Just a kilometer or two from the downtown core, the Grand Hotel is nestled near the malls and restaurant area. We were 3 (senior) sisters, one of whom was scheduled for eye surgery. Though we arrived just past noon, we were able to check in. The patient was able to nap as this is a quiet area. We chose an upgrade, a slightly larger room with a fireplace with a juliette balcony. Parking was convenient, right below our window. It was Valentine's Day! and we couldn't get a dinner reservation in any nearby restaurants. We declined the Sweetheart Special at the Grand as it was a bit pricy. Susie, the dining room hostess, asked the kitchen to accommodate us. They created braised ribs, mashed potatoes and vegetables for $45pp. Fair value and good food. The dining area is set up for quiet chat and eating, with a decor that absorbs the sound and pleases the eye. The room also had a frig and microwave. The shampoo and conditioner were exceptional quality. We had no issues and will stay again when the sister gets her follow up surgery. The desk clerk was courteous and accommodating, esp with our early check in. The total for an overnight stay for 3 people was less than $200.
Spent 2 nights here over the Easter Weekend. Very friendly front desk staff and the room was clean and the bed very comfy. The following are observations and NOT complaints. - there is nowhere to lock up your valuables. Having had a theft from another hotel in town, this was a concern of mine. -instead of a key card, you’re given, upon check-in, a small piece of paper with a code for the main door (for after hours entry) and you provide your own set of number for your press button room door lock. I found it helpful to take a screen shot of all this with my phone in case I lost the piece of paper. It is small, y’all! - there is no dresser to store clothes. There IS a rack with hangers but for items like underwear and shorts, etc, you will need to use your suitcase. - the room is equipped with a kitchen ( microwave, mini fridge, coffee maker) but is lacking in cutlery and dishes. - to accommodate the idea of using the space as an eating area, there is a breakfast bar and 2 stools but the room’s layout is awkward and would be hard to use. - there is a lovely little patio area available and you could eat out there but due to the rain, I was unable to use it. - I was fine with the next-to-zero counter space in the bathroom, but if you have a lot of toiletries, this could be a challenge. -there is no way to turn the shower on from a distance i.e. without getting under the shower head, due to the sliding shower door orientation. - the room was decorated quite nicely and I was very comfortable here. I am a light sleeper and the room is most definitely not soundproof so I was happy to have my earplugs and white noise app! This is meant to be an informative review, Not negative at all. The price was good and I enjoyed my stay.
Very basic hotel, they do not have any luggage storage (apparently a management decision since covid), breakfast is sausage links and cheese omelette patties that have been reheated from frozen. A few other things like grocery store bread for toast and a couple of apples and oranges. Front desk is all screened off like the covid era, but also lots of prominent signage that they don’t keep cash on premise. Gives off the general feeling that there are some safety issues, perhaps for both staff and guests. Rooms are only surface cleaned - lots of dust on light fixtures, stains on rugs, bathroom spaces not wiped that well, must smell, etc. Limited room decor, no paintings or anything. Very drab, beige space. My room had a small balcony, ash tray on table so maybe a plus if you smoke (although rooms are supposedly non-smoking). Back side of the hotel was relatively quiet, that’s the only positive thing I can say. Limited amenities outside the room - no pool, no ice machines (at least not on my floor, and no indications where they are), only one slow elevator (use the stairs if you can). Also in a weird area of Nanaimo right off the #1 highway that’s a bit of a dead zone. There are no restaurants, coffee shops, etc. that are all that close, besides an Italian/pizza restaurant that is only open in the evenings and most days only for takeout. If you’re of average mobility, you’re a 10-15 minute walk from the main action in the central harbour area. Relatively easy going to get there (downhill, some routes have stairs), but a bit of uphill walking back. For the nightly rate charged compared to other properties - including the 2-3 major hotels that actually are in the harbour area - this is not a property I will ever be back to. If you’re just driving through, need a place to put your head for the night, and every other place is booked then this might be an option. Otherwise I would avoid at all costs.
It was descent overnight stay. There is a reno going on, so don't expect a fancy environment. Staff was helpful when I needed it. Room was clean. Third floor is the best in the hotel. Breakfast was okay. Coffee, muffins, fruit, etc. Good for one or two days. Not for a long stay, at least for now.
The hotel is in the prime location, has a lot of restaurants nearby and our room is facing the harbour which is great. The public area of the hotel is a bit old and improvement is required on cleanliness, but the room itself is clean, bright and relatively modern. The car park is always full and we have to park our car at the public car park near the hotel and get refund when we check out.
I've stayed here twice before and had good experiences. This last time however, I was not as impressed. First of all, I went straight to the front desk to reserve instead of reserving ahead of time. I wanted two rooms and was offered two kings. When I said I only needed queens (which are cheaper), the guy said he only had 1 queen. He did offer to charge the queen rate for the king room though which was nice. However, the nightly rate he quoted was $60 per room more than what ******* was quoting. Also, ******* had 2 queens which he said he didn't have. When I mentioned that, he wouldn't just match the rate, instead he made me go to the couch in the lobby and book it myself through ******* on my phone. I was very tired and drained as I had been visiting a terminally ill friend in hospital all that day/evening. I have never had a hotel not match a third party rate before and felt that he was just trying to make it difficult for me. Finally, the bathroom light in my room kept coming on throughout the night which was not conducive to a good nights sleep.
I had stayed at this motel in July for 1 night under the Air B and B and loved it. It was peaceful and where as we had neighbours on both sides, (one side had a family with young children.) Both were quiet and respectful of the space. Yes the place does need some repairs and painting but I saw that they were working on it so I was fine with that. Because of my experience in July, I took my older mother there for 2 days in August for some R and R due to some hard stuff going on in our family. Sadly that experience was very different. Lets start with the positives Location: Great location with the beach steps away and the boardwalk for walking, riding or jogging Free mini golf, A nice big grassy field in front with fire pits, volleyball net and swings. Lots of space for kids and families to roam around. Kitchenette; A full size fridge and very well stocked with appliances. Comfy beds Sadly, there were many CONS: Inside, our room had a broken patio door latch but I could use my thumb to lock it. When I went to report it the next morning, I was informed that there was a lock at the bottom to use. We should have been informed of that when we checked in. The bathmat was disintegrating and did not stick to the bottom of the tub and bits were coming off. I reported that the next day and was informed that “they would find me a new one if they had one”. We did receive a brand new one later that day. On one of the beds, the bedskirt was thrashed. It looked like a cat had ripped it apart. Boundaries: When we arrived, we had a family on one side that had a lot of people including young children and they spilled into our area a bit. The chairs were set up in a way that some people were looking directly at us whether we were inside or out. We chose to eat inside with the curtains closed as we did not want to be continually stared at. Later we had gone off and when we came back, the young children had left stuff on our picnic table and the adults allowed the children to ride their bikes on the cement patios right outside the patio door. The kids would stop in front of our door and stare at us. I don’t blame the children as they were young but no one stopped that behaviour. I love that the motel is family friendly and there is lots of room for the kids to roam. But that does not mean right outside our door in our patio area. Not sure that management could have done anything about that. Noise: We did go out later as the family had left for a while, but the other neighbours were very loud outside and smoking on the patio as well. Smoking anything is supposed to be 3 meters away. The smell drove us back inside. They woke us up around 1am both with loud voices in the next room and there was yelling and screaming in the parking lot along with horn honking and a motorcycle reving for a good few minutes. As there is no staff after midnight, they couldn’t have dealt with the situation anyway. Thankfully, we were leaving the next day otherwise we would h
Parents of neurodivergent children BEWARE!! We were visiting family for the day and spent most of our time at the pool. The lifeguard on duty was horrific, she abused her power and was often yelling unnecessarily at the kids trying to have fun. After yelling at my autistic son for going down the slide with his little sister, my sister ( who was watching him at the moment) approached the lifeguard and explained that my son was neurodivergent and would not respond well to her yelling at him, so if he did something that needed to be corrected could she please let my sister or myself know so we can talk to my son ourselves which would greatly reduce the risk of a meltdown. The lifeguard looked her in the face and said “ I will NOT do that, kids need to listen to ME and learn to listen to other people besides their parents.” After trying to explain again why this wouldn’t work for my son, the lifeguard became even more aggressive in the way she was speaking to my sister. It was shocking. Shortly after a young boy with Down syndrome was eating his ice cream by the pool, the lifeguard marched over there and yelled at the boy, “you can’t have that here!!” Grabbed the ice cream out of his hand and took it to his mother who was sitting by the fence. Everyone sitting there was horrified. It was really sad to watch the little guy so confused and upset while he was on vacation just trying to have fun. If your job is to monitor kids, it is crucial that you are sensitive to the neurodiversity of children and are properly trained to handle their uniqueness in a respectful manner. When you are approached by a caregiver who explains the needed way to deal with a neurodivergent child and decide that you are more equipped to handle that child using force and aggression, YOU are in the wrong job. That life guard is very lucky that it was my sister she was dealing with and not me. I will not recommend this resort to anyone. I am extremely disappointed and shocked.
Stayed here for 2 nights on our way up Island on a week long trip. Had our 2 small dogs. We were so pleasantly surprised as we had read some bad reviews after booking. Possibly we stayed after a renovation. Dont know, but our room was spacious, bright and had very comfy beds and pillows, a little frig, micro and Kuerig. Nice big towels..(a MUST at a hotel at this price) everything very clean. A GREAT shower! Continental breakfast. I loved no carpets, having dogs, though they are well trained, but you never know. If I have and complaint it would be the lighting, which is recessed. No way to choose to light the beds only for reading and the bedside lamp is useless for that purpose. We love Parksville and would stay again, and would recommend.
Contrary to a number of reviews, we had a good stay here. Not the nicest area of Nanaimo, but convenient along the main road from the ferry. Family suite was a full 2br apartment, clean but not brand new. The gentleman at the front desk was courteous and helpful. DQ across the street. They only rent to out of towners now, which may have been why we had a nice quiet stay.