Where to stay · Naramata Bench
HI Penticton Hostel
A cheerful downtown hostel with six-bunk dorms, on-site bike rentals and three breweries within a short walk.
what it is
hostel (budget / solo)
the damage
from ~$50/night (dorm bed)
from Vancouver
~4.5 hours
This is the budget play, and an honest one. HI Penticton runs six-bunk dorms with air conditioning and storage, split into men-only and women-only rooms, plus private rooms with a double and a single bunk above for couples who would rather not share with strangers. It sleeps around 47 people in total, which in high season is 47 people all eyeing the same shared kitchen.
The building sits on Ellis Street in downtown Penticton, a short walk from three breweries, a pile of pubs, eclectic shops and Okanagan Lake, and it rents bikes on site so you can pedal off the previous evening's research. There is a lounge, a TV room and a library, the last for the rare guest who came to Penticton to read.
It runs year-round with beds from around fifty dollars, roughly a tenth of what a winery inn charges, with the honest trade-off that Penticton is a fifteen-minute drive from the Naramata Bench itself. Reception keeps split hours, morning and evening, so time your arrival for after five if you want someone to hand you a key.
The setting
At 464 Ellis Street in downtown Penticton, near Okanagan Lake and walkable to breweries, pubs and shops. The Naramata Bench wineries sit about 15 minutes north by car.
Getting there
Roughly 4.5 hours from Vancouver by car via the Coquihalla and the Okanagan Connector, straight into downtown Penticton. No ferries. Intercity bus service runs from Vancouver to central Penticton, so the hostel itself genuinely works car-free; reaching Naramata's wineries, though, still realistically needs a car or a paid wine tour.
good to know
Why it works
- Six-bunk air-conditioned dorms and private rooms
- On-site bike rentals
- Three breweries within a short walk
- Full shared kitchen, lounge and library
- Beds from around C$50 a night