Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel

Mostly good
Stayed at EBH for five weeks and it has its pros and cons. Biggish kitchen with lots of fridge space. No can opener. Comfortable mattresses and very thick curtains on big windows. No ladders for top bunks and bedbugs in first bed i had. Good water pressure in showers. Hot water runs out mid-morning way too often. Fantastic atmosphere in common rooms. The stairs are a bastard but you get used to them. And the special deal for breakfast at the Southern Cafe is pretty sweet even if you do have to pay for your coffee separately. Overall, a good hostel and good value for the money.

Outragous price! £42 for a twin room just one night! Couldn't believe it when i saw the room, tiny dark and dingy! like a ferry cabin and bunks were noisy and shaky. female bathroom ok but men's was rough, no mirror and tiles coming off the wall. staff were indifferent too! wish i'd complained but we were only there for one night and couldnt be bothered to make a fuss.

Don't go there! We were well chuffed when we arrived, as the room was lovely. It was at the back of the building on a quiet square, with a wonderful view, and it had a cute little kitchen and a cute little bathroom, which we only had to share with one other couple. Sounds nice, doesn't it? Well, that soon came to an end. There was no hot water. The lock to the main building was loose, and actually broke the key (my partner, who tried to open the door, can't even open a jar of pickles, so it was obviously metal fatigue because so many other people had problems with the lock). So we got locked out of our flat for most of the day. No kitchen, so we had to buy lunch. And worse, my partner's walking stick was in there, which meant her disabled foot got so sore we couldn't walk anywhere the next day. They'd fixed the lock by the late afternoon. They didn't even try to fix the hot water (judging by the look on the receptionist's face it was to "punish" us for breaking the key). That night, the neighbours held a noisy party until 6 a.m. So, what do you think, we'd get a nice free breakfast for all the inconvenience caused, yes? Wrong! They charged us for the broken key. And for all the copies they had to make of the new key for the rest of the entire building. They didn't give us our deposit back either. It was not our fault that their building had a faulty lock. Their customer services are beyond disgraceful. Never again. With what they charged us, we could have gone across the road, which is something we'll definitely do next time.

Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel is the best. I stayed for approximately eighteen months on and off over a two-year period. The rooms are immaculate, staff great and a great place to meet people to go out with or travel with. There is a great kitchen for cooking or the cafe if you can't be bothered. I happened to meet my husband while I was living in the hostel. Now we live in Reno, Nevada, have three kids and are living a good life!

A great location because it is at the start of the "old town" in Edinburgh. There were a lot of teenagers wearing black everyday outside the hostel...at least 15 and sometimes 60 of them! They very much keep to themselves, so there is no hassle with them. But I just find it strange they are always there. It's a very large hostel, which makes socializing optional...good for loners and loud mouths. Not much of a party scene at the hostel, but who wants to party in their own place when there are friendly pubs on your street?

Decent place — location was great, rooms were clean enough. The restaurant next door has great breakfast, and the people were friendly. What I didn't like was that there were people shouting, singing, and laughing very, very loudly on the street outside all night, and I could hear every word from my bed. Also, it's 5 stories tall with no elevator. Not bad, but frustrating with heavy bags and when it's late at night. My biggest problem was that on the floor I was staying on there were no washrooms for women, only for men. The ladies room was a floor up or down. Very annoying in the middle of that night, that's for sure. But all in all, a decent place.

It was under repairs when I was there, but it wasn't bad. The beds were decent, the location is fine, and the kitchen and lounge are good. A better price than some other hostels.

I originally chose Edinburgh Backpackers because (at the time, in 1998) I could work for my board. I ended up living in the staff dorm for eight months, working night reception on the weekends, and going to a regular office job during the week. Many of the staff were doing the same, and we deliberately worked to create a strong community in the place. Guests would often tell us it was like visiting an international retreat center. EBH is one of the great travel memories of my life.

You can't beat the price for a week's stay — £50 for Monday-Sunday. And this place is fairly well equipped. People were wicked and the beds were quality. The location is to die for. Enjoy, I did!!!

We stayed at this hostel during the Edinburgh Festival in August 2004 and we were very glad to find a room on such short notice. We called them in the afternoon and we were told to stop by. The hostel is very big (three floors, I think) but the rooms are cozy and brightly colored. We stayed in a room for six people. The only disadvantage about the hostel was the bathrooms. There were a lot of showers, but the bathrooms were rather smallish. The staff was very helpful, and we got free towels. All in all, it was certainly a good experience, but personally I prefer to stay at smaller hostels because that makes interaction easier with the other guests.

While the location was great, I can't recommend this hostel. The staff were downright creepy. The bathrooms are very dirty. There are much better places to stay.

I lived and worked in this hostel for two months. This was one of my best hostel experiences. The staff is friendly and great, and it tends to draw all types of travelers. Plus you can't beat the location.