Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel

The manager, Sergio, was a formidable pool opponent, so I’ll be back at least partly to get my revenge. The place is lovely and well located, with a good TV room and a common room with a pool table. Everyone on staff I met was lovely too.

The location was great, but that was the only good part of this stay. My first visit had been really nice, with good staff and a place to store luggage, including a bike, so I booked here again. This time was a very, very bad experience. The room was dirty overall, the floor was uneven, and pieces were missing from the wall. The bed was so dirty I had to use my own bedding. When I arrived, the staff were unfriendly and completely uncooperative. Previously, leaving my bike at reception had been no problem, but this time they simply said no and told me to take it upstairs. It was pretty much impossible to do that, which anyone could see. It took me 30 minutes to finish. At checkout, I got the same unpleasant attitude from the same receptionist. I politely asked to leave my luggage for a few hours before heading to the airport. She brushed me off with, “We had this conversation already.” When I asked what else I could do, she just shrugged and said it wasn't her problem.

We stayed in an eight-bed room. It was small but cosy, very clean, and had storage space. The toilets were kept clean too, and there was a nice kitchen and shared area with a TV and games. Right in the city centre. I'd definitely recommend it for a short trip to Edinburgh.

It's very close to the Christmas markets, Royal Mile and museums. Our rooms were clean, with plenty of locker space and phone charging, and the toilets and showers were nearby. Service was decent. One of our keycards didn't work when we arrived, but they fixed it quickly.