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.

Great location , recommend jail tour, many bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood .

breakfast could be better, but what do you expect in a jail.........

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

The location is very convenient since it's within walking distance from Byward Market and Rideau Centre. I barely took the buses during my stay here. The room is small indeed but still comfy if anyone is looking for a low-budget place to sleep. The floor is designed to create an echo effect that makes any sound travels far so people are very quiet. The jail tour is fun and the tour guide man is extremely funny.

The shower on my floor doesn't have hot water so I put my feedback to the reception and they start maintaining right away, but all floors have showers so it's not a big issue after all. Would be better if the hostel provides slipper since we have to share the shower.

Of the 2 hostels in Ottawa this is definitely the better one. The installations are in good shape, the mattresses are comfortable and breakfast is great. Excellent value for the money and will definitely be back.

I would have appreciated more hooks and rails where to hang towels and clothes in the bedroom and bathrooms. A chair or bench in the dorm would have been nice as well, as I was in the top bunk, I didn't have a place to sit while getting dressed or putting on my shoes. Also, I found that it was noisy from the traffic outside, that said, they give you ear plugs in the reception. I slept well.

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. The hostel is well located, making it easy to walk to almost all the major attractions. The staff at the hostel were incredibly friendly and helpful, ensuring that my stay was comfortable and enjoyable. One or two days is quiet 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. Shower clean , Ward water , a varied breakfast.

Too dark in the room at night, clostrophobic people and nyctophobics should stay away.

There are continued improvements to the prison on a regular basis. The individual closet style showers give needed comfort and privacy. The complimentary breakfast is quite substantial not limited to cereals, bagels/spreads, cut fruits, hard boiled eggs, coffee, tea & juice. The beds and linens are very comfortable. The cleanliness and cleaning staff is noticeable daily. Each bed has individual operating lights for reading or ambient light with phone cord outlets for charging.

Storage for food items both refrigerated and dry storage shelving is lacking. (It looks like new fridges arrived on my stay but they may be for staff use?)

A novel and very interesting experience, like staying overnight in an awesome museum. It is in a great location about 7 minutes walk from the Rideau O-train station and about a 10 minute walk from Parliament Hill and Byward Market. The hostel is actually a real, renovated jail, complete with jail cells, gallows, and even the original stairs which feature cutouts in the step risers so that guards could identify prisoners by their shoes. There are tons of other really unique details, like the architecture of the kitchen. Excellent, informative signs throughout the building point out these details and explain a bit about the history of the building and various interesting historical characters. If possible, I highly recommend taking the amazing free 1-hour jail tour typically at 11AM, the tour guide was clearly very passionate about the building and history, and told tons of really interesting and funny anecdotes. This place is way underrated, if you have the opportunity to stay and are interested in history, definitely try it out, it is a very unique treasure that Ottawa is very lucky to have and I was fortunate to experience.

Rooms are a bit utilitarian, it would be nice to have more power outlets. Some floors have limited showers and bathrooms, but you can always go to the prison cell areas which have many more showers (it would be useful to have signs that indicate this). No elevator, so if you get a room near the top floors, it can be a bit of climb (6 flights of stairs).