Black Elephant Hostel

Loved the art and the vibe Nothing!

The parking is tricky. Allow extra time to find a spot. Consider parking further away after unloading.

It was very welcoming, clean and quiet. I had my own room with private bath. Nice shared kitchen and free coffee in the morning which I enjoyed having in the garden. Aaron was very welcome when I checked in. I was the Lemur room and it was really cute with lemur wallpaper on the ceiling. Very walkable to restaurants and downtown area. I didn’t need it, but my room lacked AC which I didn’t notice when I booked. I thought it was a little pricey for what the room was: cute but basic.

Price too high. No curtains around the bunk. No privacy at all.

The Black Elephant was a welcoming place to stay in Portland! It was in reasonable walking of so many great Portland attractions. All the guests in the hostel were kind and respected the property’s community expectations. The front desk was so wonderful and kind!

The entire facility was fantastic. The room was clean, the public areas were clean and very welcoming. The staff was so friendly and informative. I bought some yogurt for breakfast and put it in the box with my name on it and stuck it in the fridge for breakfast in the morning! The price could not be beat. It was 3 blocks from the meeting place for my cycling tour! I couldn't improve on this place. My first time in a hostel since I was 20 and they have come a long way.

Awesome place and vibe. Every staff member is just cool, and awesome and fun to talk to and good for advice. The dorm was great, the facilities, the garden and even the coffee (I hate American coffee generally). Had a great time. The beds are light weight (and I am not) so I kinda woke up the girl in the lower bunk, whenever I went up and down the double bed. No other complaints currently :) Missed Scooter playing the guitar :/

Excellent location in the heart of downtown (next to Duckfat/Eventide, 2 blocks from the harbor), Free Coffee/Tea was great, comfy big beds and nice quality sheets. Staff was super friendly. There is also a food coop and walgreens a block away for any essentials and groceries. Nothing. It's pricier than most hostels but also well worth the money. This is likely the best US hostel you can stay in period.

Mixed dorms aren’t for me

The wallpaper was awesome, and the staff very friendly! Our room was warm. It had a fan, but could have used another or oscillating one. Also not enough outlets for charging phones/watches etc. we had portable chargers so no buggy, just would’ve been nice not to have to use.

I liked the value, staff, cleanliness, location, and the decor.

The location is convenient, right near the old port so it’s easy to walk around. The decor is also super cute inside and the staff is friendly! I love the backyard , it’s a great place to hang out, and a good place to have coffee in the morning :) ! Not that I didn’t like but I didn’t hear anything about hostel outings or events . I know some places do it and some places don’t. But it would be nice because they just have a pretty backyard for such events.

Great location, close to the waterfront and many restaurants. Extremely helpful and friendly staff. Clean and comfortable. Shared bath was never busy and was kept very clean. Bunk beds were comfortable and roomy. Rooms are small, but that’s to be expected for a hostel.

I liked the host who helped me check in, they were extremely kind and thorough. The location was great, walking distance to so much of downtown. I thought that four sets of bunks (8 beds total) was too crammed for the footprint of the room. It made for potentially dangerous conditions if there was an emergency like a fire. Not to mention there was no room to open a bag or suitcase. One bathroom for 8 people was also really tight and meant that everyone was delayed by everyone else. Even though the bathroom was one of the cleanest I’ve seen in hostels I still wasn’t interested in using the shower without shower shoes. Because the room was so packed with people, I was kept up at night by the squeaking bunk beds and the snoring of others.

Wish it had an elevator

Everything NA

The staff was extremly friendly, and they were very helpful at guiding me through the steps required to checkout. I also was able to socialize with a bunch of different people from all sorts of different backgrounds, so it was really cool!

Parking is a joke. Got a ticket in a place I’ve legally parked many times.

It was exceptionally clean. Great location and the staff was very friendly and talkative. Just all around great place. I don’t have any negatives.

Loved the decor and the private outside patio!! Staff were excellent and attentive I loved the property, no complaints It would have been perfect had I not shared space with a VERY LOUD snorer