The Hostelz.com Review
Bright and cheery, the High Street Hostel is full of color and character. Plaid wall-hangings and upright full sets of knight's armor stand side by side with a giant draped rainbow and vivid splashes of paint. Located just off the Royal Mile (High Street), this hostel is literally within spitting distance of the Edinburgh Castle, the Waverly train/bus station, and a slew of the best restaurants and pubs in Edinburgh.
High Street Hostel is in great condition and is well staffed, with twenty-four-hour reception -- someone is always at hand to answer questions and to stash or retrieve one's valuables in/from a secure locker. Lodgers are given a pink slip with the details of their lodging information, which they must present to the receptionist each time the hostel is entered. Smoking is not permitted in the hostel. Wireless internet is available for free in the reception and adjacent sitting room, the leather sofas and chairs of which make for a comfortable place to rest after a trek through the city.
A relatively large hostel, High Street can be a great place to socialize and meet people. A large kitchen and dining room, equipped with a pool table in addition to tables for eating, bustle with people at all hours of the evening, with games and music growing louder as the night progresses. The sleeping accommodations are modest and clean, and the bathrooms are small and clean, with the exception of the larger bathroom on the ground floor near the kitchen, which is less well kept. Full Scottish breakfast is offered each morning for a small price, and tea, coffee, and hot chocolate are always available for free.
High Street Hostel is in great condition and is well staffed, with twenty-four-hour reception -- someone is always at hand to answer questions and to stash or retrieve one's valuables in/from a secure locker. Lodgers are given a pink slip with the details of their lodging information, which they must present to the receptionist each time the hostel is entered. Smoking is not permitted in the hostel. Wireless internet is available for free in the reception and adjacent sitting room, the leather sofas and chairs of which make for a comfortable place to rest after a trek through the city.
A relatively large hostel, High Street can be a great place to socialize and meet people. A large kitchen and dining room, equipped with a pool table in addition to tables for eating, bustle with people at all hours of the evening, with games and music growing louder as the night progresses. The sleeping accommodations are modest and clean, and the bathrooms are small and clean, with the exception of the larger bathroom on the ground floor near the kitchen, which is less well kept. Full Scottish breakfast is offered each morning for a small price, and tea, coffee, and hot chocolate are always available for free.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2006
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High Street Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
The friendly atmosphere and old scottish style are the first impressions you get after entering High Street Hostel. You feel comfortable and welcome there. I was staying in huge 12-bed dorm. First I was afraid but after entering this dorm, it was much more comfy than some 6 bed dorm in a hostel in Perth/Australia. The linen was great. Had some good sleep! The kitchen next to the common room was big enough and you could still find some small area to store your food (though it was St.Patrick's Day). You find plates, cutlery, so no need to bring your own stuff. The bathroom was clean and quite small, but you can just go up or downstairs, if it was occupied. — Norman , Germany (2012-05-10) For that price -- everything you dream of A wonderful hostel with nice facilities. Relatively cheap breakfast, coffee and tea for free, washing, drying and ironing possible. We had a private room with double bed, very small, but cosy and comfortable as for two walkers who were about to embark on The Cape Wrath Trail. The bathrooms are clean. There is a common room with a lot of space where you can drink your beer (there is a fridge to cool it, available for everyone -- we forgot our Tennent's, so cheers, whoever found it. Very nice people behind the contour, they will let you leave your luggage if you arrived before check-in time. — Anna Maria Estera , Polish (2010-11-19) Take your hot water bottle. It's misleading to call this place a backpacker's hostel. it's a boarding house with some short-term beds thrown in. The majority of people here are long-term residents and staff, and they're not interested in making new friends. You can kill time using the free wifi, but you'll be huddled up in the fetal position due to the permanently open windows -- rain, sleet, or snow. the windows are ALWAYS open. Stay there for a few days and you'll realise that they don't actually change the doona covers in between guests. The kitchen is really awful and, while long-term residents all have giant tubs to put their food in, there's nowhere for short-term guests to store food. There's a huge common room, but be prepared to be transported back to Year 9, as all the cliques sit around and scowl at anyone unfamiliar invading their lounge room. I could go on. So many places to stay in Edinburgh, no need to resort to this one. — Sarah , Australian (2010-02-15) Brilliant If you are going to Edinburgh, don't stay anywhere else. High Street is perfectly located at about the midway point of the Royal Mile, equidistant from the Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Very nice common areas and large kitchen. Rooms are very clean and well kept, as well as the showers. — Kiki , Australia (2009-08-16) A great place to stay! I stayed here with my daughters and would stay again. Nice place and nice staff. — Mary , US (2009-05-03) Flippin Fantastic! I lived here for six amazing months and I would recommend this hostel to anyone! It is so friendly, really easy to make friends, fantastic rooms, and twenty-four-hour lounge. Reception is open twenty-four/seven as well and nice big kitchen. Pub crawls every thursday. internet access, lovely rooms! Would love to be here still with the old gang instead of in the real world. — Laura22 , Ireland (2009-03-22) Live Hostel Lively hostel off Royal mile in Edinburgh, Wi-Fi, twenty-four-hour well equipped kitchen, free tea/coffee, nice dining area, good mix. dorms slightly noisy at night but tolerable. staff are helpful to guide you. individual lockers to keep your belongings, specious bunk beds, what else you want more? — Umesh , India (2009-03-19) Pretty good I was there in summer 2005. It's a nice hostel, near the city center. The real good thing is it's quite easy to socialize thanks to the large common room where you can also eat together. It's quite large, and the dorms and toilets are not excellent, but overall I loved it because I spent a wonderful time there! — Laura_Wood , Italy (2009-03-09) Good deal Cheap and pleasant! The atmosphere was great, and for 8 pounds a night, I couldn't ask for much more. The beds were clean and comfortable, and there were individual lockers in our room. The bathrooms were a bit dingy, but that can be expected from an old building. Bathrooms were co-ed, but not a big problem. Staff was nice and easygoing, and the other guests were friendly. Plus, it's right on the High Street, in the middle of all the sites of the old part of Edinburgh. I'd definitely stay here again. — Mandy , United States (2008-06-01) Great location, friendly staff, cheap, and good quality I've been in this hostel for four nights and I really liked it. The atmosphere was good, the staff was friendly, and the beds were nice and clean. The showers and toilets were ok too and there was enough place in the lockers to keep your valuable stuff. The location is perfect, right in the center of the Old Town so you can go everywhere by foot. I would definitely recommend this hostel! — Linda , The Netherlands (2008-01-28) The dorm rooms were adequate -- nothing fancy. The atmosphere was fun and energetic. The people are very friendly. There are a lot of long-timers staying who are friendly and ready to show you a good time if you include yourself. All in all, a fun place for a cheap buck. — bjkasten , United States (2007-05-23) We had a fabulous trip to this hostel and I'm booking another almost as I type. We chose the hostel as it was cheap and close to where we needed to be. We were very pleasantly surprised at how clean, comfy and friendly everything is. Breakfast is basic but I don't think £1.90 is expensive for roll, cereal, and juice! Fab bacon and egg shop up the road anyway! I was five months pregnant when we stayed and it was so easy. Bathrooms were close, people in the dorm very considerate, and we could come and go as we pleased. I particularly appreciated being able to have a snooze and a cup of tea even after we'd checked out. We'll be back very soon, and lots more after that! — Kerami and Andy Roberts , England (2007-04-14) I was there three times, and all of them were very different experiences. The place where is situated is lovely. The best is the people. They are friendly and I have very good memories from there. If you are in Edinburgh I wouldn't miss it. — Mireia (2007-04-12) If you like a room shared with ten others, and nowhere to put your bags. If you like a hostel that you don't want to go back to, even after a long day outside. If you like to just go into the room and sleep and pretend you are somewhere else. Then please, book a room here. On the upside, the kitchen is pretty large, with loud music and a pool table. — Chin (2006-06-14) This is by far the worst hostel I have stayed in. The staff were rude, and patronising, they asked me for ID to stay in there, and said it was a "government regulation" even though they were the only hostels in Scotland to obey it. The breakfast was overpriced and awful, the hostel itself was overpriced, and the room I stayed in was in complete squalour. It was like a messy bedroom. The mattress and pillow I slept in was unclean and I actually got fleabites from sleeping there. There are many, many other hostels in Edinburgh to choose from, so avoid this one at all costs. If I could, I would give zero stars. — Joseph Redford (2006-05-09)