Buccaneer Inn: Traveler Reviews

Buccaneer Inn
Average price*: $74 (CAD 74) (year-round)
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 4.0 based on 44 reviews
TripAdvisor Popularity Index: # 1 of 14 hotels in Nanaimo
Show Hotel DetailsHide Hotel Details
  • Hotel class: 2 of 5
  • Rooms: 13
Description: Dave and Marlene welcome you to Nanaimo's highest rated, most awarded motel. We feature renovated, spotless, quiet, oceanview kitchen suites across... This description is based on information provided by the hotel.
Address:
1577 Stewart Avenue
Nanaimo, British Columbia V9S 4E3
Canada

TripAdvisor Traveler Reviews

Reviews of Buccaneer Inn

( 1-5 of 44 )
“clean, friendly, and convenient”

Buccaneer Inn

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
nashville tn
Apr 6, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

Overall, this hotel was an excellent experience.

The folks at the front desk (owners?) gave us great suggestions for things to do on the island, including a self-guided tour over to Long Beach.

We were impressed with how clean and well kept-up our room was. It looked like great care had been taken with the details.

One note: our particular room was the "cozy studio" (room 106?). It was actually quite small, especially the bathroom. The shower was a bit cramped and the bathroom was not large enough for two people to share getting ready in the morning.

We highly recommend this hotel (although possibly ask for a different room number!). And regarding the road noise, we were in the room closest to the road and did not notice a problem. However, we were visiting in the off-season, so we imagine it may be worse in the summer.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
gabry_ll's Summary
Date of Stay: March, 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Other
Age group: 25-34
Member since: February 07, 2006
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service
Was this review helpful? Yes No
“Clean and tidy - good for short stays”

Buccaneer Inn

Apr 1, 2008
1/1 found this review helpful

We stayed for 1 night in Sep 07 as we had just missed the ferry to Vancouver, driving back from Tofino. The owners were welcoming, helpful and gave us directions to get some dinner - absolutely brilliant! The room was VERY clean compared to others we stayed in during our holiday. The bathtub was a bit old but clean. The motel is geart for travellers 'on-the-go'. Would not recommend it for long stays though.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — cleanliness
    • Disliked — old bathtub
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
thirtysmth's Summary
Date of Stay: September, 2007
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Quality time with family
Age group: 25-34
Member since: April 01, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 4 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Older travelers, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Other
Was this review helpful? Yes No
“Old and Tired”

Buccaneer Inn

Save Review
1 of 5 stars
Edmonton
Mar 25, 2008
1/2 found this review helpful

Expect to stay in an old and run down motel with a some what recent paint job. From missing light bulbs, to noise, to the old TV sitting on a piano bench; I would hardly rate this as an enjoyable place to rest at the end of your day. If you want to step back into the 50's this is the spot. Way over priced for what you will receive in return. Just take a look at the rules sheet that is provided after you make a confirmed reservation and you may be surprised at what you have just got yourself into.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Leaving
    • Disliked — Old and tired building still stuck solidly in the early 50's
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
idletime's Summary
Date of Stay: February, 2008
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Quality time with friends
Age group: 50-64
Member since: March 25, 2008
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 3 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
no way!
I recommend this hotel for:
Girlfriend getaway
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Great pool scene, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Other
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Management Response
Dave Ilyn, Dave Ilyn, Owner, Buccaneer Inn
(Management representative)
Apr 15, 2008
Thank you for the opportunity of responding to this review. While we appreciate that each guest has a unique experience at The Buccaneer Inn, we feel this reviewer’s general comments about our rooms, state of repair, service and amenities are inaccurate and unfair.

We understand that expectations are personal in nature, however the overwhelming majority of our guests tell us that the Buccaneer Inn is a well run business in a well built, well maintained building. Our Testimonials Page on our website details some of the comments and reviews we have received from our guests, hotel inspectors, guide books and newspapers from the past 11 years.

In each of our rooms is a voluntary Guest Satisfaction Questionnaire. Our guests rate 20 different areas of their experience at The Buccaneer Inn and provide us with suggestions on how to improve. We receive thousands of responses each year. Our guests tell us they love our friendly, family oriented, informative, personal service. They praise our attention to detail. They love: our spotless rooms; our nautical theme and decor; our maple furnishings; our comfortable Serta Posturpedic Perfect Sleeper beds and they love the down duvets, local framed art and metal sculptures.

And they also tell us that they are pleased with our 11 year strong commitment to lessening our business’ impact on our local environment. As part of that commitment, some of the items in our rooms are not brand new. While we have replaced most of the furniture and small appliances in our rooms, if a piece of furniture is in perfect working order but might not necessarily fit into the current home furnishing trends, we have chosen to keep using it until it does need replacing. As an example, we have not replaced all of our TV cabinets as we are in the process of replacing our televisions with flat screen; wall mounted LCD TVs thus eliminating the need for that particular piece of furniture.

You should never be surprised at what you have gotten yourself into at The Buccaneer Inn. Our website and all our advertising and printed materials are a testament to how we operate our business. Our website is a large, very informative site with a lot of detail on our rooms and things to see and do in Nanaimo and on Vancouver Island. Our site is honest, straightforward and expansive in its descriptions of our accommodation and the services and amenities we offer here. Images of the outside of our building are on our website. Images of the inside of our rooms and schematic drawings are on our website and available on our TripAdvisor listing. Unlike any other property we’re aware of, we also list limitations inherent in some of our accommodation. We do all of this so that our guests fully understand the rooms we offer, the services we provide, and the experience they can expect to have here, before they arrive.

The email letters we send to confirm reservations are informative and explanatory. They reflect the information we provide each guest during the reservation process and act as reminder of the room they have reserved, rates and our location as well as some of our policies. We regularly receive positive comments about these letters.

Our rates are fair. We frequently monitor and follow our competitor’s rates and position ourselves in the middle of the rates that comparable properties in Nanaimo offer. We’re not the least expensive nor the most but we do offer solid accommodation with great amenities and service at a fair reasonable price.

The Buccaneer Inn is a well maintained property. We have a regular, consistent system of room maintenance. We do apologize for the burnt out light bulb. We try to stay ahead of all maintenance items. If something needs attention, as soon as we are aware of it, we try to immediately correct the problem.

The guest – host relationship is a two way street. As much as we aim to provide great service to each and every one our guests, sometimes, as in this case, the relationship just doesn’t work out. For that we are sorry.

Thank you once again for the opportunity of providing a response to this review.

Your hosts,

Dave and Marlene
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
“Buccaneer Inn lived up to its reputation”

Buccaneer Inn

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
Michigan
Nov 15, 2007
11/13 found this review helpful

The Buccaneer Inn lived up to its reputation here on TripAdvisor. My wife and I spent three nights there during our September trip to Vancouver Island. Dave, the owner, was very welcoming and gave us some good information on the area and on the Tofino area for when we got there. Our room consisted of a front sitting area and kitchenette and a back bedroom. The rooms were relatively spacious, and the price was reasonable for the area. There was a computer available in the office for checking email. The view across to Newcastle Island was great!

We arrived in town by train from Victoria, and the hotel was a bit of a walk from the (burned out) station. If you are on foot, you will get some exercise walking into town and back. On the other hand, its more remote location contributed to less noise.

If we were back in the area, we would stay there again without hesitation.

  • This TripAdvisor Member:
    • Liked — Good room for the price
    • Disliked — Distance from town
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
drsm's Summary
Date of Stay: September, 2007
Traveled with: Spouse / significant other
Visit was for: Romantic getaway
Age group: 35-49
Member since: November 15, 2007
  • My ratings for this hotel are:
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Business service
Would I recommend this hotel to my best friend?
absolutely!
I recommend this hotel for:
A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
I do not recommend this hotel for:
Young singles, Great pool scene
I selected this hotel as a top choice for:
Outdoor / Adventure, Other
Was this review helpful? Yes No
“Great spot”

Buccaneer Inn

Save Review
5 of 5 stars
San Diego
Nov 8, 2007
13/15 found this review helpful

Great spot. Really appreciated the care, value, and cleanliness of the "inn". Marlene suggested great local restaurants.
My wife and 9 year son thought the room was perfect and very cozy. Nice town & great hosts.

This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
RRSD's Summary
Date of Stay: October, 2007
Member since: November 08, 2007
Was this review helpful? Yes No

Reviews of Buccaneer Inn

( 1-5 of 44 )
Travelers who viewed this property also viewed
No photo provided
Location: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
$146*
Check Rates
Location: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
$175*
Check Rates
Location: Nanaimo, Vancouver Island
$157*
Check Rates
*Average price
Write Your Own Hotel Review
Been to Buccaneer Inn? Share your experiences!

Do You Own Buccaneer Inn?

Buccaneer Inn Address

1577 Stewart Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia V9S 4E3, Canada