Saintlo Ottawa Jail Hostel is definitely a place everyone should experience. Staying in a cell of an old prison was a unique and unforgettable experience for me. Each room is dedicated to a former prisoner, with their name, crime, and duration of stay displayed, adding a fascinating historical element to the stay. The hostel is located in a prime spot in the city, making it easy to walk to almost all the major attractions. The convenience of the location added to the overall enjoyment of my visit. The staff at the hostel were incredibly friendly and helpful, ensuring that my stay was comfortable and enjoyable. Their hospitality really stood out and made a positive impact on my experience. While I stayed for five days, I found it to be a bit long for this type of experience. One or two days would have been sufficient to fully appreciate the unique atmosphere and history of the place. Overall, I would definitely recommend this experience to everyone. It's a rare opportunity to stay in a historic location and gain insight into its past, all while being in the heart of Ottawa.

My stay at the Saintlo Ottawa Hostel was great! It was interesting to stay in a former Jail, there is a free jail tour of about 45 min and I highly recommend to take it if you would like to learn more about the history of this place, it is fascinating. I booked a single cell, it sure is small, but one gets a good sense of what it was like to be locked in here. Hallways, bathrooms, breakfast area, foyer, all spaces are very clean, nicely furnished and airy. The Staff and everyone working there was exceptional, the free breakfast had all one could wish for. I would stay here again next time I'm in the area. The location is great, it is very close to the National Arts Center, Parliament Hill and other Tourist attractions. Highly recommend!

There really was absolutely nothing I did not like.

I love the neatness and cleanliness of this place. The whole jail concept is superb and the fact that your tour of Ottawa actually commence after breakfast is very convenient. I learned alot about Ottawa from the 90 minutes Jail tour... it was amazing sleeping in a cell room. I loved it. The breakfast was amazing and the common area was large enough for me to do office work. The staff are nice and flexible. Definitely recommend this any day and anytime. This place is located right in the center not far from Parliament, the hop on hop off buses and Rideau!

I can't fault this breath taking hostel. I loved everything about it!

Friendly staff, great location next to the city centre, the hostel offers a daily tour around the building if you want to know more about it's history. Breakfast was simply, but varied from day to day.

Keep in mind that the doors are still the original celldoors, which means noise and light can come in between the bars on the top and bottom. During our stay there were construction works opposite the building, which meant earplugs were indispensable.

The location was superb for visiting the city. The bilingual visits of the hostel were well done and appreciated. They give an insight and bring to life the history of the hostel. The little bed pods were clean, well lit and quiet. Air conditioning was available during hot days.

When traffic is heavy, it is not easy to reach the hostel by car. Come when traffic dies down. I also hope that the vegetation surrounding the hostel will be monitored to make sure the hostel remains in good condition for centuries to come.

Hostel is located in the center of the city, it is around 10 minutes walk from Parliament, so all the attractions were very close. It is also close to the shopping center so it is very easy to go for a coffee and dinner, and buy all the necessary things. It is a very good location for a weekend trip so you do not waste you time for commute. Breakfast is very good, is it simple but you will find all the necessary things to start your day :) I booked one bed in a shared bedroom and I enjoyed my stay very much. It was also very interesting to take part in a jail tour.

All the staffs were very kind and location was very good. Less than 5min walk to mall and restaurants. The hostel was very clean and historic since it was actually a jail back then. Next day in the morning we had breakfast that was included in the price and we joined for the jail tour. The tour was very fun and interesting because the tour guide told us story in very entertaining way.

The only thing it was “bad” is, it’s a old jail hostel so there are no elevator. So if you take you suitcase and get higher floor then you will need to carry up on stairs. But that’s not even an issue.

The location was accessible by public transport and very close to the main tourist spots. The reception was open 24/7 so no worries about late check-ins. The staff were friendly and helpful. Reading about the prisoners who used to stay in the rooms gave me goosebumps. The entire experience was very cool overall!

I just wished there were more charging outlets and they were accessible on the top bunks. It would also be great if there were mirrors in the dorm rooms so we didn't have to take turns at the sink. On my last night, the water dispenser ran out of water. There was one in the reception but some of my roommates didn't know about it.

What caught my attention and what I liked the most is that it was a jail, that makes it out of the ordinary, the fasting is pretty decent for this kind of price, usually the ones that offer it for free are not worth it, the place seemed pretty safe, many homeless people and drug addicts but normal for city and above all for Canada.

There is an absolute silence rule from 11 to 5 if I am not mistaken but one guy did not obey it, that is to say that if someone makes noise or talks too loudly everyone will hear and interrupt the sleep of others. The hotel should put more emphasis on that at check-in.

I had a single cell (room), the room was clean but a bit tiny. For a night it was okay. Breakfast was average, community area is nice as well. Showers were huge and really clean. The location was excellent for me.

Before I arrived I tried to call the front desk twice but they didn't pick up. I kind of missed the energy typical to the hostel staff - considering it's a prison, i think it was understandable. The bottom of the single rooms doors has no metal on probably for ventilation probably for ventilation but it also means you can hear everything going on the whole hallway and the cells around you