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Reviews of a&o Edinburgh City

50 Blackfriars Street, Old Town, Edinburgh, EH1 1NE, United Kingdom

#151 of 170 hotels in Edinburgh

Guests' Choice

Review score

Based on 2878 hostel reviews

7.0

Score breakdown

  • Cleanliness

    7.2

  • Comfort

    7.1

  • Location

    9.1

  • Facilities

    7.1

  • Staff

    8.4

  • Value for money

    7.3

  • Free WiFi

    7.6

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Showing 1 – 25

  • Reviewed: 25 May 2024

    8.0
    Nice
    • Leisure trip
    • People with friends
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Key cards are not working properly. Always we had to take the support from other visitors. And accessing to rooms through lift was not easy. It was a totally confused. And hot water in the bathroom not worked properly in sometimes. .

    It worth for the price

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 23 May 2024

    7.0
    Alright.
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Since the checkin time is from 3pm and checkout is by 10am, you wont necessarily find a staff at reception at all times and therefore have to wait. The mattress aren't the most comfy as they gave me a bad neck. Could be i'm not used to sleeping on foam(if thats what they are made of) The bed is made of a metal which makes a lot of squeaking noise if you move an inch but i suppose most hostel beds do the same. The shape of the hostel is a bit weird (like a "U")so i found it difficult to find my room( maybe i couldn't follow the signs but it was definitely tricky), so a staff had to help me out, which i appreciate. This isn't bad but thought i'd mention- They had 2 separate showers and toilets in my room, which is good but can be an inconvenience if the room is fully occupied and someone has to wake up midnight or early morning as it can bother others( but ho hey, them are expected while living in a hostel/travelling so get your noise cancelling headphones)

    The terrace bar, give you fresh linen on arrival, easy checkout, luggage storage room( a small room but no lockers), waiting area, bar, privacy curtains on all side of bunker, toilet and shower in the room

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 21 May 2024

    7.0
    Good stay but too hot to sleep well
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night

    Temperature of the room with no AC or ventilation, not even possible to open windows

    Location

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 20 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 6-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night

    a clean,well staffed hostel.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 20 May 2024

    7.0
    Adequate for the two nights
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Family Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    When trying to get a meal was told kitchen closed but when returning to hostel after finding a meal there were people eating!

    Property was close to Royal Mile

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 19 May 2024

    8.0
    Excellent location. As hostels go, this was good quality and value.
    • Leisure trip
    • Group
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The lift never seemed to be working (maybe there was another one though) and it was a steep climb to our room. The building is old so could hear other people in their rooms above and below us quite easily but not too disruptive.

    Rooms were clean and spacious. Nice that the bathroom and toilets were inside the room as opposed to shared with other rooms. The bar was a nice meeting point too. The location was excellent, everywhere we needed to go was within 5-10mins walk.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 19 May 2024

    6.0
    Convenient for what we wanted
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Twin Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    The building

    Location

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 19 May 2024

    6.0
    Ok
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    They don’t have a plug for every bed so if you are the “unlucky one” (as I was), you need to charge your phone in the corridor or downstairs (It is really uncomfortable because I was tired and I wanted to relax and sleep but I had to wait downstairs until the phone was charged because of course I needed the day after. I think also they were not cleaning properly the rooms. The card in order to open the door was not working two times so I had to go downstairs twice to call for someone to help.

    The location is good and at the end the hostel is not that bad but they should adjust some little things in order to make your stay more comfortable.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 18 May 2024

    7.0
    Comfortable, mostly clean, good service, excellent location
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 4-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Variety of human hair all across bathroom floor in 104, from at least 3-4 different guests, meaning wasn't cleaned any time recently. On 2 different days asked the cleaning staff to vacuum bathroom floor in 104 ... They said yes but never did over 3 days. They apparently clean all surfaces relatively well ... but NOT the floor.

    Location, reception staff, facilitate

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 16 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 12-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Very hot in the room, but it was also quite hot in Edinburgh hahah

    Facilities were clean and perfect location. Friendly personnel.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 15 May 2024

    6.0
    Pleasant
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    They don't let me to shoot, the key for room are not good. Tissue are less available.

    Hot water and curtains.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 15 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 4 nights

    There were just a few plugs in the room, so no all of us could charge our cellphones at night, especially those slept in the bed on top.

    The location is perfect, there was a very nice staff and regardless there is a bar in the first floor, the room was very quiet. The toilets were always clean.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 14 May 2024

    7.0
    Just for one night
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Bed qualities. Huge noise from the bar, if you have a soft sleep is gonna be hard to you rest.

    Breakfast was good and what I've already expected. Good quantities of restrooms inside the bedroom. Lovely staff crew.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 13 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Perhaps it could be great to have a little more information on arrival. I wasn't shown the kitchen, and I didn't know there was a restaurant downstairs. I could have organized my meals differently. I don't know if there were any bathroom outside the dormitories. We were 8 in ours, and we had to wait quite some time for the shower. It could have been great to have access to a bathroom outside our own room, to gain some time. The kitchen could be more equipped (more plates, cutlery, soap and dishwashing liquid, etc.). The key system doesn't always work, you can be locked outside at night and have to wake people up to ask them to open the door for you. I didn't have a lamp next to my bed, and we didn't manage to open the window of the room completely.

    Big place with a lot of space, many facilities available. Nice staff. A restaurant, kitchen, karaoke session. The bed has to be prepared by yourself, which is more hygienic. Not far from the train station.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 13 May 2024

    8.0
    Convenient location and helpful staff
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Twin Room
    • Stayed 1 night

    I think our stay would have been very poor if we weren't moved! I was told we didn't book breakfast when we had, but was resolved when I showed the booking. The breakfast was odd, stuff ran out and wasn't replaced for ages. It was a mish mash of hot and cold breakfast without doing either really well. Boiled eggs don't go well with sausages and baked beans, scrambled or fried would be better. No tea or coffee in the room, so we brought our own travel kettle.

    That the staff moved us from our first twin room, we initially had a window that opened directly onto the bar seating area. When I complained, we were moved to a room on the top floor that faced the street and had a view of Arthur's Seat. This was a more spacious room too. That the place was central, close to the train station and had a luggage storage room. We had breakfast included, which is useful if you have a busy day.

    Stayed in April 2024

  • Reviewed: 13 May 2024

    6.0
    Stay close to the center
    • Business trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Twin Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Room was not ready when I arrived and had to wait over 1 hour to check in. Then the day after my key didn’t work anymore. However the staff was very apologetic, let me leave my luggage in a storage room and offered me free drinks as compensation.

    The rooms were spacious and clean. It had an amazing location with lots of options to eat and go out in the center. Also there was no noise when I needed to sleep so that was great!

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 12 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • People with friends
    • Bed in 6-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 3 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    It's very centrally located and good value for money for especially how close to the old town you're staying. The check in was smooth and staff helpful.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 12 May 2024

    8.0
    Good one
    • Leisure trip
    • Group
    • Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    To clean the blankets

    Rates

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 10 May 2024

    8.0
    Good
    • Leisure trip
    • Couple
    • Family Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    The vending machine only lets you purchase one thing at once, if you do more than 1 then it only charges you for the first item you selected and you have to do it again to get the second item

    Everything but 1 thing

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 10 May 2024

    7.0
    Normal
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Price

    Location

    Stayed in April 2024

  • Reviewed: 9 May 2024

    7.0
    Good place dor a short stay
    • Leisure trip
    • Family with young children
    • Family Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Matras was worn. Woke up with a bit of back pain

    Location is perfect!

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 9 May 2024

    8.0
    Very good
    • Leisure trip
    • Solo traveller
    • Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 2 nights
    • Submitted via mobile

    Staff , frenly n accommodative.

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 8 May 2024

    7.0
    Superb location, but the twin room was a big no no
    • Leisure trip
    • Group
    • Twin Room
    • Stayed 4 nights

    We booked a twin room, but we get a room with two level bed and no wardrobe or closet in the room. Bathroom was really nice, though so at least this is something we were pleased with. Overall the room was not what was promoted and didn't match the pictures when we did our reservation so it was misleading.

    The greatest about the hostel is its location in the heart of the centre with clubs and pubs around. The hostel bar 50 is also good along with the different nights and prices in the lobby. I recommend the quiz night it was great fun :)

    Stayed in May 2024

  • Reviewed: 7 May 2024

    7.0
    Good and clean
    • Leisure trip
    • Group
    • 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room
    • Stayed 1 night
    • Submitted via mobile

    Gets noisy at night because of the bar

    Location is accessible

    Stayed in May 2024

Showing 1 – 25

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