Cowgate Tourist Hostel

Great
I stayed there for four weeks, best prices in town, great staff working in it, central position (near to the nightlife locations) what should have i asked more. one of the best hostel i've ever been. if i'll come back to edinburgh and i will, i'll go there

Well, the apartment I stayed in was located in the basement!! Nevertheless there was a window in my room, but what a view — I saw the wall of another building. Sometimes it was really difficult to guess whether the sun was shining or not!!! The kitchen and bathroom were very clean. But there was no lounge. Respectively there was a sofa in the kitchen and a TV. The hostel is very central, although the neighborhood didn't seem very secure late at night. But the probably worst thing was that close beside the building there was a construction site, which made such a noise!!! One morning we even were awoken by a false fire alarm! If you have a choice, stay in another hostel!!!

We stayed here on the 29/09/04. Entering this place was terrible, due to poor lighting. When entering the hostel, we could not find the keyhole for the key to enter. Also there was construction going on next to our bedroom. The bedroom was unsatisfactory: it was not cleaned, had poor bed linen and pillows, and was very noisy at night, due to the pub over the road. I would not recommend anybody to stay there.

My whole rugby team stayed for a long weekend; we got what we paid for. The big boss had buggered off to Inverness leaving a full hostel in the hands of two of Manuels (Fawlty Towers) family members. They were under no circumstances to contact anyone other than a cleaner! Only one window that we could open and no functioning ventilation meant that those of the 24 of us who hadn't experienced a tropical rainforest don't need to bother now! A large group would be very hard pressed to find more central, good value for money accommodation. Salamanders will thrive.

I had a fantastic time. The hostel is in a great location, with loads of fabulous nightlife surrounding it. I shared a room with seven friends and had a fantastic birthday weekend. The manager is really hot, too!

This is the worst hostel I've ever stayed in. Opposite is a pub that doesn't close until 3:30 in the morning. We didn't get the dorm we booked for, but ended up in a dorm with three drunken guys trying to smoke pot and steal one of my shoes. There was no one we could ask for help, because there simply is no staff after 11 at night. Upon returning one night I found my clothes, towel and bed linen were all gone. I called from abroad three times, left a note with my phone number twice, and left my credit card number. But no one tried to contact me, nor did we get anything back. Another guest complained about someone peeing in his room. Upon entering the bathroom a terrible noise starts. With a bit of bad luck the bathroom is next to your dorm, and the noise will keep you from sleeping for about 30 minutes. On entering the corridor that leads to the apartment you think you're in some awful-smelling basement; however, once you enter the dorm everything is clean. The shower was a bit broken (but even though you had to keep the shower nozzle in your hand it was nice). The heat was on in our dorm, and we couldn't turn it off (it was mid-August). Finally, the mattresses have some iron in them, which you can feel extremely well. Some plus points (of the very few): some rooms have double-glazed windows, which makes the pub outside less loud; and the hostel is very centrally located.

They charged my credit card for a twin room and then lost our booking and told us that we would have to stay in a dorm for the same price. They then didn't want to refund my card. The service was really unfriendly, you could see right into the rooms from the street and it was noisy all night long. Never again!

Slightly overpriced. The flat I was in was lovely but completely souless. No extras like a TV lounge or communal area contributed to my disappoinment. Comfy but VERY noisy!!!

The new part is great, the old part is terrible! There are numerous stairs in the new portion, so don't bring too much luggage! It is in an awesome location - and they have washers and dryers! Don't go to this hostel if you want a quiet nights sleep - The three sisters pub is right across the street!