Name: Harbour Light Motel
Address: 200 Nicol Street, Nanaimo, Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, CA
Price range: US$105–US$132 per night
Rating: 7.78

What guests think

At Harbour Light Motel, many travellers highlight clean, renovated, budget-friendly rooms and welcoming staff, while others note drawbacks such as street noise, a rough surrounding area, and occasional inconsistencies with cleanliness, maintenance, and air conditioning.

Location is convenient for ferries and downtown access, but several reviewers felt uncomfortable walking nearby at night. Rooms are generally comfortable with useful basics like a fridge, microwave and Keurig, though storage is limited and back-facing rooms are recommended for quieter sleep. Service is frequently praised, yet some guests experienced strict or confusing late check-in procedures and occasional intrusions. Expect a simple, good-value stay if you prioritize convenience and choose a quieter room.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Facilities are basic; travellers appreciate easy parking and in-room conveniences like a fridge, microwave, and Keurig. A few family suites in a separate house are noted, but no additional amenities are mentioned.

Related guest reviews

10

Bärbel

8 Apr 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Unsere Familysuite lag in einem separaten Haus hinter dem eigentlichen Motel in einer sehr ruhigen Straße. Die Suite war eine große Wohnung mit zwei Schlafzimmern einem Wohnzimmer und einer riesigen geschmackvoll eingerichteten Küche. Es war alles sehr neu und gepflegt-wow! Da kann man sich länger aufhalten. Sehr empfehlenswert!

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10

SARAH

21 Sept 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The family room was literally a big house behind the hotel and the suite was roomy, new and clean. This house was a step up from a hotel room, it felt like a home and it was way above expectations. The photos did not do the ad justice... The staff were accommodating, knowledgeable and aim to please. I recommend the family room., even if it's just 2 people. It's way more square feet with a view and secure and gated parking area just for the family suites.

8

Judith

19 Jan 2026

·

Stayed 3 nights

Room was clean and we enjoyed having a microwave and refrigerator!

10

Doug

27 Mar 2024

·

Stayed 5 nights

Room needs smoke detectors in 2 bedrooms. Broom, dust pan and mop would also be nice. Was a great stay.

10

Kelly

29 Mar 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very clean, comfortable, and affordable. There was a bar fridge, a microwave, and a Keurig coffee maker, which you don't always get in an economy stay. For a motel it was top notch. I would definitely stay here again

8

Troy

11 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Older style motel but clean, warm and easy parking

10

Machayla

5 Sept 2025

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Stayed 3 nights

This cute motel was very quaint! Very affordable last minute rates, it was clean and neat. It had all the basics you really need; comfy beds, a microwave and mini fridge, a very clean bathroom with towels and standard toiletries. It's in what you might describe as a rough part of town and a 15 minute drive from pretty well everything, especially at night when nothing close by is open except for the McDonald's across the street. But we felt safe and we enjoyed our stay. The staff were great. They emailed and texted us about once a day in the 3 days leading up to our stay to remind us that check-out ends at 10pm and what to do if you needed to check in later. We really appreciated that, and we kept in contact with the front desk as we were late leaving Victoria heading to Nanaimo. Checkout was so smooth, just return the key and that's it! All in all, we would definitely stay here again! Thank you.

8

Ruth

21 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Excellent value for the cost. Very clean and had a working fridge with internal freezer-also working, microwave, and Kerrigan machine. The internal fan/air conditioning unit is remote controlled and works well. High quality sheets and a comfortable bed were greatly appreciated. Clean towels and bathroom with over the door hooks in an adequate number were a bonus. À surge protector power strip attached to the wall between the beds was a much appreciated feature. It is an older motel and well maintained.

8

Carol

2 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Reasonable rates for the summer in comparison to other hotels. Close to the ferry terminal, casino, convenience store/gas station close by. The adjacent restaurant (MGM) has an extensive menu and the food and drinks were delicious! The only downfall was that it is along a busy stretch and we could hear the traffic at all hours (so maybe ask for a room around back?)

10

Vera

13 Apr 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Ground floor great for easy access, handicapped person. Fenced, private, safe space. Clean, comfortable, with a restaurant next door. Reasonable price! Friendly service.

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Cleanliness

Feedback is mixed: many describe rooms as very clean or spotless, but several report issues such as stained carpets or linens, musty smells, pests, and bathrooms needing deeper cleaning.

Related guest reviews

4

BILL

24 Jun 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The first morning my girlfriend and daughter found a bed bug on the sheet of the bed. Also, a few chips fell on the ground the night before and there was a giant pile of ants swarming said chip....disgusting. We brought it to their attention, they refunded us our 2nd ngiht and we switched hotels

4

Linbao

30 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Dirty carpet and bad smell!!!

4

Tracey

30 Jul 2025

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Stayed 1 night

I found bugs in the bed I could not sleep in the room I stayed in my truck the sheets were not changed from other tenants I found hair all over the sheets coffee station dirty

2

Robert B

31 Jul 2024

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Stayed 1 night

The pictures of this property on Expedia do not reflect all rooms! The room we got is not pictured on website. The nicest rooms are on the backside of the motel and several stairs to climb. Our bedding needed replacing due to stains on the sheets and the tub/shower was gross!!

10

edward

16 Nov 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Yes. Room was spotless and staff very courteous and friendly, would highly recommend this motel. Ed

2

Keiryn

20 Sept 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Blood stained comforter and the other bed had burn holes in the comforter. The shower head was falling off the wall and it had a very musty smell. Lots of homeless people down the street, not in an ideal location.

10

Yves

19 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Very clean, modern, affordable, not too big, nice staff.

6

Belinda

17 Apr 2023

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Stayed 2 nights

The location was good. Close to restaurants. Cleanliness, not so great. Stains on the carpet are understandable, but stains and sparkles on bed linens, not so much!

8

Carol

15 Nov 2025

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Stayed 2 nights

Convenient stay for 2 nights. Large clean room

10

Simon

15 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nicely renovated rooms. Quiet on the alley side. Comfy beds, clean all around. Friendly staff.

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Rooms

Rooms are recently updated and comfortable with large TVs and good beds; quieter stays are more likely in back-facing rooms. Downsides include limited storage, street and AC noise, and occasional Wi‑Fi or cooling problems.

Related guest reviews

10

James

31 Oct 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Older motel but rooms are very modern with large HDTV, plenty of electrical outlets for charging and a very large bathroom. Clean and comfortable, highly recommended.

8

Anne

14 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 6 nights

The staff were lovely. Only thing wrong. There was no place to unpack your clothes. Room only had one small closet with 4 hangers. No dresser, no luggage stand. Had to use one of the beds for clothes. Seemed bizarre to me.

6

Kevin

28 Feb 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was ok but no drawers and no ability to put things away

8

Angelie

27 Jul 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Check in was fast and easy. The staff helping me was very friendly and efficient. The room was clean and spacious and nice. Unfortunately, the airconditioner was not cooling properly. It was summer and it was very warm in the room. We could not open the windows because we can hear the cars in the busy street. Police sirens can be heard loudly even with the windows closed. So instead, we requested for an electric fan and was provided with one. It was not a bad stay overall. I'd still rate it 4 stars.

10

Jason

25 Aug 2024

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Stayed 1 night

The rooms have been renovated well. The room was very clean and looked amazing. The beds were comfortable and the room rates weren't inflated like other nice hotels in the area. We will staying at Harbour Light Motel every time we travel through Nanaimo.

8

Kathy

15 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Portable air conditioner kept us awake for the two nights. Other than that it's a great place to stay. I would stay there again just not in that room.

10

Kathy

15 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Was a good stay except for the air conditioner, it was a portable one, and it was very loud.Kept us awake for the 2 nights that we stayed there.

10

Jamie

22 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Heat worked good nice renovated room was a nice stay

10

Simon

15 Sept 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Nicely renovated rooms. Quiet on the alley side. Comfy beds, clean all around. Friendly staff.

6

Paul

29 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

Everything was excellent except for the wifi not working in the back section. That is a dealbreaker for me

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Service

Staff are widely described as friendly, helpful, and accommodating, including with late arrivals. However, some guests found communication and check-in policies intrusive or confusing, and a few reported unwelcome room entries.

Related guest reviews

6

Scott

2 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I phoned the front desk at 0930 to request a late checkout for 1200 and it was granted. Was woken up by a call from the front desk 15 minutes later by the same gentleman to confirm the latest checkout time is 1200. At 1103 I was again woken up by another call saying that checkout time is 1100. I politely reminded the same caller that I had asked for a 1200 checkout. He had forgotten and then at 1110 proceeded to open the door to my room but then very quickly remembered the late checkout. He said "Oh yeah thats right 101 wanted a later checkout time. Yeah I guess we\'re not very organized this morning!" He didn\'t even knock on the door.

10

Carmen

24 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

I don’t usually write reviews but this hotel deserved one. The hotel was super clean, comfy and easy to find. The owner/manager was very accommodating to our after hours check in and was such a pleasant person to deal with. I highly recommend this place and will be back.

4

James

19 Nov 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Employee, for NO reason, enters my room at 10:21AM. NOT COOL!

10

Kathy

12 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Rooms very clean, beds good, staff at check in amazing!!

2

Yangming

11 May 2024

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Stayed 3 nights

Good location but air conditioner had terrible smell and there were bugs inside the bath tub. The front desk didn’t call us to remind us for checking out instead she knocked on our door and opened our door with her key while we were still sleeping with few clothes on. She didn’t stop pushing the door open even after we called her out. We are sorry for not checking the checkout time carefully but her behavior was intimidating and rude and we received no apology.

8

Samantha

16 May 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Great stay, awesome house keeping staff. The man behind the counter who checked us in gave us a religious pamphlet and spouted that todays young people (meaning myself and my husband) are lost due to the atheistic nature of todays society so that was very off putting, but other than that good place to stay.

10

David

15 Mar 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The check In clerk was excellent. No problems, got right into our room.

10

Pamela

18 Jun 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

My flight was two hours Late into Nanaimo. Alan stayed until past midnight to check me in, carried my heavy luggage for me, had my receipt ready, and gave me a late check out time. Room was clean and comfortable.

4

May

31 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Weird communication. For some reason, the management/owners (not sure which), feel the need to contact you the day of your reservation to see if you are still coming I guess. I found this strange and inconvenient, as it stated in their auto response that if they couldn’t reach you at a specific time, they would consider your reservation cancelled. I inquired about this several times, as I knew I’d be driving during that time. While they responded to my messages, they never answered my inquiries, and even though I reassured on more than one occasion, still called while I was driving, which I found not only dangerous, but intrusive. Will not stay here again simply due to this. It’s a hotel, not an air b&b or anything. Also, very unsafe area. My daughter was mildly physically assaulted when we were walking back to hotel from dinner and directly behind the hotel, there was someone tweaking on some sort of intoxicant or something, behaving erratically. Couldn’t really afford to forfeit our room to go somewhere else, so really had no choice.

10

Kathy

15 Jul 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

They were very accommodating and stayed late for the ferry to arrive. Thank you, great service!

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Location

Convenient for ferries, downtown, and major roads, with dining and shops nearby. Multiple reviews warn the immediate area feels rough and traffic noise can be significant.

Related guest reviews

6

Geraldine

12 Jul 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

blood marks on the sheets and the area full of homeless. Didn't feel safe.

8

Sid

15 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

For an affordable property, this motel was quite good for me travelling to Nanaimo on business. Fairly close to downtown.

8

Clifford

26 Jul 2025

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Stayed 1 night

Needed a night short noticed and Harbour Light In was it. Easy check in, friendly service. 2.5 star accommodations, bed was clean and comfy. I would have slept in, but the road noise was a bit much.

6

John

23 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

There was nothing really wrong with this hotel but it was in a really rough part of Nanaimo. There were multiple addicts in the alley behind the hotel and although, there was no incident, we were worried for our vehicle while we slept. It was close to the ferry, so we booked it but the number of homeless was unsettling

10

Mark

1 Jun 2023

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Stayed 1 night

Close to downtown and ferries but highway one can be noisy at rush hour

10

Crismel

14 Jul 2024

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Stayed 2 nights

It was in a great location, accessible to shopping, and close to the beach.

8

Craig

18 Jul 2025

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Stayed 1 night

It was a simple but good room for the price. We appreciated the fridge and microwave. It was much cheaper than other comparable motels/hotels in the area. Convenient location. Good job!

8

Deborah A

12 Oct 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good choice for affordable hotel close to downtown

8

Ben

27 Aug 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Very noisy area with lots of noisy traffic but our room was surprisingly quiet. Strongly recommend requesting a room on the back side of the motel not facing the busy street. Not the best part of town, lots of homeless doing drugs on the sidewalk within a block of the motel. Didn’t feel comfortable being off the motel property in the evening. Glad we didn’t have a vehicle to worry about.

8

Sally

3 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

This is a terrific motel in an area of town that has an unfortunate number of unhoused addicts. If you’re coming and going by car, it is not an issue whatsoever. If you’re planning to walk back and forth to the harbour, it’s safe but rather unpleasant. There are a lot of people struggling with addictions. However, it’s safe.

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Dining

No on-site dining noted, but the MGM restaurant next door and nearby fast food/shops are frequently praised for easy, decent meals, including breakfast. Options are convenient for quick stays.

Related guest reviews

10

Anita

7 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean, quiet room, comfy bed, easy access to ferries. As advertised online, no surprises, great restaurant right next door.

10

Kathy

7 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff at front desk are amazing!! The room was clean, beds were good and comfortable. MGM restaurant is next door. Great food. Will be staying there 2 more times this year.

10

Tessa

2 Nov 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Our room was very clean, comfortable and quiet. Service was excellent and we had a great breakfast at the MGM restaurant next door. Highly recommend Habour Lights Motel.

10

Marianne

14 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

I booked this motel for my dad. He thoroughly enjoyed his stay. The room was clean and quiet. He loved the restaurant next door. It was close to the venue for the BC 55plus Track and Field Games, so the location was perfect. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful.

10

Sharon

22 Jul 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Unique, close to great restaurant

8

Lorraine

22 Dec 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Was perfect for a quick pit stop. Restaurant beside the motel was very good too

10

Machayla

5 Sept 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

This cute motel was very quaint! Very affordable last minute rates, it was clean and neat. It had all the basics you really need; comfy beds, a microwave and mini fridge, a very clean bathroom with towels and standard toiletries. It's in what you might describe as a rough part of town and a 15 minute drive from pretty well everything, especially at night when nothing close by is open except for the McDonald's across the street. But we felt safe and we enjoyed our stay. The staff were great. They emailed and texted us about once a day in the 3 days leading up to our stay to remind us that check-out ends at 10pm and what to do if you needed to check in later. We really appreciated that, and we kept in contact with the front desk as we were late leaving Victoria heading to Nanaimo. Checkout was so smooth, just return the key and that's it! All in all, we would definitely stay here again! Thank you.

10

Susan

31 Aug 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Such a clean and comfortable room and bathroom! Incredbly comfortable kingsize bed! Very friendly welcome too. Quiet room at the back of the building. Best night's sleep in a long time. On the same lotcas the MGM Restaurant,where everthibg is home-cooked and home-made. Fresh vegetables, gravy dinners and home-made pies. We'll be back again!

10

Stephen

3 Feb 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Quiet and comfortable. I would definitely stay there again. Restaurant is right next door and across the intersection.

8

Carol

2 Sept 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Reasonable rates for the summer in comparison to other hotels. Close to the ferry terminal, casino, convenience store/gas station close by. The adjacent restaurant (MGM) has an extensive menu and the food and drinks were delicious! The only downfall was that it is along a busy stretch and we could hear the traffic at all hours (so maybe ask for a room around back?)

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	US$66
February	US$69
March	US$86
April	US$86
May	US$89
June	US$111
July	US$138
August	US$140
September	US$88
October	US$77
November	US$72
December	US$73

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $132	2 $132	3 $132
4 $115	5 $115	6 $115	7 $114	8 $114	9 $132	10 $132
11 $114	12 $114	13 $114	14 $115	15 $115	16 $132	17 $132
18 $116	19 $115	20 $115	21 $132	22 $132	23 $132	24 $132
25 $132	26 $132	27 $132	28 $132	29 $132	30 $132	31 $132

Harbour Light Motel

Prices for Harbour Light Motel

Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Room options

Economy Room

Premium Room

Family Suite

Queen Room

Premium Double Room

Superior Room

Guest reviews of Harbour Light Motel

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property policies

Check-in instructions

Security deposit

Good to know

Optional extras

FAQs about Harbour Light Motel

Prices for upcoming dates

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18 $131	19 $131
20 $105	21 $105	22 $105	23 $105	24 $115	25 $132	26 $132
27 $115	28 $132	29 $115	30 $132