Castle Rock Hostel

This is by far the best hostel I have stayed in. The staff is super friendly, they have so many different events every night to get you to socialize with other travellers. When traveling and staying in hostels you don't always want to buy a whole bottle of oil or some salt and pepper, at Castle Rock they have tons of different spices, oil, free tea, coffee and even plant-based milk available for you to use! This is the first time I've stayed in a hostel with so many things. They have a super cozy movie room too. And a quite lounge where you can go chill in silence if that's what you prefer.

This hostel was my first experience staying in a hostel in the UK three years ago, and it was amazing. The staff were really friendly and let me stay in the common areas after check-out while I waited for my bus. They also offered free milk, and the kitchen was large enough for me to cook a bit. Inside the room, all the lockers had keys! It’s close to many attractions, you can visit lots of places just by walking 15 or 20 minutes. Furthermore, the hostel is really nicely decorated and has a charming medieval vibe.

This is my second time staying at Castle Rock this year, and both stays were wonderful. This was my first hostel I had stayed in back in May, and the last stop on my backpacking trip. I enjoyed my time here and would highly recommend this hostel to anyone who is looking for a warm, social environment. The location is amazing, and is directly outside of the castle. It’s within walking distance of cafes, fun shops, restaurants, and obviously the castle! The common areas are so fun and great for socializing or getting work done. The staff are friendly and kind, and enjoyable to chat with. This is one of my favourite hostels and I always enjoy my time here. 🫶

I stayed in this hostel for a few days and the location was amazing, so close to everything with an amazing view of the castle. They have many different common areas with books and beautiful decoration. Although I didn't partake in any activity, I thought it was great the amount of opportunities they offer to meet others, especially as a solo traveller, like movies every night, solo meet-ups etc... The rooms were rather clean and had a lot of space. The only thing I would say is that the door of my dorm was very difficult to open and it was very annoying, I was left fumbling with the door for several minutes in the middle of the night until someone opened from the inside.

Stayed one night after a 5-day MacBackpackers tour (also highly recommended!). There was a miscommunication and my reservation was not on record. The front desk staff was professional and accommodating and made arrangements for me to stay in the staff quarters. Unlike other hostels I stayed in during the 5-day tour, Castle Rock offers lockers for baggage stowing - BONUS! In my opinion the staff went above and beyond, offering complimentary breakfast and a complimentary towel due to the miscommunication (I didn't ask, they offered). Check-in and check-out process was smooth. Breakfast was timely and well-organized. The lounge area is spacious and comfortable. I was within walking distance of several transit options: bus, train and tram. Highly recommend!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Castle Rock Hostel. There's events on each day/night and the rooms are really clean and comfortable. The dining/lounge area is a great place to chill out and socialise, and Bryan the axolotl was an amazing addition! I also joined the MacBackPackers 5 day tour through them and loved every minute of it!

This was unfortunately the worst hostel experience I’ve ever had. And I’ve stayed in a number of hostels. I booked for 5 nights but left after night one. Here were the main issues: - The first two people I met at reception were quite rude and unprofessional. They were more concerned with dancing and singing to each other than checking people in. - The room and bed. The room was cramped and stuffy, even with the window open. The beds are short and your feet will hang off if you’re tall. There is also no privacy curtain for the beds and I felt very exposed in my sleep. I had a very loud, snoring roommate as well and having a curtain/cubby style bed would have helped with the noise. - The bathrooms. They are dirty and smell terrible. Additionally, my floor only had one shared gender washroom with two toilets and two showers. All three times I walked into the bathroom, there was a different man in there, peeing in the toilet with the door open. This isn’t the hostel’s fault but certainly made my stay worse. - There is no lift available and I was on the very top floor. Being that this is an old building in Scotland, this one wasn’t too surprising. However it’s a major annoyance when coming and going. - One pro is they have affordable laundry services. I paid 5£ and they washed, dried and folded my clothes before I left. This hostel is old and run down, lacking the basic amenities and cleanliness that a hostel should offer. If they can take better care of the rooms and bathroom along with more professional staff, it would be worth staying here. It’s in a good location.

I absolutely loved this hostel. Reasonably clean and very comfortable beds and quilt. So much space and many rooms to chill and relax. I loved the cinema room! The idea to have movies playing every night was genius. Loved it! The only downside were the showers. They were not very clean, they smelled bad and they desperately need an upgrade. I also didn’t like that the shower room was unisex making me feel a little uncomfortable at times. Other than that, amazing and I had an overall comfortable stay. The staff were also very friendly and helpful.