BUG review
This mangy hostel is a bit rough compared with other hostels in Edinburgh and the furnishings are old and mismatched. It has a TV lounge and a tiny kitchen.
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This hostel was visited by one of BUG's team of hostel inspectors who write independent reviews and assess a star rating based on an objective assessment criteria.
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Price Dorm bed £7.85-9.85 Double/twin room £37 Prices are in British pounds and are inclusive of all taxes.
I am from Greece and I have been staying in Playfair House for the last 6 weeks.The hostel specialises now in people who are going to be working or studying in the city for a while.As I work long hours I appreciate this place as the other residents here are a good bunch of people , and they are well behaved so I can catch up with much needed sleep in my private room.It's not the Ritz Hotel but it is cleaned daily and it is near the east end of Princes Street so it has a good location. If you want to stay in a hostel for a while in a bed and not in a bunk and need somewhere cheap this may work for you.
9 of
9 people found this review helpful
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Matt
Australia
Absolute Sh*thole 15 November 2005
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Matt
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4697)
If you read all the recent reviews (aside from all the "Anonymous"reviews from a few years ago who said the place was great, you get the idea.Some places exist because the owner shares the dream, as I have, of running the "perfect" hostel & filling it with great people. Other places just run a nasty craphole, knowing most people who are travellers rarely return to a place, so no need to worry about repeat trade. This is the second option, and a nasty hole! Don't come here!
1 of
12 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Poland
The worst hostel I ever saw 7 May 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
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(1)
(Review ID: 4698)
I lived in the hostel for several months and I must say that it is the worst place you can imagine. There were lots of rats and the toilets and kitchens were very dirty. Several times a health inspector of the city council came in and made complaints about the living conditions. In my opinion the hostel's website is misleading and deceptive.
1 of
10 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
holland
the worst hostel i've ever seen! 24 March 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4699)
don't ever go to this hostel!it's really a waste of money!the website looks really good on the internet but when we arrived, the hostel was full of dirty stuff. the bedrooms are smelly, we also had a mouce in ours!the closets in the self-catering kitchen were full of rats, the manager never cleans the closets and the rooms.he always leaves the backdoor open, so all the rats can come in!the rat smell is really disgusting, the showers are in a bed state. after visiting this hostel you'd better go to the docter to see if you're not infected by rat diseases. Don't ever go there!
4 of
11 people found this review helpful
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hostelwise
New York
Giving hostels a bad name 9 August 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
hostelwise
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4700)
A poor hostel, not well located. Should spend more money on cleaning and less on internet marketing.
11 of
13 people found this review helpful
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Derek
L.A California,USA
New Management-good place 18 December 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Derek
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 4701)
Stayed here Dec.5 and 6th.Nice,small friendly place and the whole building had just been recently redecorated and they had a nice New Zealand girl managing who was very fiendly.I came into Edinburgh by bus and this place was only a 5 minute walk from the rear exit of the bus station.-Derek,L.A
6 of
14 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Durban, South Africa
Crap, Dirty, Overcrowded 4 August 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4702)
What ever you do don't make the same mistake as me. I saw the advertisment in the Train Station and it seemed okay. When I got there all the rooms were crammed with bunkbeds, the kitchens and bathrooms were dirty and the staff were the most unfriendly I've encountered. It's also not really in the centre of town. Edinburgh Rocks, this Hostel doesn't.
14 of
17 people found this review helpful
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Freya
Australia
terrible owner 5 July 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Freya
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4703)
This hostel is good because it is close to town, but the owner is a pushy, chain smoking liar. He gave us a flier in the street, saying there were 2 fully equiped kitchens, good bathrooms and 55 pound a week. When we arrived we discoved half the showers not working, one kitchen unusable because it was full to the roof with junk and only that cheap if you stay a month or more. The hostel always reeked of smoke and the owner woke you up with his loud talking (yelling) at 7am every morning. I definately dont recommend this place
6 of
17 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
South of England
Grim! 4 June 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4704)
Having travelled around Oz thought that hostels closer to home would be of similar standard. We were surprised at the number of bunks SQUEEZED into one room which left no room to move! Found that the staff were not all that helpful and ended up getting charged the wrong amount! A friend who has travelled around the world said it was the grimmist hostel he has stayed in! The hostel is about as good as its website!!
13 of
15 people found this review helpful
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Dave
Blackburn
Getting your staff to write (Anonymous) isn't helpful 1 March 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Dave
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 4705)
There is only one reviewer giving his name and his comments seem fair. This wasn't my sort of hostel either - but if you like smoke, long stays and and a walk into the centre, you might like it.
