The Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle is a place studded with customer friendly features.
Buckle up your seats as I take you on a whirlwind tour of this amazing place.
It is located right in front of the Pike Market Place, the top iconic tourist spot in Seattle city center or the Downtown as they call it in the US.
- The entrance was narrow and not easily locatable in the crowd of huge storefronts, so I called the front desk number where the attendant guided me step-by-step to the hostel.
I will give them a 10/10 for this gesture alone.
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The hostel is super-economic too. I spent just USD 56 for 2 nights compared to $100+ for any average hotels that have only 1/5 the features of this hostel. Read on…
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They have an ATM right at the entrance and the hostel itself is on the 1st floor.
Note: In the US, the ground floor is called the first floor. This will help you.
The staircase is nicely carpeted with handrails and helpful information was posted along the way at eye-level.
- This is the front desk studded with facilities and utilities like Wi-Fi details, phones, handwash, luggage store facility in the backside, print outs, first aid and more importantly people providing service with a smile all the time.
- One of the top features here is a daily surprise like ice-creams, beers and even complimentary dinners.
- The rooms are a bit retro but clean with 4 bunk beds, sheets, warm blanket and a little wash basin. There are spacious lockers beneath the bed, and they also provide locks with 2 keys with rates as shown in the photo below. I retained it both as a souvenir and a utility.
- Complimentary breakfast is provided in the morning and with my favorite corn flakes with fruit loops with cold milk I was happy as a fat spider.
There is also a coffee maker with unlimited supplies for creamer and chocolate powder.
- Washing machines were also available though I do not know if they are free to use, since I never used them.
Also, another unique item that I saw only here during my entire travel in the US over 3 weeks was this loose change machine.
In the US, currency notes are called bills. Also note that restaurant bills are called cheques.
- There were recreation facilities like foosball and also a wall-mounted gaming console which perhaps was not free for use, though I did not see any slot for inserting money or card.
- Gas stove could be used for free, and I saw many people making their own breakfast in the morning.
Some storages were reserved for the staff.
- Some storages were meant to be used by the guests, though each food item must be labeled using the free food labels made available.
- The atmosphere in the Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle was so lively, even the trash bins were having a humorous theme as seen in the photo below.
- There was no shortage of ovens, microwaves, wash basins, taps and detergent.
This made my stay very comfortable and enjoyable too.
- Ample space was reserved for recreation and socializing with plenty of tables, chairs, and sofas to sit and relax.
- There were also vending machines for snacks and drinks inhouse to munch as I chatted with guests around the globe. I had great conversation over here with people who took great interest in locating their country putting a pin at that location on the large World Atlas hanging on the wall.
I was re-living the good ol days of high school when we did not have Google Maps, nor any mobile phones.
- They also had a secluded and peaceful place in a corner to sit back on the soft cushioned sofas to doze off on a lazy afternoon, especially when people returned from long walks or strolling through the Pike marketplace just located outside the hostel across the street.
- Also available in a corner was a small library with small books to read on a small chair and small table.
The water bottle filler was easily the best feature of the hostel since it provides so much convenience and saves money at the same time.
- The hostel also provided complimentary umbrellas if needed, and another interesting feature that I noticed was where visitors posted their currency notes, locally called bills in the US, on a wall.
This looked so cool though I saw someone from India had contributed Rupees 10 and 100 notes already.
- There were unlimited information booklets and pamphlets for the various tourist places and tours available in Seattle, though stuff like toothbrush, toothpaste and soap were available for a paltry $1 each.
- Finally, I noticed there were 4 clocks showing the times in various time zones across the world, but then who cares about the time while enjoying people-watching outside the window on one side and gazing aimlessly at the tall skyscrapers of Seattle from another window.
I enjoyed my choco milk shake and bread with the trust that all was well with the world… 
The Green Tortoise Hostel in Seattle left no stone unturned to keep the customers entertained, amused, feeling comfortable and at home.
How To Reach
Read my previous post on how to reach the Pike Marketplace from the Seattle Airport for $3
Top Tourist Places in Seattle
Post Alley Gum Wall
Space Needle
The Museum of Flight
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Pike Market Place
