Kick Ass Hostels Review

In a little look down memory lane I finally found the reviews I wrote while I was in Edinburgh. I stayed in two different hostels because it was my first time. If I didn’t like one I planned to march myself back to one of them. Luckily I liked both, though one more than the other. Everything beyond this point is from my original post – updated details on prices at the bottom 🙂

Memory Lane: A  Kick Ass Hostels Review

I have now spent about four days in the capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh. All I can say is a severely underestimated what I would see here. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. I have hardly spent any time indoors – unless it’s directly in front of a window – the entire time I have been here. My biggest regret is that I will not be spending more time in Scotland.

Where I stayed

This was my first time staying in a hostel and I must say, if you want to meet people (particularly like-minded travelers), hostels absolutely the place to do it. I already have an invitation to Montreal, Canada, and someplace north of Melbourne, Australia. They, of course, have invites to Wichita although I don’t really expect them to take me up on it, given that it’s Wichita.

I stayed in two hostels because my first choice was booked the first two nights I would be in town (a weekend).

I stayed at Kick Ass Hostels in an 8 bed all-female dorm to test the waters. Having read many a horror story about hostels and the lack of cleanliness among females, I was concerned. I had no need to be. People were both friendly and clean!

Pluses

The room was very spacious with a fantastic view of Edinburgh castle and the Grassmarket below, which has many food options. The lockers were fairly spacious (bring your own lock) and the beds comfortable. Staff were friendly and helpful. First come, first serve on beds in your room. Everything was very clean. There is a fantastic little ice cream shop directly to the left of the front door when facing it. A Sainsbury’s grocery store was a short walk to the right when facing the hostel. A full kitchen with refrigerators and boxes for leave-behinds like pasta and flour! Daily walking tours and nightly activities. Free Wifi.

My view from Kick Ass Hostels showing Edinburgh Castle

Cons

It is very noisy because of it’s location next to the Grassmarket, which features many pubs and drinking places. While the people inside were all relatively quiet, it was really very noisy. You would have thought there weren’t walls at all. However, if you bring earplugs and don’t stay on a Saturday night you should be fine. A 2 pound rental for a towel is kindof silly and overpriced in my opinion. In general, it feels overpriced to me. On average it’s quite a bit more expensive than the other hostel (Castle Rock) I tried.

Conclusion

I did like it but I think it is overpriced. For money value I would choose Castle Rock. However, if you’re looking for a place with a slightly more ‘party’ vibe even if the people in your rooms might not be, this is a much better option. This also technically has a better view, but if you’re like me, you generally spend more time outside than in and it doesn’t matter. However, it was lovely to have a chat with another girl in the beautiful sunshine in the heavily windowed room.

Breakdown

Cost: I paid 24.50GPB, which works out to $33US.

Pro-tip – I have since discovered that in the UK, at least, it is a good idea to check the actual hostel’s website rather than just HostelWorld or comparable sites. While HostelWorld has since upped their price to 29.50GBP, the actual website for Kick Ass Hostels lists my same room at only 20GBP. Castle Rock is still even cheaper but it’s not that big of a difference this way.

I hope this Kick Ass Hostels review has been helpful 🙂