Code Pod Hostel - The Loft

The female dorm felt private and well organised, and I felt safe and comfortable the whole stay. Each guest has a secure locker. There are two showers and a toilet nearby, which was convenient. The kitchen was clean and useful, with everything provided. The location is easy to find and close to the main tourist sights. I was very happy with my 4-bed female dorm.

The bathroom and location were good, but I slept worse here than at any hostel I've tried. The blanket was too small, about 5 ft (155cm), and the mattress was short for me at 6 ft. It was made of poor foam and dipped in the middle. The keypad buttons often don't register when touched, and people kept entering the wrong codes by accident, setting off loud beeps in the hall. There are no proper electrical outlets in the pod, only USB. For twice the price of a regular hostel bed in the city, everything else felt worse. This place seems kind of like a scam.

We booked a room for four as a group of four, but the entry codes they sent didn't work. With nobody on site, getting help took ages, and asking for assistance seemed to be a huge inconvenience. The room was smaller than it looked in the online photos and wasn't clean when we arrived. There was rubbish and waste left by whoever had stayed before, I guess.

The location is great, a short walk from Waverly station and places like the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, Victoria Street, and the museums. There are loads of restaurants, bars, and shops around. The bathroom and shower cleanliness was a problem. There was mold all along the bottom of the showers, and there's only one toilet per floor. Our room was clean, but street sounds came through, along with noise from people on the stairs and using the keypad. It's next to a pub. The room also gets very hot, though the little fans help.