Edinburgh Day 3 – Nailing Edinburgh
We meet with James at the Ocean Hostel and are greeted with a friendly welcome and a nice cup of coffee. James is passionate about his hostel, and has lots of great plans for the future. It’s still relatively basic at the moment, but has all the facilities that you need and his plans sound great. There is a really relaxed feel to the hostel, and well suited to long termers, but also short termers as well. It’s not right in the city centre, but it is a short bus ride away, opposite the pub that was seen in the movie ‘Trainspotting’ and the location is still pretty good. James is quite flexible and happy to help make your trip better in any way he can. He’ll even book highland trips for you. All in all, it’s a good basic hostel, with incredibly friendly staff and it’s just going to get better and better.
Wednesday 10.15 am
A short walk down to the Traveller’s Inn saw us meeting with Mike. We had to get him down from the roof where he was doing maintenance, and straight away, we saw that this was different to your usual hostel. Our suspicions were confirmed when Mike explained that everyone, including himself worked for free, and any profits went to his charity that he had set up. This adds a real different feel to the place. All the staff live on site, and are all travelers themselves. The lounge and outside areas are excellent with a BBQ set up for those sunny days. This had a great feel to it, and although possibly slightly more suited to long termers, everyone is made to feel welcome here. A great little hostel, just a 20 minute walk right to the centre of town.
Wednesday 11.30 am
We met with the guys at Edinburgh Metro - Glen and Valetin – who took us around to see all the rooms. This place is just ideal for stag and hen weekends and also for big groups. The rooms are very clean and tidy and although the property was a little difficult to find it is still very centrally located. I would highly recommend to anyone coming to stay in Edinburgh.
We were then accompanied to the Edinburgh International by Valetin. He introduced us to Malcolm who took as around to see the rooms. Much the same as the previous property and with all the same perks it again comes recommended.
Wednesday 1.30 pm
Euro Hostels, Edinburgh halls was the next stop. We met with the lovely Steve who took us to view all the possible rooms. This accommodation is again excellent and very clean and tidy. Staff are great and lots of fun and its in a great location.
Wednesday 2.10 pm
Next up was the Princes St East Backpackers where we met with Steve. A fantastic old building in a great location it’s a sterling option. However, it is aimed at the seasoned backpacker and someone traveling and not so familiar with this way of life may be a little intimidated by the long term residents.
Having said that though there is an unbelievably relaxed atmosphere there and the rooms are great and very individual with loads of great art spread out throughout the entire building.
Wednesday 2.45 pm
Onto the next property Palmerston Lodge., where we met with Kirsty. A lovely property which is very quiet and peaceful with massive rooms that are filled with sunlight from the massive windows it’s a great choice of accommodation. The location is great and rooms are clean and tidy.
Wednesday 3.45 pm
The Edinburgh Hostel is run by the same people as the Belford. This one has an incredible location, right in the centre of things, right by the Royal Mile. Jacqui met us for a cold drink next door, and we chatted about both hostels. The Edinburgh has excellent facilities and is very modern. It will keep you fit walking up the stairs, and there is cool use of colour on the walls. They do have private rooms, which are in different buildings, but are very close to the main building. This gives a little bit of privacy for them, which is nice, and is also good for groups.
Wednesday 4.15 pm
This next hostel - City Centre Tourist Hostel - was very clean and tidy but had the most basic facilities. I perhaps wouldn’t recommend for a long term backpacker as there seemed to be very little socializing going on in the hostel, however I would recommend for those having a short stay. It has an excellent location which is its biggest appeal. We had a quick meeting with Hugh who showed us around a couple of rooms. All clean and tidy.
Wednesday 4.45 pm
The City Centre Guest House and Hostel is in a great location and offers very clean and tidy rooms. It is a very quiet place which would not be suited to those looking to have a party though. If that is what you are looking for as a long term backpacker then this place is ideal. Lovely and friendly staff will make your stay a pleasure.
Wednesday 5 pm
We stayed at St Christophers’ Inn and we had a great time. Great staff, and a fantastic bar (Belushi’s) where there are nightly events such as Karaoke, pub quiz (which we won!) and live music. There is a beer garden outside also, and a really nice chill out lounge to watch TV in. The beds are very comfortable and we definitely got a good night’s sleep here. Great breakfast included and the location was right in the heart of the city, and extremely close to the train station. You’d be really happy staying here. It is a great hostel. We met with Liam the manager just before we left to come back to London, and would have been quite happy to stay on.
.All in all I think I can speak for both Theresa and I and say that we had an excellent time in Edinburgh. An incredibly fast paced trip with very little time for anything else has left us both with ideas of visiting Edinburgh next summer and doing it all again.
A beautiful city that if you have not yet visited should be at the top of your list!!!
Comprehensive list of Edinburgh Hostels.
For more information on getting aroun Edinburgh go to Transport Edinburgh
