Destiny Student - Murano

The room was clean, with a small kitchen, and the bed was comfortable. If you’ve stayed in student housing before, you’ll know what to expect, and this is a good place for what it is. We only spent one night passing through Edinburgh, but I’d come back if I needed a budget option.

The staff are super friendly, but I feel sorry for the students living here, and I’m a student myself. The walls are paper thin, so you hear every word from the neighbours. Rooms are grouped into “flats,” and the main door slams whenever anyone walks through to yours. The shower filled up with water, and on hot days the window only opens a little.

The rooms were okay and fairly clean for the price, but don’t expect much comfort. There were signs asking people to keep quiet after 22.00, yet the noise from the common room and elsewhere went on all night. The rooms get very warm in summer, so you’ll need the window open, but people are constantly smoking outside and the smell gets into the room. The walls are thin enough that I could hear people snoring in other rooms. Reception gives out earplugs for free. I’d recommend it if you want to save money and can accept being less comfortable.

I spent two nights here after booking through Booking.com, and the experience was great. It was very affordable, but the quality was better than I expected. My room was clean and well maintained, and when I needed an iron there was a new one in the shared kitchen for everyone to use. The staff who checked me in were friendly and welcoming, with big smiles. It’s about a 15-minute walk to the city centre, with some nice restaurants nearby. Clean, safe and good value, I’d definitely recommend it to tourists visiting Edinburgh.