Argyle Backpackers

It is a nice place for us Backpackers to crash in for a few days. 30mins walking distance to the hike to Arthur's Seat, very close to a nice park in the front. The staff are friendly and there are Nintendo Switch, guitar, book, magazines etc in the common room. Fun place!

The staff was fantastic karma the fellow guests were pleasant to be around, they had a lovely and fully equipped kitchen to cook meals in and all in all I loved the vibe and having my morning coffee on the back covered patio! Absolutely plan on coming back for my vacation next year!!

I’ve been going to this hostel a couple of years and have stayed half a dozen times. I’ve always ignored the lack of hoovering and the slightly moldy posters holding signs up in the bathrooms. The overall a**osphere and usually friendly staff made up for that. My recent stay found me looking unsuccessfully for mugs to make tea in. I got past that. I got past the bed in one of the twins that made the most awful creaking sound as you moved. You get what you pay for I told myself. But, this is when it went downhill, I was getting dressed in the twin room when a man with a key tried to come into the room. I said I’m still in here. He said sorry I had a key. Then someone knocks on the door and starts to open it. I said I’m dressing and I have 11 until I have to leave. Then I spoke to reception as I had a bunk booked for 3 more nights. I go into the room and someone is using a reed diffuser with a eucalyptus smell that was very strong. And I asked for a bottom bunk bed but they were both taken. The staff were apologetic and said I could have a room in a mixed dorm. I always book female dorms and wouldn’t feel comfortable in a mixed one so I said no. Lots of thinking and searching was being done and they couldn’t find me anything. To cut a long story short I encountered the owner who was very rude, bordering on abusive and he says if I didn’t want what they had to offer I should leave. I said I had nowhere to go and he said I decide who stays here. He wanted to throw a 68 year old woman onto the street. The young man on reception tried to make excuses for him saying he’d been called to deal with a difficult customer. 1. That was not my problem and 2. I told him there are no circumstances where you should excuse a man bullying and threatening a woman. Anyway, strangely enough they found me a double room. I’d been told earlier there were no rooms that matched my request. What they meant was they weren’t going to give me a room that they could have got triple or more for the price I paid. So I took the room with a window that wouldn’t shut tight and wallpaper peeling off the wall but I will never ever go back.

Quite alright considering the price. The location was rather good and it was a fun experience living in an authentic Scottish town house. However, our double room lacked some pretty basic necessities, such as a bedside lamp and a wastebasket, that would’ve made for a more comfortable stay. Also, the shower was freezing cold, even after several minutes of waiting.

Very much enjoyed my stay at argyle backpackers. Would stay again. Very homey feel and was a pleasure to meet other travelers. Within walking distance to all of the major sights in Edinburgh, including the train station.