Kick Ass Grassmarket

Ali was absolutely incredible — so helpful, full of great advice about the area, and just an all-around fun character who made the experience even better. I stayed in a pod room, which had great features and a surprisingly comfortable bed. I also loved meeting like-minded travelers in the room; it made for such a fun and social atmosphere. The location is superb, right in the heart of everything. The staff were all fun, professional, and welcoming. I can’t wait to come back to Scotland and stay here again! Highly recommend.

This was my first ever time in a hostel and I was honestly very very wary of staying here. The place looked cool but I am someone who tends to struggle to sleep and I get anxious when sharing toilets etc. However, I am so incredibly glad that I stayed here! It was such an amazing experience! I stayed on the top pod and my friend on the bottom! We were in an 8 pod dorm and thankfully we had incredibly respectful roommates who were all very polite and by 11:30pm most of us were in bed and quiet with lights turned off! Anyone who came in after was very polite and made no noise. I even got 8 hours of sleep (I'm normally a 6 hour sleeper)! It was better than I could've ever expected! Of course the bathrooms and showerrooms are shared but it wasn't a big deal in the end so long as you're okay with waiting your turn. The location was perfect, literally perfect! We were a 15 minute walk from the train station, surrounded by lovely bakeries and bars and shops! Right in the old town! Amazing! The pods do get very very hot and the air conditioner in the room only points to the lower pods so my pod didn't get any air however it wasn't a heatwave during my visit so I was absolutely fine, I do see it being a problem during the heatwave though cause I woke up sweaty and stuffy. I also see being in the 24 dorm rooms being a potentially bigger issue to however for my visit I was very happy. We paid for the breakfast but my cereal was stale so I only had an egg, banana and croissant. You don't pay much for the breakfast but I wish I'd paid a couple quid more and gone to a local bakery for my tea and pastry. However an incredibly good experience and id happily stop here again!

Overall a fairly good experience. The staff was very welcoming and helpful, and everything was fairly clean. It’s a very good area and the pod itself is comfortable enough. However, it can get fairly hot in the pods. I know the UK doesn’t have great indoor AC so it’s not necessarily the hostels fault, but do keep in mind that especially the third floor will be very warm. Also, I haven’t seen anyone mention this but the showers are BOILING hot. The first bit of water is cold but then it is unbearably hot. I can forgive the water being a little uncomfortable but it is physically painful to fully stand in the shower it is so hot. Other than those two things, a good place to spend a few nights.

We are an older couple and we really liked this hostel - but not the stairs with our big bags! If you travel light and want to be a bit removed from the touristy Royal Mile and stay in an education/arts district, then this hotel is for you. Bright, fun and quirky with friendly and helpful staff.

I stayed here recently on a trip, and while the location is absolutely outstanding and right in the center of many main activities, the hostel itself had some things I didnt love. The WiFi connection was not strong at all, which was an issue. The beds in the rooms could really use curtains, and the showers were the worst. You have to press a button every 30 seconds for the water come out, and you have no control over the temperature. In this regard, I was expecting better, even in a hostel. I do think this hostel has a lot of potential but needs improvements.

I honestly don’t know where to begin. This place has no air conditioning or proper ventilation anywhere in the building, yet houses over 100 people per floor. I’m genuinely shocked that this is even legal. I initially booked a closed pod but couldn’t sleep at all — it was unbearably hot, and there was absolutely no airflow inside the pods, the rooms, or the building as a whole. They have a heater for winter, but there’s no source of fresh air, no AC, and no ventilation system to speak of. The beds were infested with bed bugs, and the entire corridor had a strong, musty odor due to the lack of ventilation. The bathrooms were appallingly designed — extremely small, poorly maintained, and lacked any basic functionality. There was no place to put soap or shower gel in the showers, the sinks were so tiny you couldn’t properly brush your teeth or wash your face, and the toilets were filthy. Overall, it felt more like a concentration camp than accommodation. This was, without exaggeration, one of the worst places I’ve ever stayed. I would not recommend it to anyone. The staff was good, and the free breakfast was a nice bonus. I guess the good things end there.

I stayed in a 22 person pod for 4 nights. The pods do provide good privacy, the LED’s are a cool feature, and they actually are very spacious as a 6’0 male. There is a UK outlet in the pod as well. However, there is absolutely zero ventilation and it gets so uncomfortably hot at night so unless your willing to remove some of the privacy you paid for and open your curtain slider to not slow roast then its not ideal. The lockers are a good size. Was able to fit all of my backpacking equipment no problem. Desk staff were pretty polite and helpful. Many pubs nearby, lots to do. The Hostel is right in the middle of Old Town so there are lots of stores, food, and places to sightsee. The hostel also does pub crawls, live music, karaoke, etc. Felt relatively safe during the week, dorm was very quiet during weekdays but once the weekend hit there were lots of drunks making crazy amounts of noise. People being extremely loud in the room and hall and making you feel uncomfortable well past 12 in the morning upwards to 4am. I don’t think I clocked more than 4 hours of straight sleep my entire stay. The breakfast is a complete joke. We were charged £7 a night on the site but in person they only charge £5. And everything is gone by the time you get downstairs, so unless your willing to wake up the second the sun comes up on your vacation id suggest just getting breakfast elsewhere. On top of this the staff pick at the food too leaving less for the guests who have actually paid to utilize it. They didn’t refill the coffee, no one refilled the juices, water or anything. They dont top up food thats run out. It isnt worth the money. They also say breakfast til 11 yet they starting packing everything up at 10:30. The bathroom situation is not great either. The shower + toilet combo is a neat feature and there are separate showers and toilets elsewhere in the hostel. but the sinks were so small in the combo you literally cant do a single thing without getting water absolutely everywhere and its incredibly frustrating. In totality it is a decent hostel that gets the job done if you’re there for 3-5 days and exploring Edinburgh for the Majority of the days.

Excellent location and service from a friendly staff. I stayed in one of the pods that are slightly larger than ones I've stayed in before. My only downside was I was on the third floor and there's no lift and I had issues with slower internet (staying during the Fringe and oddly could not book tickets when connected). Overall I would highly recommend the pods and experience.