Before we left we read some bad reviews about this place and were quite nervous of what we would find when we arrived - but we were pleasantly surprised, clean sheets, freshly ironed, clean room, comfy mattresses, lovely shower room that seemed new, though the lock took a bit of jimmying! The freezer was frozen shut, but the kitchen was... More

Staying at this hostel was not an all around terrible experience, but I would definitely say it left something to be desired. I stayed in a room with five other people and shared a bathroom with more people than I ever have at any other hostel. This would not have been too bad if there was more than one shower... More

The rooms are very bare bones. There is one shower per apartment, about five rooms per apartment. The sheets are not always changed between visitors, so be sure to bring your own sleep sack. Receptionist was friendly. Hostel is only one block south of the Royal Mile and a Starbucks, so great location. Bring ear plugs if you're a light... More

This hostel is unacceptable, the only good things are the recepcionist Alberto and George, Longtermers of this hostel are people really funny and friendly as well Good, im goin to start to speak about the other things, ALL is Dirty, the cleaners dont clean NOTHING, and if the Kitchen are dirty, THEY CRY because they have to clean ( yes,... More

Had the sickest time at the Cowgate! Nice separate apartments, huge, quality kitchen perfect for hanging out and cooking meals. The toilets probably need an upgrade but still useable and very clean. Staff were helpful, especially Alberto and the new manager is awesome! We booked for one night, ended up staying for five and will defs be back!

The quality of this hostel is unacceptable. I stayed in early April and the disgust I still feel for this hostel has driven me to write this review and warn people away from staying there. I have frequented a number of hostels throughout Europe and this is the worst i have seen. Deepest darkest Romania can do hostels better than... More

I went to Edinburgh on an educational visit with a group of teens and two of their teachers, so the idea of being able to rent dorms in a hostel which were collected together in a private apartment seemed perfect. And that bit of the experience was. I'd also like to mention Alberto and George who were on the reception... More

I've been to Edinburgh enough times to consider it my second home. I visited Cowgate Hostel in August 2008, during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I would be hosted by friends until a specific date, so I needed to stay a couple of days in a hostel. So I had booked my room several months before arriving to town. I saw... More

If you want to visit Edinburgh for one week or a couple of days, don't go on this Hostel. I didn't know the meaning of hostel which means that's for student especially. By the way the cleanliness was horrible. I could look at under my bed and there were around 2 cm of dust. The staff didn't clean that at... More