We’re not sure if you’ve heard or not, but we’re kind of a big deal. As well as providing cheap and easy seasonal accommodation for super-cool travelers, we also deal in awesomeness.
The Fat Salmon prides itself on its central Port location, being just a five-minute walk from the Harbour Quay. The Harbour Quay, home to Lady Rose Marine Services amongst other rad things, is where the Pacific Ocean meets Port Alberni. Some say that the Harbour Quay is where the rubber meets the road, but the jury is out on that one.
Planning to rock the West Coast Trail? Going to dive with Rendezvous Dive Adventures, or paddle with Batstar Adventure Tours? All those adventures start at the Fat Salmon’s back door.
Meet your hosts: Chris Marshall and Charmead Schella. The King and Queen of Awesome are joined by their two brilliant sons, Angus & Beck, as well wunderhund, Lily. Charmead and Chris met while living and working at High Street Hostel in Edinburgh, Scotland, last century. They fell stupidly in love with both each other and the hostel lifestyle, swearing to one day open the hostel that would be the envy of the known universe. After a bit of farting around, they hand-picked Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, to be their location. Et, voila!
Char’s role as Raddest Mom in the World is her life’s tightest fit, and both Angus & Beck (hands down) her two coolest achievements. Char collects gin, takes photos on a Nikon D60, and loves Swiss cheese. She is also Scrabble champ of the planet and is rocking her Project 365 like no one’s business.
Chris, from New Zealand, divides his time between his wood workshop, Angus & Beck, and driving the Fat Salmon bus at breakneck speed down steep hills. He won the Fat Salmon’s Father of Year award in both 2010 and 2011, but thinks that he might have blown his chance at the 2012 title due to e-voting that we understand will be introduced later this season. Shame, that.
You can read more about the Fat Salmon in the Lonely Planet BC guidebook and the Lonely Planet Canada guidebook. It has appeared in Reizen (Germany) and Le Guide du Routard (France and Belgium) guidebooks, too. The Fat Salmon has also been written up in local newspapers, the Island-wide business newspaper, Business Examiner, as well as appeared on the local television channel, Shaw. The Fat Salmon graced the front page of the Travel section in the Edmonton Journal in Alberta, and the Victoria Times Colonist in British Columbia. The Fat Salmon has also appeared in the international diving magazines Duiken (Belgium and Holland), Taudren (Austria), and SPITS (Germany).
Fat Salmon Backpackers Hostel is a proud member of Backpackers Hostels Canada and Pacific Hostelling Network. The Fat Salmon is a founding member of Alberni Valley Tourism through the Alberni Valley Chamber of Commerce, a leading voice in directing tourism for the Alberni Valley.