Lagan Backpackers

Worst hostel experience I've ever had. The place is decrepit, absolutely filthy, there's bugs running around on the floors. I felt unsafe the entire time being there. It feels like people are going to rob you when you're sleeping. Random homeless people sleeping in the lobby The mattresses are OK, but the bunk bed frames are so incredibly poor quality. Every tiny move you make in bed will shake the whole frame and annoy the person above/below you. I got bitten by bed bugs... Zero privacy at all. The black girl at the check in desk was rude, unfriendly and mocking. Didn't even look me in the eyes or say thank you when I was polite to her and said thank you. Bathrooms are cleaned once a day seems like. Just look at the video... SHOCKING The corridors smell like smoke and weed. This place is clearly run purely for profit and the owners don't care about YOU This is one of the very few places that I can confidently say, AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE. Try looking on Airbnb for a cheap alternative.

I made a booking here as my booking at another hostel was cancelled at short notice. When reading through the reviews this place didn't have a very good reputation and many reviews complained about bedbugs.I opted to pay on arrival and wanted to cut my stay from two nights to one. On the day of travel they charged my card before my arrival without my permission! I was charged £87.70 for two nights......... Absolute ripoff!!!! On my arrival I asked if I could cancel or modify my booking. I was told to contact Agoda. After spending an hour on the phone, I was told they had to send a request to the backpackers. My request was denied and told that they couldn't refund or modify my booking because they hadn't given 48 hours notice. I was charged £65 for the Saturday night, which is massively over priced for a sub standard hostel! I have been traveling for 20 years and stayed in hundreds of hostels and this was the most expensive hostel bed that I have ever had. For what I paid for and what I got was a total shame. The bathroom was dirty. The showers had cold or boiling water which come out with hardly any pressure. There is paint coming off the walls in the bathroom and it looks like the extractor fans have never been cleaned. Once they have your cash they couldn't care less. Massively over priced and dirty. I wouldn't recommend staying here.

Stayed 1 of 3 nights booked. We were concerned with the other reviews mentioning bed bugs but wanted to give it a chance. Didn’t see any bed bugs but the bathroom, shower, and bedrooms were not clean. Properly cleaned linens were given but there were obvious stains on the pillows and bed as shown in my pictures. The morning was pretty uncomfortable, basically had to choose between having sunlight or having air flow due to the window design. Most people used the 3 showers, 3 sinks, 2 toilets in the main bathroom area which got crowded in the morning. Overall 2 stars because the essentials were there. The toilet flushed, shower had water, and you could sleep in a bed. Don’t expect anything more. Great cheap place to stay for a night or 2, I personally wouldn’t stay longer. This just wasn’t up the standard my partner and I were hoping for.

I was bitten by bedbugs and it itches. despite the fact that the beds are comfortable im not sure that the duvets are washed well. There are people screaming outside at night, its very scary. They change the front door code often so you can find yourself outside with the old code and not being able to get in. otherwise for the price its okay.

Biggest issue is the bedbugs. Then the faulty showers. It's run down mouldy and unhygienic.

It’s hard to judge this place. Location and price were good. Staff was hmmm… kind of strange and not really friendly. Bathrooms were clean and good. The problem was with the room. Quite old, dirty and with used furnitures. That wouldn’t be a problem but the bed bugs were just too much! Killed few of them. Thankfully spent only one very short night over there due to early flight.

Bed bugs in multiple rooms. Bathroom was mouldy and the shower had hair and toilet paper on the floor… take extreme caution. Don’t bring your children pls. If you’re a backpacker don’t stop here unless you want to catch something.

Bed bugs in the room, management didn't care, pretended like they weren't there. No refund, very unkind staff, avoid this place like the plague. So many better places out there for not much more money but 100 times better service and quality. Horrible experience

I normally don’t like leaving bad reviews but this place was a pretty rough experience tbh. It’s cheap and in a walkable location which is handy. They have solid security (codes, strong doors etc) but that’s about it. I’m used of dorms and basic accom but these beds were awful. Springs coming out of them, so creaky you could hear everyone turning. They definitely have bed bugs. After 1 hour of checking in I tried to leave and get a refund and they wouldn’t honor it. Barely slept. Showers barely work, no pressure, hot water and everything just feels grotty and dirty. It has a weird, bad atmosphere so it’s not a ‘fun but mucky’ place either. It’s just not worth it. Other places are a tenner more-and defs worth that extra bit of cash!

Avoid under all circumstances. As of August 2023 there are BEDBUGS which seems to be a reoccurring problem. Moldy facilities (shared kitchen/bathroom), crowd is oftentimes drunk.

Lagging in every way. If you want to come into your room to find someone else in your bed that’s riddled with bedbugs, this is the place for you. Not one toilet seat or shower was usable in the whole building as they were covered in many putrid smelling fluids. Soggy towels all over bathroom, garbage and used sheets remained on beds for days after other guests likely checked out early for awful conditions. No sense of traveller morale whatsoever. Staff could have been replaced by a traffic cone and would have been more effective. Two incidents (witnessed and experienced) people being assigned a bed that was already taken. Staff didn’t care and just tossed us new bedding to deal with it ourselves. My girlfriend woke up with 30 bedbug bites all over herself and we immediately left before our stay ended. No staff to check us out so had to leave a note. Worst experience I have ever had.

Never leave reviews but felt I had to with this place. The bed I was in was covered in bed bugs. I have huge itchy welts all over my body. Staff were fine, location OK and although it's cheap the filth isn't worth it. Left very grossed out by the place.

Bed bugs through some of the beds, woke up to bug crawling all over me giving me bites and was unable to sleep there.

Laura, Jared, Matias and Javiera were the only staff who were of any at all. All the others thought that the hostel was for just them. Apart from the named ones, the rest were lazy. And on 1 occasion there was an infestation of bed bugs. 1 of the staff (Lorrainy) did not even try in any way to integrate herself with the guests. She didn't even try to learn English. When she was supposed to be working, all she did was be on her mobile. She was rude beyond measure. Breakfast was hopeless. Bread was stale and the milk was almost always sour.

There are some positives about the Lagan, mainly the price, the included breakfast and the friendly and helpful attitude of the staff. However there are some serious issues that the management needs to address these include; the terrible smell of dead skin that lingers in the dormitory, the broken stairs and above all the issue of bed bugs... I wasn't going to put up a review, but the day after I left the hostel I realised that I had a row of bites on my arm and on my back. These are clearly from bed bugs and since I didn't have any before, nor after I left I can only deduce these must have happened at the Lagan. The other issues could be ignored because of the price, but bed bugs shouldn't be an issue in a developed modern country like N. Ireland in this day and age. The Brazilian staff were all great to chat to, but this issue really needs resolving.

It’s the cheapest place in town so I wasn’t expecting much. Just staying the night before getting out of Belfast really. Sadly, even that much was too much for Lagan. I honestly didn’t mind the stale ashtray-smelling staircase, or the knackered bedsprings, or the lack of staff to cover reception. You get what you pay for after all. But for £16 I do at least want to be able to sleep. And thanks to the man next to me, I cannot. He snores. And wheezes. He snores and wheezes with such a shortness of breath that it comes out at 160bpm like drum ‘n’ bass. Grunt ‘n’ gasp, grunt ‘n’ gasp. The snores are so loud I think he is trolling me. I shine my phone torch on his face, expecting to see a malevolent grin. But this man is blissfully unaware - of my torch, and my torture. At around 1am, he gets up to go out for a pee. ‘Now’s my chance,’ I cry with glee, shutting my eyes tight, soaking in the silence. But there’s too much pressure. Any moment he may return - and the creak of the staircase soon signals my impending doom. Of course he is back asleep and snoring in seconds. I weep. My ears aren’t the only things being assaulted - this man ate rotten onions for his dinner and with every phlegmy exhale the aroma plumes around the dormitory. I smother myself with my pillow and imagine doing the same to him. Morning can’t come soon enough. Downstairs, toast and coffee waft from the kitchen - complementary, delicious food. But I’m not hanging around Lagan long enough to try it out. I’m straight out the door and down the road to Spoons for unlimited coffee. I need it. Please, I feel bad for this guy. I suspect he’s not a backpacker. But he needs a room of his own like I need coffee. Just find him a room of his own Lagan. PS. I now have bites clustered on my arm and back. This place has bedbugs. I want my money back.