Lakeside Hostel & Guest House - Crescent City, California

Fadhl M.

Horrible experience, possibly the worst I have ever had even compared to poor third world countries which I’ve visited and experienced much more polite characters than the individuals representing this Guesthouse. Don’t be fooled, you’re not their guest, but just a victim to their roaches and unprofessionalism. Have fun guys! Ant Bully is probably playing tonight on an old vintage TV set — Randal is your host.

Sydney P.

Cute house with a clean room. There was a closet with bath robes and extra pillows. Everything around the house was well-labeled and instructions were very clear. Heads up, the walls were definitely extremely thin, so if you go to sleep or wake up early, bring earplugs.

There's one bathroom for everyone, which isn't much of a problem for this price. Cute farm like property in very quiet area; slept well.

Randal was kind and offered shampoo and conditioner of a few different types. Lots of extra amenities. He was very helpful with giving us directions to the best spots to see the Redwood Forest. We got lots of cool information about the area.

Free wifi, beware, the last number on the password is a 1 not a 7; definitely took way too long for me to figure that out.

Yousra A.

Unclean, stepped on roaches upon entering my room, horrible floor plan, and yellow sheets. Most likely has bed bugs too. I would not even recommend this place as a dog house, to say the least. What a shame that a business like this operates in California and hasn’t been locked down.

Ina A. H.

I set a reservation and have stayed at other hostels. This place was unkept on the outside, the property seems to have been in the process of renovations for years, there was lots of room to park, oddly no sign that it is a hostel from the outside, there was no sign-in, and it was just not a hostel. The man who came to the door was helpful, he said my space wasn't ready and I should have a seat in the community area. I shortly discovered the community area/living room was also the dorm. LOL!!! He suggested I could use one of the dividers for privacy. The place had a strange smell and I decided I did not feel comfortable staying. If this place was advertised as a home, with a room to stay-in or to couch surf in the living room that would be the truth. Stay at your own risk and comfort.

Eric W. S.

I highly recommend this place. I stayed there for four nights. It is a modest house out in the country. It is the third yellow house on the left. It feels very safe. There is a horse in the yard next door. The property borders on the Lake Earl Wildlife Refuge. I didn't even roll up my car windows or lock my car. It is private enough that you can leave the window drapes open. The place isn't perfect but they are fixing it up.
When you are looking for material things like swimming pools, elevators, all-you-can-eat buffets, and bell hops you won't find them here. When you are looking for immaterial things like kindness, comfort, respect, and tolerance you have hit the jackpot with this place.
At the public beach just south of town off hwy 101 you will find lots of whole sand dollars. The beach at Ocean Shores isn't crowded, goes for miles and miles, and there you will find lots and lots of neat colorful rocks waiting for you to pick them up.

Juan R.

0/5 Please do not stay here. The front door had a broken lock and toilet was backed up from before we got there. I went a little hard on the jimboys tacos earlier in the day so by midnight I couldn’t hold it in. With the only option to go outside with the bears and the rotting smell coming from under the house, i went outside behind the house. While crouched in the dark I could see a purple truck that looked exactly like the owners pull up and park. I think the owner is in a gang and using the house as a stash house while it isn’t being rented out so I was super scared and I didn’t approach him. He stayed there for like 3 hours with the lights off then left. The owner will say he has no record of me staying there to try and shut me down but he is lying. Do not stay here.

Peter O.

We stayed here for 2 days and it was similar to my time in Eastern Europe during the cold war. The sheets were brittle the rooms were cold and damp (for some reason). The owner spoke broken English but was very anti-American and during check in he frequently mentioned “the mother land” and how he hated “the smell of Americans”. I normally don’t leave reviews, but the last straw that pushed me over the edge was when he insisted we try some of his borscht “like his grand pappy used to make” … I saw a cockroach but didn’t want to offend him so I ate it and now I’m worried I have a parasite!

Margot

Positive: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park is nearby. The place is relatively cheap. Host Randall let me use the washer and detergent, which was nice of him. He also have me advice on what to visit.. Negative: I feel a bit conflicted about this review, because Randall was a nice host with plenty of interesting stories. I stayed here for two nights. During my second day, some really shady people walked in. After a while they appeared to have left so I asked Randall if they were coming back. He told me no, he found out they were local drugdealers and had kicked them out. He told me that drugdealers more often check in there. I told him I was happy to hear that since I felt really unsafe with them. He said he did too. After a while they came back like nothing had happened and Randall just let them. I felt very unsafe, he knew that and did nothing. I asked him if he was letting them stay and he said yes. I usually don't like writing these reviews, but I think people should know what could happen here, as I understand this was not a single incident. Also, I had ants in my room. That is also a recurring problem that Randall really tries to prevent, but I still had ants in my room. Location is quiet, but remote. A good 10 minutes drive from the center..