The Coast Bastion Hotel is located in the heart of charming Nanaimo, near the ferry terminal and within walking distance to the seawall walkway, restaurants, bars, and boutiques of all kinds. Our guest rooms are bright and modern, featuring complimentary Wi-Fi as well as access to our business centre and well-equipped fitness centre. Enjoy our spectacular ocean views!
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Modern
Business
Languages Spoken
English
Location
11 Bastion St, Nanaimo, British Columbia V9R 6E4 Canada
Coast Bastion Hotel
2,423 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Recently did a road trip up island with a friend and the Coast Bastion in Nanaimo was by far the best hotel we stayed at! The staff were immediately so welcoming and genuine, we felt at home as soon as we walked through the doors. There was large water jugs in the lobby (one iced and one iced with cucumber infusion) which were well stocked through our stay which was great because it was a hot couple of days! The room was very clean and updated, gorgeous view of the harbour with our own little Juliet balcony. Very private, massive bathroom with tons of counter space (important for two girls travelling together). The beds were really comfy- not too soft as that always causes me to have back pain- we both slept great! The parking was easy and included, and I really can’t say enough about the staff, they were wonderful. Great location, easy to get to. Highly recommend!
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Â You can book this hotel through scene points! Great value and location
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Aug 18, 2023
Thank you for the kind words and the 5 star review.
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Stayed here for our 1st night on a recent trip to Canada. The hotel is easy to find which is handy as we arrived after dark. There is a waiting area in front of the hotel for you to check in and get a parking pass for use at a nearby parking garage. There is a covered walkway from the garage to the hotel. The rooms are very comfortable and spacious and we awake the next morning to a lovely view of the marina. A restaurant is on site which serves very good food at a good price.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Oct 25, 2022
thank you for the great review
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We stayed for 5 nights at this excellent hotel so we could attend the local Blues Festival held in a park nearby. Our room 410 was spacious and had a lovely view over the harbour. It was clean and well equipped. The staff are helpful and have some nice recommendations for local shops and restaurants close by. The hotel’s restaurant serves delicious homemade soups and has an extensive menu. The wait staff are very friendly and efficient as are all the staff at this hotel We would recommend it to all travellers including those with dogs We would also recommend the Nanaimo museum and Seriously coffee and the Vancouver Island Military museum plus of course the Nanaimo Blues Festival which is very well run So much to see and do in Nanaimo
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip: They have parking but we didn’t need it and used local taxis
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Aug 14, 2023
Thank you for the 5 star review
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The rooms are average but some extra attention to details could be made. The inner lining of the shower curtain was broken in multiple locations which allowed water to go outside of the tub when showering. The room door/walls/windows didn't keep the noise out of the room at night and noises could be heard clearly from the street as well as people walking and talking in the corridor. Although there was water from a container available in the main lobby, I would have expected some bottled water in the room instead of having to use the bathroom sink to get water to make coffee and drink. Parking at the hotel was confusing as the signage isn't clear. I just happened to stumble upon it when I entered the city parking structure adjacent to the hotel. I tried the restaurant at the hotel for breakfast and was not impressed with the crab cakes as they were loaded with shells and had a lot of lemon juice which overpowered the taste of everything else. Otherwise, the beds are comfortable and the air conditioning worked as expected.
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Review collected in partnership with Coast Hotels
Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Sep 7, 2022
I am sorry that you did not have an ideal stay. I would note that we are working through a renovation that includes noise cancelling technology. This is a challenge that many face and we are working on a solution. With the crab cakes, as I mentioned in reply to your survey, the crab is fresh from a local vendor and we simply should not have accepted shell filled crab. This is being addressed. The one item that I wanted to make note of was bottled water. We are desperately trying to reduce and or eliminate plastic water bottles in the hotel. Our lobby water is to push us further in that direction.
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A week or so before our scheduled stay we received an email telling us there were water issues and that the guest rooms on the day we were arriving would not have water between 10 am and 6 pm. Since we wouldn’t be arriving until almost 6, this seemed fine. When we arrived we were told that the water would be out until 8 pm (no apology or concern shown). They did offer us 2 small bottles of water. We said fine and went to our room (after stopping to use the washroom in the lobby). Around 8:15 we tried the water and it was still not working. I called and was told it would be on by 9. I mentioned not only not being able to take a shower, but also having to go down 14 floors to use the toilet. They (Ian) were surprised and said that they hadn’t thought of that; that the toilets wouldn’t be working correctly when the water was out. They again offered a couple of bottles of water (we declined). I asked if there could be some kind of discount, and they said that they could give me the room for the price of the least expensive room; just do an upgrade. I said ok. At 9:15 when the water still wasn’t back on I called again and was told it would be in at 9:30. Really?? Ian said he could book me into a room across the street if I wanted to move. I didn’t ask what I’d be charged for that. I told him I’d like a refund; if I’d have known I couldn’t take a shower or use the toilet I would have booked another hotel myself. He finally said if it would make me happy, he would comp the room. I told him yes. We then went back to the lobby to brush our teeth and use the wash room. My husband did ask for another bottle of water then. At that point my husband overheard a call from the plumber to Ian, where it was clear they didn’t know when it would be finished. But Ian then suggested my husband leave the tap on, so we’d hear when the water came on, and it would clear air in the pipes. But Ian also reassured my husband the water should be on shortly. I think if we would have heard any apology or if they would have offered to discount or comp the room without my having to beg and point out the inconvenience (and without being snarky about it), we would not have felt so bad. But there was absolutely no recognition that this was a problem. The water came back on at 1:30 am btw. The room itself was fine. The bed was comfortable. When we finally took a shower in the morning there wasn't a lot of water pressure, though there was plenty of it in the sink in the bathroom.
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Review collected in partnership with Coast Hotels
Date of stay: January 2022
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Jan 24, 2022
I am very sorry at the experience you had, what occurred was completely unacceptable. I fully agree that our performance was lacking. While none of this makes up for the service you were given, I should explain what occurred. There was a complete failure of the domestic water system when the new main system was connected to the guest room water pipes. The leaks that sprung up everywhere caused the plumbers to shut down until the major items were repaired. Could have we handled it better, yes. In reality, if the plumbers would have outlined the potential risks, we should not have allowed guests to stay in the hotel when the change over was happening. We are meeting with the plumbers to ensure w fully understand the risks of the future phases of the project.
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hot tip for a kayak excursion - ask for Ian at the hotel desk. He will rent his beautiful two-person kayak by the hour, with the convenience of driving you to the boat launch nearby. We had a fabulous time paddling around the small islands, over to the pub on the dock & he picked us up and drove us back to downtown Nanaimo. after - terrific, convenient outing with no ferry fees 😃
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Jun 13, 2024
Thank you for the 5 star review
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We stayed here recently because we had a dance competition next door. Location to the water is great, but too many crackheads around to want to venture over there. At check in, the counter staff were friendly and checked us in with no hassle. We had a room on a higher floor with a "panoramic" view of the ocean. Basically, we had a sliding door with a tiny patio, and a normal window facing the Best Western across the street. I did enjoy standing on the patio at night, watching all the zombies wander the streets, looking for crack rocks along the sidewalk. I'm not even exaggerating when I say they were everywhere. Even during the day, walking to the dance comp, I wouldn't let me kids go alone. What could be such an amazing area is a complete dump.
We went to the restaurant in the hotel a couple times and the service was terrible. One night, the waitress or hostess, looked at us, while sitting at a table of what I can only assume were friends, looked away and completely ignored us. After about 5 minutes another lady came over a helped us get seated. We had one drink and decided to leave as nobody who worked there seemed happy and didn't seem to want our business.
On to the room. If you were on your own, you could manage. Maybe even if you and one other person were in the room you'd be okay. We had a room with 2 beds for 3 of us. My wife, me and our 13 year old daughter. The first night, our daughter went and slept in her friends room as these beds are so small, we wouldn't get a good sleep if any of us had to share the bed. The next night, she was in our room and slept in the same bed as my wife. I woke up in the middle of the night and felt so bad when I looked at how little room the 2 of them had. I can't believe a hotel would actually use a double bed in a room and expect that to fit 2 guests. On the final night, we had to have another girl from dance stay in our room, so the wife and I got to bunk together in this tiny bed. No joke, laying out our sides was the only way to fit and if we dared move, we were bumping the other person. My daughter and her friend, both very small girls, said the same thing. They were bumping in to each other all night. Morning couldn't come quick enough.
Again, this area could be amazing if the City of Nanaimo put a little effort in to it. Move the zombies out of the area and put some nicer hotels/restaurants along the main drag. This could be a total money making tourist area, with the ferry terminal only a short drive away, and Harbour Air docking literally right across the street from the hotel.
I'll be voting NO when we are asked if we should return to Nanaimo for next years comp.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip:Â Don't have more than 2 people in a room with 2 double beds
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded May 20, 2022
I am sorry that you did not have a good stay. We do appreciate the feedback and I will share your feedback with the city. I can assure you that the city is working hard to address the issues around homelessness. This includes things like hiring community liaisons, 12 more RCMP officers and the implementation of their downtown safety plan. Now with the double beds in the rooms, our renovation plan (slowed by the very slow supply chair) will have 2 queen beds. Because everything needs to change when we change bed sizes, we need to renovate to make the change. The renovation plan is displayed in the hallway between the desk and the ballroom.
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I’m here for work and I wasn’t really expecting much but to my surprise it is very comfortable. First, I have a nice view of the harbour. I am somewhat close to the elevator but it is very quiet and has not disturbed me at all. The room and bathroom look very recently updated and it has more light/brightness than some hotel rooms. The bulbs are actually bright. The bathroom is very bright compared to other places I’ve been to and has a magnifying mirror (yay!) so I can actually see myself (something much appreciated now that I am older). There are lots of plugs and USB ports (happy about that) for all my devices. No issues with the WIFI either. And the bed is very comfortable. It’s a close walk to London Drugs and Thrifty Foods and restaurants. I don’t drink coffee and I asked for a tea kettle in my room (emailed in advance) and it was waiting for me upon arrival. Impressed that they remembered. I arrived by seaplane and it was a short walk up to the hotel for me.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Sep 22, 2021
Thank you for the amazing review
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A nice hotel in a great location - walk to anything! Super-clean room, very friendly staff. Mini fridge and coffee maker in-room, bathrobes available. Nice view of the waterfront. There is parking for $9 overnight in an attached city parkade. They have a room to store your bikes, kayaks etc so you don't have to leave stuff in/on your vehicle.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded Jul 14, 2021
Thank you for the great review.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We have stayed at this hotel several times. This was the first time we have stayed at it since the renovations. We were in a King OceanFront room. The room was stunning! From the moment we stepped of the elevator you could feel the difference. The blue/watery theme really captured the Island feel.
The check in process was easy. The room was spotless. The bed was comfortable. We chose to bring food in because why waste that amazing view. Parking was secure.
We would highly recommend the newly renovated suites.
Thank you for an enjoyable getaway!
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from David McQuinn, General Manager at Coast Bastion Hotel
Responded May 1, 2024
Thank you for celebrating the renovation! Its been a 4 year journey to get the renovation completed. At this point we're looking forward to inviting people into experience the work we've completed.
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When you say, "FULL SIZE" does that mean raised up or with a cab on the back? Regular pick up trucks fit in the parking garage. If the truck is over height we have an over height lot 2 blocks away. And we are pet friendly, just let the desk know when you check in and they can set you up. I hope this helped.
I wouldn't consider the parking to be secure. Apparently there are regular visits by someone but the parking area is open to the public. I wouldn't recommend parking there with bicycles or anything else external to my car or truck.
There are more places to choose from in the Nanaimo area.
PRICE RANGE
C$173 - C$224 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
coast bastion hotel nanaimo, coast bastion nanaimo
LOCATION
CanadaBritish ColumbiaVancouver IslandNanaimo
NUMBER OF ROOMS
179
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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