Belford Hostel

We stayed there for 2 nights ; one in a private bedroom that was nice and the second in a dorm that had everything you expect from a good hostel. Everything was clean, sheets smelled good and we saw every morning the staff clean the toilets and the showers that were clean. The paintings outside the dorms walls were really funny and you could feel the mood invested in the place. We had a great welcoming from the staff that took the time to talk a little bit with us and to answer our questions. We would recommend this place for a hostel stay in Edinburgh!

I would not recommend this hostel to anyone. From the onset, the hostel communication was very poor and unreliable, and the staff in turn ended up being dishonest about prior communication once we arrived. The hostel was not dirty, thankfully, however, the walls are incredibly thin, so expect to hear absolutely everything all night - and there is a surprising amount of ruckus throughout the night. Also, there are no windows and the rooms are kept warm, and the heater was not adjusting, so it was very uncomfortable. That is neglecting the fact that - regardless of climate - I don't think the beds are conducive to sleep. I of course did not expect memory foam - but any movement moved the entire bed and made noise, entailing that whoever was on the upper/lower bunk was kept awake if you were awake. Unfortunately, the hostel does not try to place people into rooms based on when other travelers arrive, so my friend and myself were woken up past midnight by someone else coming into our room. This person ended up keeping me up all night, as they kept going in and out of the room, making an insane amount of noise. Because of this, I did not sleep - but, at first, this newcomer did not notice, and I caught them snooping on my friend and my side of the room, looking at our locks on our lockers and coming very near our head-side of the bed (the opposite side of the room of where they would climb the ladder to their bed). This topped off an already bad stay, so we were very eager to leave the next morning.

This renovated church is in a nice area of town, and the location itself is very unique/pretty. I can't speak for the shared dorms but the private room I got was perfect for my needs. Shoutout to Ollie at the front desk for being great to talk to and give me and my friend recommendations.

I really enjoyed my stay at Belford Hostel! The kitchen is spacious and well equipped, making it easy to cook and share meals with other travelers. The communal areas, especially the living room, are cozy and great for relaxing or socializing after a day out in Edinburgh. The atmosphere feels warm and friendly, and it’s easy to meet new people. The toilets and showers were always clean, which made the stay even more comfortable. Overall, a great hostel with everything you need for a pleasant stay!

The staff were friendly, but the rooms were cramped and smelt of sweat. The beds were less than half a metre apart, and there was literally no floor space to leave large bags. As the hostel is inside a converted church, there is no outside ventilation. The showers were not cleaned as frequently as they should have been, given the limited number.||The kitchen, on the other hand, was quite clean, and there is a nice common dining area. The best part was a regular supply of free bread and sometimes pastries, which I presume was food surplus from a local bakery.||The location isn't particularly great either. It looks close to the city centre on a map, but the tourist hotspots are a good half an hour walk away (or equal time by public transport). Also be warned that they will charge you £5 to leave your luggage after checkout.

Stayed here for one night and honestly, it wasn’t great. The beds weren’t comfy at all, and there’s basically no soundproofing — you can hear everyone talking like they’re in your room. The sheets didn’t smell fresh either, kinda felt like they hadn’t been washed properly. The shared areas were super cramped, not much space to move around. It would make a big difference if they added curtains to the beds for a bit of privacy, like you see in other hostels. On the bright side, the location is solid and the place looks nice from the outside. The staff were really sweet too, no complaints there. But overall, it just didn’t live up to what I was expecting.

Giving one star purely because the staff have disgusting attitudes. We were told that we could store luggage free of charge when checking in and out on the first day. Then when doing so, they tell us there will be a £3 charge per bag, and then change their mind that it will be £5 per bag. The rude Australian worker was then mocking my partners accent in front of us all. And then turning to another worker and making smart remarks implying we were being difficult. This hostel uses volunteers which I think is a nice experience for them - but they should all be trained on the same information so that this confusion doesn’t happen again. And when it does happen, the staff should be understanding and explain this to their customers, rather than be disgustingly rude. The staff need a lesson on decent customer service.

Worst hostel I've ever been in. If you're on the bottom bunk you won't be able to sit since it's too low, the walls are so thin you can hear everything, the room smelled like sweat and there are no windows in it to air it out, and the worst thing in my opinion is the lack of privacy curtains. Like, honestly, how hard would it be to install some? I paid wayyyyy too much for what I got.

If you are the target patron (backpackers or schoolchildren in groups of at least 5), this is a great spot to stay. Close to a bus station and walkable to the city center. The breakfast however is not a breakfast. It is toast/cereal/instant coffee. You can bring your own groceries and cook up a storm for your group though! Comfortable beds, reasonably quiet. Towels rent for a pound, and they'll do a load of laundry for you for 7.

It's a shame that our stay here had to be ruined by the unfriendly, unprofessional and frankly plain rude staff. The location and facilities of Belford hostel are great, however the way I have been treated as a paying customer is appalling. I would love to know if the owner is aware that their business is being run into the ground by a bunch of clowns. They get drunk every single night in the common room and scream like toddlers keeping the customers awake at all hours of the night. When entering the common area you are greeted with eye rolls by the majority of the staff. There is never a staff member at reception, the 'back in 5 minutes sign' is their constant excuse, and if you can summon the courage to ring the bell, you're eventually approached by a staff member who looks as though they would rather you just leave (excluding Seamus and Tara). I have never felt like such a burden when simply trying to pay to extend my stay. The way the manager, Tas acts is as if he wants to run the place broke. After years of experience working in the customer service industry, including in hotels, I am embarrassed for this company and feel horrible for the owner. P.s the hallway smells like sewerage.

It's a converted church to hostel. The interior has been sadly has sadly been stripped to the shell of all the original, leaving only the stain glass and stone walls, it serves as a basic hostel with synthetic interior, simply a place to shower and sleep

Ludicrously beautiful to look at, the Belford Hostel is transformed from a 19th Century church, giving it a unique feel as far as hostels go. That is pretty much the only advantage really. The hostel is good, but nothing spectacular, and the problem is that it is quite far out from the city centre (about a 20 minute walk to Princes Street). The rooms are affordable, with summer prices going from £18/£20 for a dorm (of 4-10 people), a twin room £55, a doubly ensuite £65 and a triple ensuite £82. Not massively cheap I know, but Edinburgh's not a cheap city. Check in is at 1pm and check out at 10am so that's all pretty standard, and you can get a continental breakfast for £2.50. The staff are friendly, and it is a good hostel, but as a backpacker, you want to be in the city centre and this is just a little too far out

I stayed here one night and had to pay £25 due to the rugby taking place the following day and all the hostels were exploiting the situation for that reason, so I payed up because I was working on the Saturday and needed accommodation. Overall I would avoid this hostel because the showers and the shower room are like something from an old rugby pavilion. It's hard to say they were dirty because they were so old and flaky that you couldn't tell if they were dirty or simply old. Access to them also requires going through a labyrinth of corridors and stairs. I should imagine when the hostel was full it would be fairly unpleasant. The toilets are also at the front reception, at the opposite end of the building from the showers. That said, for some reason I had the best night sleep here I've had in any hostel. The mattresses suited me, nice and firm, plus the ventilation on the ceilings of the pre-fab interior allowed for lots of cold air to flow in and to be honest, I like to sleep in a cold room. I find hot rooms dry me out. The big open plan kitchen didn't suit me too much either because I don't like being observed while I'm cooking, at least not by a mass of people. Cleanliness could have been more thorough as I found a lot of dust around tables and seating. Distance from the city centre wasn't too bad for me as I walk long distances and access with a car was easy. In conclusion I would say there are better hostels but for £10 per night it's not too bad value. The main thing that lets the hostel down are the showers.

It is a old church converted to a hostel. It is very easy to find from Haymarket train station but it was hard to believe the hostel is at the church. It worths what it pays for as the bathroom and kitchen are very nice. But the only thing I don't like is the room ventilation.

No no no no no. I love backpacking. I love staying in hostels. I've stayed in many, from Quebec City to Saint Petersburg. This is not a good hostel. It is uncomfortable. It's basically a bunch of plywood box rooms set up inside an old church. The outside of the rooms are covered in a huge, weird mural depicting things like beggars, serial killers and teddy bears hanging themselves (no, I'm not kidding). I stayed in a 10-person dorm which was very crowded, even by hostel standards. Ventilation isn't great and you easily find yourself either freezing or sweltering. It is dirty. Most of the facilities are located on the basement floor, and to get to them you have to walk through reception and past the common area. The bathrooms are vile and the showers are not much better. They stink to high heaven, there is a lot of mold and I doubt the place has had a thorough cleaning in the past decade. Don't even think about using the refrigerators in the common area. The staff claims they clean them out once a week. This is not true. It is sketchy. Although the neighborhood is safe, this is a cheap hostel and some of the folks staying there were definitely transients. A security system exists but it isn't much. You have to enter a code to enter after certain hours, but the code is simple and only changes once per week or so. Even then, staff rarely seem to ask questions about visitors and will buzz people in if they see them standing at the door. It is inconvenient. Now, I like walking so I didn't mind that it was a bit removed from the city centre, but this is not a centrally located hostel by any means. The nearest shops of any kind are a few blocks away. It's about 15 minutes from the end of Princes St, 20 minutes from the Royal Mile, and 30-45 minutes from the university. This can mean a long trip home after a night of pub-crawling. Short story: Avoid. I stayed here because I wanted to check out the Fringe and it was the only option available. If you have any other options, take them. You'll be glad you did.

The hostel is basically a converted church, so the walls in the rooms don't actually have ceilings- apart from the actual very high up church ceiling. This is a little bizarre because it means that if the people in your neighbouring rooms so desired they could climb over the wall. It is very cheap, laid back and simple though. And the staff are friendly too.

If you want something as cheap as chips, friendly and no hassle this is your place. Stags welcome says it all i suppose

Canceling my booking.... The manager (Sherlyn Scott) was beyond rude when dealing with her on the phone. I had to call a number of times in order for them to rectify the booking that was made, and found her attitude disgraceful... customer service gets a big fat zero!!! I called a number of other hostels in the area, they all were perfectly delightful to deal with.