The Burlington Hostel

Great spot. Friendly staff, great residents, clean location. A minute’s walk from Church St., even closer to the lakefront. Would definitely stay again and again.

I’m not giving this hostel low stars because I had a bad experience it just wasn’t ideal for me. I guess i’m a wild one, a late nighter. I only stayed there one night but it was not conducive for meeting others past 10. I had a boring time in Montpelier on this Thursday and drove to the Burlington Hostel on a whim hoping to meet somebody to walk around with but I got there at 10:30pm and it was uncomfortably quiet. I felt like I was a kid at nap time even more so when I was told to take my shoes off. I’ve stayed at Hostels where the rooms are completely separate from the main-​room so you can choose what environment suits you but 95% of the lights were off. In fact, I recall only the glow of the check in desk’s computer, the laptop of somebody watching something with earbuds in the dead of dark, and someone else sitting in the dead of dark in some corner probably listening to music, it was super awkward, I couldn’t even see their faces. I was ashamed that I had made the tiniest noise going into the fridge to get my leftovers which I ate cold cause i wasn’t going to be that guy who’s making the microwave humm while people are trying to sleep. While I was eating I was actually paranoid that my chewing was too loud!
The silence would have been comforting had I been in that mood and so it’s nice when a hostel can provide a versatile environment. Not everyone should be forced to be on the same trip. Perhaps they tightened up earllier in the month before I got there in response to Rodney’s review. My review is a warning to those like minded, otherwise the Burlington Hostel is completely suitable in every other regard. The desk guy was charming and nice, the joint was very clean and spacious, the beds were comfy and they provided towels and waffles.

Clean, quiet, great location. I have decided I prefer hotels, but for the price this was a super deal.

One of those flaky hostels where you can get drunk, pass out, and vomit all the over place but, for God’s sake, don’t wear shoes inside. Stopped in on my way to Maine a couple weeks ago. Went to bed at fairly normal hours, only to be kept up by lights that were still on over the sleeping areas and the very loud noise of a drinking crowd in the next room. The bed itself is okay, but I didn’t sleep well that night. Thankfully, I didn’t have too far to go the next day. I think I’ll try alternative housing when I am in the area again next summer.

I chose to stay here at the Burlington Hostel over Memorial Day weekend after reading fabulous reviews here on Unilocal and elsewhere on the web mainly because of price point and I liked reading that they were also super clean as well. I’m happy to report that both are true — the price is very affordable, and the hostel is in immaculate condition and I’d rank it to be in the top five cleanest places I’ve ever stayed at including higher priced hotels, B&Bs, and hostels alike.
I think the hostel is in a great area right off of Main Street. I came in via Megabus at UVM and it was an easy 25~ minute walk to get to the hostel. They are not far from the Lake Champlain waterfront which I think is ideal. Walking to the main touristy areas like Church Street was a breeze and was about a 10~ minute walk from the hostel. There is a lot of metered street parking around the area, and if you can’t find parking directly in front, there are residential streets directly in back that you can park at.
I thought it was really kind to offer waffles in the morning. You just let the front desk know the day before when you plan to be waking up to eat breakfast in the morning. You have an option to pay for a small bottle ($ 1.75 I want to say?) of Vermont maple syrup from Dakin Farms to enjoy with your waffles too. Speaking of Dakin Farms, the owner actually recommended me to take the drive and go there for Vermont related food products and I was happy with the recommendation.
I noticed that this hostel is a lot quieter than most other hostels I’ve stayed at. When I was staying there I didn’t feel much of a «community» vibe while I was there; travelers mainly kept to themselves. Might be the nature of Burlington too but people tend to go to bed very early! The past two nights I went to bed around 10pm and midnight respectively and lights were completely out at both of those times! Make sure to get your sheets and your clip on light situated before you leave the hostel or you’ll be scrambling in the dark like I was. :-)
There are no computers in the common area for internet access/​Skype, but they do offer free WiFi for your laptops and mobile devices. They don’t have a full kitchen as far as a stove goes, but they do have a microwave, sink & dishes, and a refrigerator.
Overall, great value and great location. I would be happy to stay here again in the future!

I’ve only stayed at one Hostel ever, so, I can’t say that I have much experience when it comes to hostel hopping. However a couple years back when I visited Burlington for the first time I happened to stay at this spot. The owners may seem a bit strict and overbearing at first, however, if you adhere to their rules and talk to them a bit you will see they are truly pretty friendly.
As others have mentioned this place is immaculately clean, much cleaner than my home and nearly any hotel room I have ever stayed in for that matter. The great thing is the location is so convenient that can walk out the front door and see Lake Champlain right in front of you, about a two minute walk down the hill. It’s also only a couple minutes walking to Church Street and UVM.
The waffle machine is awesome in the morning and many people sit around the common area reading or relaxing throughout the day. I stayed here a week on a work trip and we had a few rainy cold days and I found the hostel to be a comfortable place to even relax and wait the rain out during the days. Overall I am pretty sure there aren’t many other hostels in the world on this level, it’s amazing and absolutely worth the $ 33 cash per night.

Cleanest hostel I’ve been to. Love the no shoe policy, and the waffles for breakfast with maple syrup were perfect on a cold morning.

Sweet little hostel in a sweet little city. Just wish the waffle iron didn’t start beeping at around 7 AM. But that’s a minor thing overall, I would definitely stay here again.

For a hostel in the US this is about as good as it gets. For $ 35 your two blocks from Lake Champlain and Church St, you get a comfortable clean bed, clean towels, and free WiFi.

I couldn’t imagine a hostel this clean, but it is true. If only there were more like this. And they make it look so easy, makes you wonder why there aren’t.
I like traveling alone so hostels are a good choice for me, for a number of reasons, but getting the right one can be tricky.
I am over 40 so I am not looking for a party place. Burlington Hostel is the prefect hostel in a perfect city. I didn’t want to leave.

Great little hostel close to everything.
SUPER mellow and laid back place. If you are looking for a place to be loud and boisterous, this is the wrong hostel!
This place is cleaner than clean. They have you take your shoes off at the front and after walking around in that place all night (including in the bathroom), my feet were still spotless! I can’t even say that about my own house.
Staff is really friendly and welcoming.
Waffles are incredible. Buy the syrup. Do it.
DO IT.

It sounds like others have pretty much summed it up, I just wanted to throw in my review, as I really loved this place. Boyfriend and I stayed here for 2 nights, one at the beginning and one at the end of our VT camping expedition.
Notes:
— Staff were very polite and helpful, and beds were actually really comfortable! They’ll switch the configuration of rooms around sometimes if they have more females staying, or more families/​couples staying. Overall it was a very warm and cozy place.
— As one reviewer already mentioned, burlap curtains are used in place of doors, which may be a little «meh» for some people (especially in the showers, the burlap is pretty thin and one could see thru, although not such a big deal as womens and mens are completely separated, and most people aren’t going to be –trying– to look anyway).
— It was indeed a quiet hostel — yayyy! They’ll dim the lights as soon as someone wants to go to sleep. They do have lamps in the rooms though for those who want to read late.
— Key check-​out is $ 10 deposit for those who want to re-​enter the hostel after midnight.
— Also, the owners ask that you remove your outside shoes at the door, so its barefoot/​socks or slippers in the hostel.
— And as someone already mentioned, they only accept cash.

The Good:
: it’s a local business!
: very clean and very well-​kept
: monitored and staffed 24 hours a day
: great location
: perfect for single or young travelers looking for a solid deal
: free wireless!
: plenty of bedding
: enforced quiet hours
: very clean bathrooms and toilets
: free lockers with combinations for use for your valuables
: private lamp for your bed area. very helpful when you want to do some reading at night or just need to do stuff
: kitchen for use!
: nice big sitting area/​livingroom
: staff is nice, friendly, and helpful
: super cheap… i think i paid what, $ 30 a night?
The Bad:
: parking outside is metered. they don’t have a private parking lot so you’ll have to cover parking on your own/​out of your pocket. you can exchange your cash to get quarters from the front desk.
The Ugly:
: none
Would I go back? Definitely. The place was a complete bargain, and it’s perfect for you if all you need is a place to crash that has wireless and is clean.
This place is IN.

Cheap, clean place to stay. It’s new so you don’t have a lot of the backpacker dirtiness! There weren’t too many people staying there so no wait for showers and quiet! No TV either. Awesome location near the waterfront, restaurants, bars, shopping. Friendly staff and the people I met were really nice. They provide you batter so you can make your own waffles although to my horror, no real maple syrup provided (this is Vermont after all!)
Only downside is cash only and no doors for the rooms, just a burlap curtain.

In the past month, I have stayed at many hotels, guest houses and hostels (including a four star hotel). The Burlington Hostel was my favorite among them and it exceeded my expectations in every way.
It has an excellent location (short walk to the Burlington waterfront, downtown restaurants and Church Street). The building is very new and it is squeaky clean. They have the coolest kitchen appliances. There is a waffle maker for you to make your own waffles in the morning and a fascinating popcorn maker that makes popcorn at night. They provide wireless access and drinking water. They also provide loads of maps and tourist information (even more than the airport). People I met there were super nice.
I was going to stay there for one night, but ended up staying there the whole time. I don’t think it is possible to get a better deal for $ 33.30