at least five cups of coffee. There are a lot of comparisons of this place to "Europe." No disrespect to others' reviews, but what does that mean? I thought Europe was a rather large place with a variety of nations, cultures and traditions. I assume--I pray--there are more places to stay in Europe than nautical shanty-town. If I were from Europe I'd feel a little insulted if this was the comparison. I bet in Europe they do the same thing, but they wear cowboy hats and say, "look, we have much the North America experience here! We have beef food chuck wagon horsey wagon times! Hee haw, hee haw wheeeee! You like!" If you really want to have a quaint and economical experience to rival all, get to some coastline, find the high tide line, build a driftwood hut and throw a tarp over it. Make a seaweed mattress, dig a hole, poop in it, and take a rusty tin can and cut a hole in the tarp when you want a window. Boom. Instant authenticity! Pretty cheap too... read more

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TLDR: Unsafe! People had the code to our private room and entered to use our shower! Owner was 0 help. Run, don't walk away. This was singlehandedly the worst Hospitality experience we have ever had and probably ever will. Allow me to preface this review, with the fact we had selected the "PRIVATE ROOM/SUITE", not one of the hostel options with shared kitchen/bathroom spaces. The only positive I have is the convenient location near downtown Friday Harbor. I will start off by saying, our room was very dirty. Dust everywhere, dirt on the floors (my feet were black after walking across the room barefoot), dead bugs and spiders, even garbage under the couch (I'll get back to why I even had to move the couch in the first place). The sheets and blankets appeared to be clean, but I felt pretty uncomfortable about the cleanliness situation so that didn't help. Here's where things start to become dangerously unacceptable. I am laying in bed, trying to sleep (my fiancee is already asleep), when I hear people enter our room. I hear a quiet muffled conversation and they leave. At this point I am questioning my sanity, I get up, open the bedroom door and go over to lock the door (at the time I was 90% sure I locked the door before bed but not positive, and so I chalked it up to someone going to the wrong room and me not locking the door). That being said, my heart was still racing and I was pretty panicked/shocked so I put a couple of chairs in front of the door after I re-locked it, that way I could know for sure if someone was attempting to enter our room. At this point, sleep is not even on my mind. Low and behold, 5 minutes later I hear someone attempting to enter the room. I ask what they think they are doing, and they (bewildered as I was) said they were here to use our shower. The woman was nice, polite and confused. She said she received a code for our space to use our shower. I threw my hands up at this point and let her use our shower. We immediately reached out to Paul he replied, "I'm sorry but if somebody is confused and can't find their room and that happens again please contact me and I will assist them, paul" - first of all, they shouldn't even have our code - we replied "Someone is in the shower right now and someone earlier also entered our room. Please assist now." We followed up with a phone call, he answered and said he would be right there. A couple minutes later, Paul arrives, we let him in and he immediately starts trying to blame the poor confused woman. He leaves with her and shows her where the communal showers are. He comes back to apologize, we ask him if he can change the code, he says it's not possible without removing the lock from the door (total lie, these codes typically are easily changed and should be changed after every guest anyways, this is how people get murdered). He apologizes, says he will offer compensation in the morning and that "you guys will probably be fine, it shouldn't happen again". Nice, very reassuring response Paul! He also left his key in the utility closet with the door open which had keys to every single unit, again, how incredibly dangerous. This guy is not qualified to operate in the hospitality industry and should be barred from operating before someone gets hurt or killed. We ended up barricading our door with the couch, chairs, and desk so that we could feel safe enough to get some sleep as there were no nearby vacancies and our other option was to sleep in the car. A photo of this is attached where allowed, as I am posting this review everywhere I possibly can. Morning comes, no word from Paul. We reach out again at 2:30PM and he finally replies "it has to go through Airbnb so just ask for $100 and I will agree to the refund. Sorry, never happened before, very weird, thanks for your understanding, Paul" Yes that's right he didn't even offer to comp the whole stay. $100 compensation for this. Had this happened at a reputable establishment (it wouldn't in the first place but let's just pretend), they would be offering us a whole lot more than $100 off. Anyways, that's the end of my story. If you read this whole review, I'm quite certain you will no longer be considering staying at the Wayfarer's Rest. 0/10 stay away unless you seek the thrill of strangers entering your room while you're in bed. read more

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There are, as of mid-2010, two places to stay for under $100 in Friday Harbor: the Orca Inn or the Wayfarer's Rest. We stayed at both this month, and I'm writing a compare-and-contrast review. Both are minimalist, giving you a place to sleep and not much extra space. Both are clean, tolerably quiet, and ten minutes' walk from "downtown". Advantages of the Orca Inn: - Bigger; you're more likely to get a room on short notice (as we did). - A little more "hotel-like"; you get a guaranteed in-room shower, a private mini fridge, a personal microwave, and towels for free (charged $2 at Wayfarer's). - Television in your room; Wayfarer's has no TV. - Slightly closer to "services"; there's an espresso hut, a supermarket, and a bakery all within a block. Advantages of Wayfarer's Rest: - More social, with an actual common area, puzzles, lending library, etc. - Two full-size kitchens (with complimentary eggs from the backyard chickens and complimentary coffee) that you can use as you please. - More character; rooms are individualized, including some very cute cabins out back. - Feels a little "closer in" than the Orca Inn. We were very happy with both and would stay again. read more

I have to admit that I had my doubts about staying here. I had visited the hostel's website and had emailed for availability information, but never heard back from anyone. It also took several phone calls and couple of messages before I was able to get a live person on the phone for reservations, but I'm so happy that I finally did. Nestled away just a couple blocks from town, Wayfarer's Rest is one of the best hostels I've ever stayed at. Although I only spent one night , I could've easily spent more time at the hostel, even if it was just to sit in the back yard and read. I would definitely stay here again next time I visit Friday Harbor. read more

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How is it possible that no other Yelpers have discovered this wonderful little place on San Juan Island? It's a hostel with bunk beds and shared baths, with a few little private cabins in the back. They have a boat-house! It's half cabin, half old-ship! The main bed is in the cabin part but you can crawl back and play under and above deck. Little kids could even sleep on the little bed under the deck. (It's all connected inside). Sooo cool. We were like giddy 5-year-olds. If you go in the summer, you can load up on the thousands of fresh sweet juicy blackberries that grow EVERYWHERE, and then make yourself some amazing blackberry cobbler in the big communal kitchen. It is perfect, cheap summer fun. read more

Wayfarer's Rest - Boat-house! - Hostels Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Not a spectacular place to stay. But not the worst I ever stayed at, either. I've been in some humdingers in Eastern Europe. Clean enough. Decorated cutely. Safe? Not so much. We stayed in a little shed/cabin in the back of the property. The door did lock and there was a key, but the windows did not lock and didn't have the capacity to lock. You could push open the window and reach (or crawl) inside to get the key we accidentally locked inside. Convenient in our case, but not secure. Cabin/shed not insulated. They provided a heater, which would have been ok, but the electricity was run to the shed by an extremely undersized extension cord. I posted a picture. A big fire hazard and not legal. There is a bunk bed inside. The top bunk has a very rickety rope to keep the person from falling off. It was not secured well and actually broke when my daughter was up there. The rope wasn't high enough above the mattress to make it an effective railing anyway. I took a picture of this as well. We took the mattress down and had her sleep on the floor. read more

Wayfarer's Rest - Illegal extension cord to run a heater in outside cabin (shed). - Hostels Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

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This was a very clean and quiet hostel. I would definitely stay again. The reviews I read left me feeling a little skeptical about my choice but in the end I was very happy. We rented one of the outdoor cabins, ours happened to be the one with the boat sticking out of it. I thought this would be the best for three people but it turns out that the boat section only contains a very small air mattress that is definitely only suitable for children. 2 of us slept in the bed and on one the floor. The cabin was very clean and well maintained. The cabin would be great for a couple with a child. The common areas (2 kitchens) were comfortable, bright, and clean. All the supplies you need for cooking can be found. The bathrooms were incredibly clean. I was really impressed with that. The location was really good too. If you walk on the ferry I think you can easily walk to the hotel. It's really close to downtown. The only thing I didn't really like is that the owners/employees are not there to check you in. I think the staff are also an important part of the hostel experience, especially when you have questions about the area you are staying in. When checking in you can find an envelope with your name and instructions. There is a phone number in case you have any problems checking in. There is plenty of (free) parking. I would highly recommend this place is you are a budget traveler. read more

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NOT a gem. If you're used to backpacking Europe and staying in the most disgusting of bedbug infested hostels, you'll probably like Wayfarer's a lot. I, on the other hand, was grossed out and disappointed. FIVE STARS, PEOPLE?!?! PLEASE RESERVE YOUR FIVE STARS FOR PLACES THAT GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE THINGS REALLY NICE FOR YOU!!! You're on vacation - you should be comfortable. Do yourself a favor and cough up the insignificant difference that it would cost you to stay someplace else on the island. Juniper Lane, Harrison House, Discovery Inn, are a few of the affordable ones I wish I'd looked into. They're only about $40 a night more, and -- let's be honest -- that's not probably going to break your bank. There are something like 8 places to stay on this property. By my calculations, they are making up to $800 a night having people stay there. They operate calling themselves a hostel instead of a B&B so that they don't have to DO anything. It's actually pretty lazy. If this were my business, I would take so much more pride in making this a really nice experience for my guests. At Wayfarer's, you check yourself in, so this faceless experience leaves you pretty much left to your own devices if you have any questions about the town. Check in is at 4pm... if it were ready earlier we wouldn't have the option of checking in early, because the house is locked before that time. Wifi? They advertised that they had it - but it didn't work for me. When I called the manager, she was pretty rude to me on the phone, saying that I should just go into town and find some at a bar. Listen, if you advertise that you have wifi, and then you don't, you should at least be able to suggest a few places in town that DO have it, so it seems like you care. When I asked her to provide a few specific places that she knew of, she listed two places. One was closed, the other doesn't offer wifi at all. We stayed in the musty, cold cabin outside that looks like a boat. The one with the burnt out porch light. We didn't spend any time in the boat end of it, because the lightbulbs were out, and there wasn't adequate bedding in the "reading nook" to render it at all comfortable. It was just dark, hard and stinky over there. The bed was not much better. It was like the bare minimum a hostel owner could get away with providing. We actually spent as little time as possible in the cabin. Chickens in the coop? Fresh eggs for breakfast? hahaha. Not on our visit. The coop was empty. Don't get your hopes up. Oh and herb garden? Is that a selling point? Because the only herb I saw was mint, and the symbolism here is perfect, because mint is a weed that grows on its own out of control and takes absolutely no loving care to grow it. Sharing the bathrooms with other people proved to be an annoying experience as it wasn't clear which bathrooms were for what areas of the property, and some people staying in the house decided it was their own private wing, and locked us out of the closer bathrooms. The bathrooms are also the bare minimum passable for cleanliness and comfort. There are two kitchens, but neither are adequately stocked. We picked up some fish at the market and tried to utilize the kitchen but the oven is not calibrated and doesn't heat well, and the entire kitchen was lacking in terms of basic condiments (salt, pepper, oil), utensils and cookware. Couldn't find a wine opener so we bought champagne (celebrating our one year wedding anniversary on this trip).... I have stayed in a LOT of places through AirBnB that have many travelers in and out constantly, like a hostel, but they always make sure to have drawers and cabinets stocked completely with essentials like paper towels. Speaking of towels, you can rent one for $2 (?!?), but only if the manager has done the laundry and restocked the cabinet, which sadly didn't happen around the time we were showering! Can't the manager put a couple towels on each bed with a note that says "additional towels at a $2 charge?" That seems entirely more generous than charging from the get-go and then failing to have any available. They close the hostel (ie ask you not be present) for several hours in the middle of the day. This is so that they can "make things nice for you." But the thing is, they didn't make it nice. It's not like we walked in and were like, "ohhh now there's paper towels in the kitchen." We walked in and were like, "this... this isn't nice. Still feels like they don't care." read more

Wayfarer's a hidden gem on San Juan Island! As much as I don't want to write to review to help keep them a secret I have to share our experience with others. Not to far from Friday Harbor, Wayfarer's is a great hostel that is great for singles, couples or even large groups! The price is very reasonable especially with it being on the island. My gf and I went with our two friends, they got a room inside the hostel and we stayed in one of the two private cabins they have in the back. The room they had was very clean and had a queen bed. Each room has a lock on the door. Our cabin was nice and clean I was expecting cobwebs in the corners and bugs and thought this was not going to be a good situation for my gf but we showed up and I took a look all over the cabin with my flashlight to make sure nothing was going to sneak up on us and they literally clean the whole cabin all the nooks and crannies didn't see any spider webs. There was a heater inside the cabin in case we were cold. The cabin we stayed in could sleep three with the bunk bed they had. The bottom bunk was a full and the top bunk was a single. Bathrooms were really clean as well, they have two full bathrooms and two full kitchens with two large living room areas. Lots of fun and good company. Highly recommend staying here if you are looking for a place to stay. read more

Wayfarer's Rest - One of two cabins out back. Has a bunk bed in it, full size on bottom single on top. Great spot to stay at. - Hostels Near Me - Friday Harbor, Washington

Great location to everything you need in Fridays Harbor. Friendly, clean, and priced for everybody.

Was glad to have found this place to stay, as it was one of the last places around Friday Harbor with a reasonably priced room for the weekend of our trip. That being said, our stay here had its obvious pros and cons. The cabin we were in had plants growing in through the cracks between the walls and roof, one of the windows didn't close all the way so we couldn't actually lock up our room, and at night we heard small animals clawing at the walls and floor of the cabin. Also, there ought to more bathrooms for the number of people lodging here. On the other hand, Paul, the owner, was super nice when we arrived. He let us store our bags there during the day since we had arrived before check-in, and lent us some bikes for the day (at no cost), which we took all the way over to Roche Harbor. Also, the location of the hostel is fantastic - less than a five minute walk into 'downtown', and across the street from the San Juan Island Brewing Co. A great place to stay in Friday Harbor if you're looking for a unique stay on the cheaper side, but if you're looking for a more classic hotel or B&B sort of place, you should look elsewhere. read more

One of the interesting places we ever stayed at. At first, it was quite hard to find the place. We followed the GPS, but that did not help much. Price ranges in San Juan island are fairly expensive. This place was almost the cheapest. When we got there, it was at night that we could not see much. We woke up to a good view, and we realized we stayed in a boat shaped room. That was a really cute, relaxing little place. It includes two beds, but it can take four people. The place was very clean, the kitchen, the bathrooms, and the rooms are all well maintained. If we ever come back to this island again, this is the place we are staying at. read more

This hostel was nicely laid out, and as someone into nautical themed places, I liked how it looked on the inside and the fact that a lot of their wooden furniture seemed to come from old ships. They were also nice when I had to move my reservation to a week later. Since I came in the off season, it was quiet and peaceful. However, I paid $65 for room #2 and my partner and I arrived from the ferry at around 10 PM. When we arrived there, two people were in room #2. I had picked that room because there was a full bed. I called the hostel numbers a few times and left a voicemail explaining the situation. When we approached the people who had taken our room, they claimed that they had just walked in and the "lady had given them that room." I'm still not sure what exactly happened, but since they leave the keys in the door, it seems easy for dishonest people to just choose the room they want. My partner and I ended up in the room with two small bunk beds, which even though it cost the same, was far less quality. I had rated this hostel as much lower; however, a few days after my stay, the manager called me and gave me a half refund. She apologized, and this definitely enhanced my opinion of the hostel's professionalism. Nevertheless, I think measures should be taken so that this does not happen again. read more

I wish I could review this place on its actually quality but I was never able to check in and the owners seem to be MIA. I got to the property around 8 PM and there was no envelope waiting for me or anything - I even searched in the desk drawers! I called the owners. No response. I was forced to go and make a reservation at the hostel down the street (luckily the manager there happened to be passing through or I would've been out of luck). I've called and emailed the owners several times with no word of a refund. They essentially robbed me. I've filed a dispute with PayPal. Still haven't heard anything. I just can't believe how unprofessional this entire experience has been. read more

This is the first and last time I will stay in a hostel. If you are really in abind and don't mind if the bed smells of stale sweat and pee,then it is a place to lay to lay your head. Be aware that you must provide your own towels and soap. Bring your own dishes and utisels if you plan to use the kitchen. There were some items available but no dishpan or stoppers for the sink and a couple of soiled rags and asour sponge to clean up with. I came away pretty much sleepless and with a nasty spider bite on my hand. I would sleep in the car before doing this again! read more

I paid 43$ for my dorm room and was quite pleased. The Salal was ripe for snacking when I was here and there is a super cute bunny in the backyard. If you are looking for a cheap decent place to stay look no further. read more

This place is a favorite! I was here last summer when I was traveling alone and needed an affordable place to stay on the islands. I spent 3 nights in the dorm room and it was clean, comfy and very reasonably priced. The community living and cooking space are great to meet other travelers and feel the friendly, slower paced island atmosphere. I will be back! read more

What an awesome option for travel in the San Juans! Our room was clean, comfortable, and cozy and we enjoyed the shared living and kitchen spaces (quite large). They also have little cabins - one with a boat attached! - that we'd love to try next time. They are within walking and biking distance from the ferry and Friday Harbor's restaurants. Very convenient and inexpensive. Our hosts were wonderful - they are helpful if you need it and then leave you alone! This would be a great place for bicyclists. One of the best hostels we've been to and we'll be back! read more

We had an early ferry to catch and were just looking for a place to crash. This was clean, affordable, quiet, and comfortable.