Nanaimo Accommodations

Nanaimo offers a large variety of accommodation options. Book a downtown hotel or hostel-style guest room steps from the harbour. Bunk down in affordable motels minutes from the Departure Bay ferry terminal. Or choose from a large stock of Bed & Breakfast establishments located throughout the region.

Tourism Nanaimo's annual Travel Planner and Maps & Attractions Guide are handy one-stop resources available at the city's two Visitor Centres – the main centre at Beban House (2290 Bowen Rd. within easy reach of exit 21 off the Nanaimo Parkway bypass) and a downtown centre (101 Gordon St. next to the Nanaimo Art Gallery).

Downtown Nanaimo

The choicest harbour-view rooms can be found in the Coast Bastion Inn and Best Western Dorchester Hotel, situated side-by-side on Front Street. The former recently underwent a major renovation, while The Dorchester, housed in a circa 1889 heritage building, has the ambience of a big-city boutique hotel.

Also downtown in the arts district is the Painted Turtle Guesthouse. The 20 cozy, clean and spartan suites offer a variety of private and group sleeping arrangements with shared bathrooms. Ideal for travellers on a budget.

Motels dot the Island Highway (aka Terminal Avenue or Highway 19A) and Highway 1 (Stewart Avenue) near Departure Bay. The Buccaneer Inn (1577 Stewart) is renowned among scuba divers. Many of these affordable lodgings serve as handy stopover points for those arriving and departing via B.C. Ferries.

Bed and Breakfasts

Many establishments are clustered along the oceanfront in the city's north end. MGM Seashore Bed & Breakfast (4950 Fillinger Crescent), for instance, is perched above Rocky Point Beach and offers a hot tub, private oceanfront deck. Among the perks: Fresh-made Nanaimo Bars served by hosts Marilyn and Glenn McKnight.

Another set of B&Bs are in Cedar, 10 minutes south of Nanaimo off the Trans Canada Highway. Among the options here is Fiddick's Farm B&B, a 12 hectare/30 acre waterfront heritage spread that features a lap pool and resident population of chickens (who supply the eggs for breakfast).

Ask for The Nanaimo B&B Association brochure at the Beban House Visitor Centre, which also carries rack cards for dozens of individual B&Bs.

Campgrounds

The 300-site Living Forest Oceanside RV and Campground, south of town where the Nanaimo River empties into the sea, is routinely voted top private campground and snowbird getaway by the readers of RV West magazine. Walk-in campsites complete with showers and flush toilets are available year-round on Newcastle Island.

Accommodations Near Nanaimo

North along the Island Highway is the Inn on Long Lake, where the nearby traffic is surprisingly muted from patios and balconies overlooking the property's namesake lake.

South in the rural community of Cedar is the Yellow Point Lodge (3700 Yellow Point Road). This rustic retreat was built during the Great Depression and is guaranteed to lift the spirits of anyone seeking peace, relaxation and lively social time in the communal dining hall. The lodge's fiercely loyal clientele reserve rooms and cabins months ahead, so be sure to book early.

For a list of approved accommodation options in and near Nanaimo, please use our Booking Tool below.

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