The Hostelz.com Review
The Cowgate Tourist Hostel pits itself against the popular hostel just around the corner, so is pulling out all the stops to attract a crowd and a good reputation.
The Location
The hostel has a perfectly serviceable location. It's just a short walk from the city centre, main shopping street, and city centre attractions. Though there are others nearer the centre, the Cowgate Tourist Hostel has less traffic passing by and is in a reasonably good neighbourhood with restaurants and bars nearby -- in fact The Three Sisters is right across the street, although this can be a double-edged sword if you're trying to get an early night's sleep at the weekend when everyone across the road is intent on partying.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are arranged in a series of apartments in the buildings next to the main reception. Each apartment contains a number of individually-locked dorm rooms with bunk beds and which share cooking and shower/bathroom facilities (private rooms and apartments are also available). This means that fewer people are crowding into the kitchen, although the shower-to-maximum-flat-inhabitants ratio is still not that good and waiting at peak times is to be expected. The facilities themselves are in top condition. Dorms, toilets, showers, and the kitchens are all spacious enough and all equipment functioning well and in excellent condition. Kitchens each have a hob cooker; oven; toaster; microwave; kettle; and sufficient plates, cutlery, and utensils.
Common Spaces
In addition to the apartment common spaces, there is a meeting area with free internet access and free tea/coffee in the main reception building. It is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., but can get very busy on weekday evenings. The Cowagte Tourist Hostel is still not the best hostel for socialising, however, due to its arrangement in apartments, and that most of the socialising guests are likely to do is among their flat-mates. Another issue with this structure is that the cleanliness of the apartments is much more closely related to the cleanliness of the current guests than the hostel staff, as the living quarters are largely unsupervised for most of the time.
Summary
In summary, this hostel provides a nice degree of independence in its arrangement as a series of apartments, which can be refreshing. In addition to this the superb facilities and comfortable dorm rooms make it a pleasant little option for staying in Edinburgh that will no doubt help it attract repeat visitors who don't mind the short walk to the main attractions. Look out also for the special midweek offers they are known to run that provide beds at much cheaper prices than the competition.
The Location
The hostel has a perfectly serviceable location. It's just a short walk from the city centre, main shopping street, and city centre attractions. Though there are others nearer the centre, the Cowgate Tourist Hostel has less traffic passing by and is in a reasonably good neighbourhood with restaurants and bars nearby -- in fact The Three Sisters is right across the street, although this can be a double-edged sword if you're trying to get an early night's sleep at the weekend when everyone across the road is intent on partying.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are arranged in a series of apartments in the buildings next to the main reception. Each apartment contains a number of individually-locked dorm rooms with bunk beds and which share cooking and shower/bathroom facilities (private rooms and apartments are also available). This means that fewer people are crowding into the kitchen, although the shower-to-maximum-flat-inhabitants ratio is still not that good and waiting at peak times is to be expected. The facilities themselves are in top condition. Dorms, toilets, showers, and the kitchens are all spacious enough and all equipment functioning well and in excellent condition. Kitchens each have a hob cooker; oven; toaster; microwave; kettle; and sufficient plates, cutlery, and utensils.
Common Spaces
In addition to the apartment common spaces, there is a meeting area with free internet access and free tea/coffee in the main reception building. It is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., but can get very busy on weekday evenings. The Cowagte Tourist Hostel is still not the best hostel for socialising, however, due to its arrangement in apartments, and that most of the socialising guests are likely to do is among their flat-mates. Another issue with this structure is that the cleanliness of the apartments is much more closely related to the cleanliness of the current guests than the hostel staff, as the living quarters are largely unsupervised for most of the time.
Summary
In summary, this hostel provides a nice degree of independence in its arrangement as a series of apartments, which can be refreshing. In addition to this the superb facilities and comfortable dorm rooms make it a pleasant little option for staying in Edinburgh that will no doubt help it attract repeat visitors who don't mind the short walk to the main attractions. Look out also for the special midweek offers they are known to run that provide beds at much cheaper prices than the competition.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2010
Their Description
Cowgate Tourist Hostel Details
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Cowgate Tourist Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Sleep on the streets!!!!!!! This hostel has been the worst place I have ever stayed in my life, having traveled alot over Asia, Australia and Europe I have never seen such vile conditions!!! We were traveling as a group 0f 5 females aged 25-30 and booked an all girl apartment!!!! We were met with 3 sets of bunk beds with soiled sheets, filth on the walls, floors that had never seen a mop but not that we complained about this but what tipped us over was 2 toilets between 24 people neither one flushed!!! It was filthy, no toilets was horrendous and after complaining we were told "they are working" even though they clearly were not, on showing them a picture of it completely blocked and heaped with waste we were met with the same response "it is working"!! We booked a female dorm but what a waste as we had to enter the male dorm for showers and had to share all these facilities, the whole experience was a disgrace. When we said to reception staff "your establishment it a joke" he agreed. Seriously please do not book this hostel, if like us you are left with no other option and this is a last resort please visit Edinburgh a different time, we were lucky to escape unharmed as this place is contaminated!!!
— Concerned citizen!!!!! , Ireland (2012-02-06) Choice This hostel is fantastic, great location, modest price. It is smack bam in amongst the pubs and clubs, so if you are looking for a good time, and a decent night out this is the hostel for you. Plus the receptionists are spanking hot, and always ready to help you out, unless of course your requests are ridiculous, like you need a less stinky room mate. My only regret about staying with this hostel is the fact that I never had a crack at any of the receptionists. Anyone who complains about the noise factor of the place is bang out of order. What do you expect from a place in the bustling party hub of this wonderful city. Who wants to mope around inside a hostel, when there's so much going on in Edinburgh. Get amongst it and stay with the wonderful folk at the Cowgate Tourist Hostel. — Emily , Australia (2010-07-13) An utter pigsty It is the most dirtiest, unfriendliest, thoroughly filthy place I have ever had the misfortune to stay in. If you want No Sleep, No Hot Water, No lights, No Working Toilets, No Showers, Fleas and Spiders in your bed, No Hope, then this is the place for you. trust me and never go there, I would rather spend a night in one of the many holes in the Edinburgh streets than set foot in this awful place again. One night was enough, I paid to stay in a hotel the second night. If you value your health and belongings don't stay here. — Carl , England (2009-11-16) Really scary and creepy! recently my friends and I stayed at Cowgate tourist hostel and I can seriously say this was the worst hostel I had ever stayed in. Thirty minutes after checking in we were told that we had been put in the wrong room by mistake and had to move. Then we were put in a room with this strange guy who laughed to himself constantly and reeked of BO so strong that it filled the room. I went down to complain and there there was this fat, bearded receptionist leering at me. When I tried to open my mouth he blatantly hit on me, telling me he had a special room on the top floor of the hostel that I was welcome to come to any time if I wanted to have fun. When I complained about this to the manager I was told to stop being so homophobic. Bathrooms were clean. Would not stay here again. — Dildar Gold , India (2009-11-06) 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 — Alessandro , Italy (2007-08-21) 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!!! — Jasmin (2005-10-15) 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. — Anonymous visitor from Australia (2005-06-08) 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. — Murray (2005-05-29) 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! — Bex (2004-11-08) 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. — Jessica (2004-09-01) 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! — Jaime (2003-10-11) 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!!! — Anonymous (2003-08-18) 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! — Anonymous (2003-08-03)