Laptop workspace, free WiFi, bed sheets
Check availability

Reviews of Departure Bay Motel

2 out of 5
Departure Bay Motel
2011 Estevan Rd, Nanaimo, BC

Reviews

7.8

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 61 out of 166 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 55 out of 166 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 25 out of 166 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 166 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 16 out of 166 reviews" "

7.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

7.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Ralph Carlo

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
There should be a designated time for laundry. I was about to sleep past 10pm and someone just did laundry and I can hear the noise coming of it. There's a bit smell in the room too. I had to buy air freshener for that. Overall, a decent stay.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

LILI

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I had an exceptional experience during my stay at this hotel. Every single staff member was exceedingly friendly and always wore a smile. The hotel's location was ideal, providing easy access to various attractions and facilities while still being reasonably priced. I would definitely consider staying here again in the future.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

8/10 Good

Huy

Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Karla

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
It was nice for a quick getaway, the manager was so kind. The motel is close to the ferry, and to a bus station that makes it more convenient to go to downtown.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Agnieszka

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Basic but clean which is the most important and a very nice front desk staff. Thank you
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

6/10 Okay

Teofila

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good place to stay for one night, convenient for BC ferry and Seaair.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Donna

Travelled with group
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I’ll stay again !!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sona

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The service provided by both the staffs were really great.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024
Response from Guest Service on 7 May 2024
Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We will share this with the team to let them know to keep up the amazing work.Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for leaving such a wonderful review of your experience. We are happy you had a lovely time at our property and look forward to welcoming you back!

10/10 Excellent

Eileen, Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was a pleasant stay, I loved the service and if one needs very firm support for sleeping on the mattresses that would be the place for you. The garbage outside should be attended too right away one does not need to attract unwanted pests in the rooms! Allow the maids to check in on guests who stay more then one night if they need a turn down of the rooms i.e. fresh towels,tiolet paper ect.Other then that I really liked it! May want to add pillow toppers for the very firm mattresses? Other than that just constructive feedback for better customer service other then that I may return back in the future simply for the fact one could not best the price in the rough expensive market of what other motels and hotels are charging nowaways. I can't complain. Thank you.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Thank you for the nice compliments, Eileen. We are very proud of our staff, who are always ready to go the extra mile for our guests. We hope to see you again soon!Wow, thanks for the big 5! We appreciate the review, and we're so glad you enjoyed your stay with us.Thank you for the review and for highlighting what improvements can be made. We hope to welcome you back again and show you an improved experience.Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We will share this with the team to let them know to keep up the amazing work.Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for leaving such a wonderful review of your experience. We are happy you had a lovely time at our property and look forward to welcoming you back!

2/10 Terrible

Hussein

Business traveller
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Place was beyond filthy, there was zero service and the noise was horrendous. I would rather pitch a tent before I ever stay at this property again. This place should be condemned, it has never had any renovations or upgrades ever done and full of mould.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Hi Hussein, we appreciate the feedback. We are sorry to hear that your recent stay fell short of expectations. We continuously search for opportunities to enhance our guests' experiences, and we will be sure to pass these opportunities along to our team. We hope that we will get another chance to 'wow' you on your next visit.

4/10 Poor

Katherine

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Pros: - check in and out staff very pleasant - allowed us into the room before check in time - comfortable and clean bed and pillows - fridge, microwave and coffee maker in room (we were not in a kitchenette unit) Cons: - paper thin walls resulting in lots of noise transfer, particularly tub/shower and running water (midnight-2:30am!) from adjoining room(s) - very dated and not particularly clean (dirt behind bathroom door, mung in the bathroom sink drain - eww), sticky floors - dirty, cheap plastic vertical blinds that did not fully cover the window - it’s been a long time since the light switch covers, door handles and area around them have had even a cursory wipe down, they were all really dirty
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
We apologize for the noise you experienced during your visit, Katherine. We are completing renovations to address the noise issues with the hallway. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed our location and that our staff made you feel welcome. We hope to welcome you back after the renovations for a 5/5 experience next time!

8/10 Good

Peter

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff were awesome, quick and easy drive to 06:15 ferry to vancouver.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Thank you for the great feedback, Peter. Our location is very close to the Ferry terminal and many other great local attractions. Hope to see you again soon!

2/10 Terrible

Clint

Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with pets
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Had to cancel was not a kids place. People was doing drugs outside. We did not stay there waa not safe. How can i get my money back
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Teofil

Very good
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Thank you for the nice compliment, Teofil. We are very proud of our staff, who are always ready to go the extra mile for our guests. We hope to see you again soon!Wow, thanks for the big 5! We appreciate the review, and we're so glad you enjoyed your stay with us.Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We will share this with the team to let them know to keep up the amazing work.Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for leaving such a wonderful review of your experience. We are happy you had a lovely time at our property and look forward to welcoming you back!

10/10 Excellent

Jean, Fredericton

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice place
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Thank you for the nice compliment, Jean. We are very proud of our staff, who are always ready to go the extra mile for our guests. We hope to see you again soon!Wow, thanks for the big 5! We appreciate the review, and we're so glad you enjoyed your stay with us.Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for leaving such a wonderful review of your experience. We are happy you had a lovely time at our property and look forward to welcoming you back!

6/10 Okay

George

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Bad wifi
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

4/10 Poor

Dana

Travelled with family, Business traveller
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
* We had to ‘ask’ to have our room made. * There we’re no chairs, closets or hooks.* * Floors (carpets) we’re a total mess (dark dry stains) , and they didn’t vacuum our room (when we got them to clean our room at all).
Stayed 5 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 3 May 2024
Thank you for the feedback, Dana. We are sorry to hear your stay with us fell short of expectations. In the future, please don't hesitate to speak with our staff if there's anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable. We are just a phone call away! We hope to welcome you back for a more enjoyable experience.

8/10 Good

Gary

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good value
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 7 May 2024
Thank you for the nice compliments, Gary. We are very proud of our staff, who are always ready to go the extra mile for our guests. We hope to see you again soon!

8/10 Good

Lionel

Stayed 12 nights in Apr 2024
Response from Guest Service on 7 May 2024
Thank you so much for your review! We will share this with the team to let them know to keep up the amazing work.Thank you for choosing to stay with us and for leaving such a wonderful review of your experience. We are happy you had a lovely time at our property and look forward to welcoming you back!

2/10 Terrible

Darcie

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Rupinder

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Kenneth

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Hannah

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Good motel, clean room, comfy bed, friendly staff. Lots of traffic noise though
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Loretta

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A very basic and clean place to stay. Close to ferries and highway.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

6/10 Okay

Kathy

Liked: Cleanliness
The shower was nice, good water pressure, there was nowhere to hang a bath towel if you wanted to re-use one. Kitchenette was helpful though. Overall, decent and off season rate was very good.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Mary

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

robin

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The room was very recently renovated and very clean. The gentleman who checked us in was very nice.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

2/10 Terrible

K

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Ceiling was leaking onto bed. Wet cold stain on bed. Table fan blowing full blast. Cold room. It’s March. Managers seemed “surprised” and had to call owners to ok a refund. Then decided it was through Expedia that I would get the refund. Anyways. I took the loss in place of a stressful refund process and said goodbye. Not ever going to try and stay there again. You get what you pay for and it was nice and cheap!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

2/10 Terrible

Tearrah

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Overall check in was good, I didn’t have any air conditioning in my suite, and walls are so thin you can hear all suites around you. The people beside Me and upstairs were partying all night, walking around blasting music… it was loud and I couldn’t sleep at all.. had to be up at 4 for our ferry and barely got any sleep due to the noise. I was very disappointed In this. Paid over 100$ just to be kept awake all night. It would have been nice if there was an air conditioner so I could turn it on to block some of the noise of the other tenants. Overall I’m disappointed in this. I was so exhausted from the lack of sleep because of how loud the other people were and how easily heard they were.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Awilda

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very convenient location, quite, clean and friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

8/10 Good

Katherine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

John

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Clean and quiet location and property, malls close by and ferry terminals very close as-well. Room was clean and cozy.
Stayed 5 nights in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Sharri

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Arif

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff was amazing friendly
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Fredric

Thank you.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

William

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Suresh

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

2/10 Terrible

Phil, Lake Cowichan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Horrible stay. Rude. No help. After hours gentlemen was a complete jerk. DO NOT USE
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Kevin

Liked: Staff & service
Works for me
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Sandi

Liked: Amenities
I stayed one night at the motel, and it was a very good experience. The room was very clean, had a fridge and microwave and the bed was very comfortable. Yes, it is an old motel, but you can’t beat it for the price. I would stay again.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

Maria

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
really old, beat up property, outdated furniture and poor overall cleanliness, but nice staff, and close to the ferry terminal. You get what you pay for, but I honestly think that the rooms could be cheaper.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

6/10 Okay

James

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
It was very convenient to the hospital, which was the reason for my stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Darryl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very comfortable bed. Close to dining establishments, close to BC Ferries terminal. Easy access off main highway.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Kevin

Liked: Staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Jared

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

John

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This older property was good value, exceptionably clean and easy to find. The only thing that needed attention was the WIFI / Television connection, basically it was one or the other but we did not need WIFI and the great staff member was at out room to address the small issue immediately. I would certainly stay at this property again.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Daaks

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024