Be immersed in the West Coast ambiance of our urban Guesthouse one block from downtown’s charming working harbour. Choose Nanaimo as BASECAMP to experience the best of Vancouver Island – whale-watching, Island-hopping, hiking, beaches, and discovering often unexplored areas. Be greeted with a smile from our multi-lingual staff & unwind in our Great Room with free wifi, fooseball and fireplace. Choose from 3 room types.We look forward to welcoming you to our Wild West Coast!! Getting to the hostel: Fly directly into Nanaimo Airport with Air Canada West Jet or Kenmore Air. Take a taxi ($50) or shuttle service ($26) 18km to city. Take Greyhound bus from Vancouver ($30) Victoria ($25) or Port Hardy ($75) to Nanaimo. Take Bus #2 to City Centre or #25 Ferry Shuttle. Both buses stop at the bus exchange. Walk down the hill for 5 minutes and we are located on the right hand side of the street. The Painted Turtle Guesthouse is located in the Arts District downtown -the corner of Commercial and Bastion St (121 Bastion St).From Hwy 19/#1 (TransCanada) take exit to Hwy 19A and follow to city centre (approx. 5km). Parking is available on Commercial St. Two hours free on Mon-Sat from 8am-5pm. Free after 5pm and all day Sunday.Paid parking is available across the street at the Bastion street parkade for $0.50/hour; or $6 for 24 hours. Passenger trains do not currently operate on Vancouver Island.