Bed bug reports for Castle Rock Hostel — HostelPunk
Castle Rock Hostel

Edinburgh · Scotland

Castle Rock Hostel

Good vibes, bad bugs
83% Bed bugs detected
High confidence 7,047 reviews
Best in Edinburgh 2nd best in Scotland
Bed bug reports Showing 9 reports · 1 in the last 12 months
  1. Confirmed Hostelworld

    There were bedbugs, the staff did not care to help, just said it helps sometimes. Toilets were alright. However, the showers are small and smelly. The room door bangs shut everytime someone pops in or out. The lounges look nice but have worn sofas. There are plenty of fridges in the kitchen but all are filled to the brim.

  2. Possible Google Maps

    Mi experiencia allí fue buena, es verdad que la cama no estaba super limpia ni eran las mejores sábanas pero era lo que me esperaba de un hostel barato, no me sorprendió mucho. Siempre que voy a estos sitios miro comentarios acerca de la limpieza y las chinches. En este no vi ninguno o casi ninguno, y la nota que le ponía la gente era muy buena en general, así que ni lo pensé. A los 10 días de volver empezó a picarme el cuerpo y empecé a tener muchos granos. Descubrí al poco que tenía la sarna, y todo encajaba con que la había cogido durmiendo allí (recalco que no dormí con nadie ni estuve casi con gente mientras me alojé allí, así que la sarna estaría en las propias sábanas). Esto quiere decir que no lavan las sábanas o que no las lavan a la temperatura adecuada. Me gustaría creer que es lo segundo. La sarna ha sido bastante tediosa de quitar, ha pasado mes y medio desde que estuve allí y aún tengo el cuerpo lleno de granos y me pica todos los días, y ya he tomado dos tratamientos diferentes y he ido al médico varias veces. Si podéis evitar ir aun sitio donde podáis pillar sarna os lo aconsejo porque es un rollo. No es que no recomiende el hostel porque mi estancia fue buena y es barato y es un buen sitio, localización buena, bonito y gente maja. Sin embargo, aunque seguramente tuve muy mala suerte, esto demuestra que la limpieza no es la correcta para un sitio en el que se aloja tanta gente. Yo no volvería, por razones obvias ajajajaj

  3. Possible Hostelworld

    Mi experiencia allí fue buena, es verdad que la cama no estaba super limpia ni eran las mejores sabanas pero era lo que me esperaba de un hostel barato, no me sorprendió mucho. Siempre que voy a estos sitios miro comentarios acerca de la limpieza y las chinches. En este no vi ninguno o casi ninguno, y la nota que le ponía la gente era muy buena en general, así que ni lo pensé. A los 10 días de volver empezó a picarme el cuerpo y empecé a tener muchos granos. Descubrí al poco que tenía la sarna, y todo encaj

  4. Confirmed Google Maps

    BED BUGS. We had bedbugs in my sisters bed, so we had to cancel our booking after the first night. They said they would talk to the manager about a refund, but it seemed like they didn’t really care about having bedbugs in their beds. I have now emailed them four times about getting our refund and they have stopped responding. Avoid this place!!!!!!

  5. Confirmed Google Maps

    Castle Rock ROCKS!!!! We really liked the Vibes and the gracious personnel. It was really quirky. We had high expectations for the couches, they did NOT disappoint. Would stay again even if I could only sleep on a sofa (next time I’ll ask). Room was funky & brainy!!! We had braindead key and braindead locker so obviously had brain dead bed. Some strangers that we’d never seen before walked into our 10 bed mixed dorm room and we were pleasantly surprised to see them. Shoutout to Hazza & Roxy <33. I CAN’T BELIEVE NO ONE HAS MENTIONED THE FREE MARSHMALLOWS. They were good. Side note: live music was the cutest addition to the staircase. Also on the first night they had a pub crawl but we had other business to attend to. Luckily our plans aligned on the second night and we were able to participate in a rowdy BeerPong tournament. We liked creating a team name and playing our team anthem Bassline Junkie by Dizzee Rascal!! (If it wasn’t obvious we were called Bassline Junkies…). We enjoyed playing the Brunos and were quite upset to lose to them, still not sure who was Bruno. Bondi and Rose were pretty cool too, you guys can come to our housewarming if you’d like!!! You know where to find us! We had a really good hot chocolate (Uproast or something like that) and sausage roll really far away from the hostel. We did our own version of the Royal mile as well, it was way less than 7 miles also feel free to email us for the strava route. Oh we almost forgot, back to the BeerPong, we kicked on @ Dropkick Murphy’s. We danced, sung & banged sh*t. We got told we were the life of the party. Sorry about the language ^^. Unfortunately a burger impregnated us so we weren’t able to eat for the next 16.6 hours. Burgers were good tho. Thanks for the rec from the gracious personnel. It was quite uncomfortable to go to the unique colourful shared bathrooms while people were brushing their teeth and showering. I hope there’s a private bathroom next time I book a shared bathroom. We also had some trouble with our phones which kept running out of charge and freezing. Luckily the Scottish public were extremely helpful and directed us a wee bit further down the block. Another unfortunate incident was that we only got five hours of sleep. Mainly because we were having so much fun and went to bed really late and then had to pack our bags, grrr!!! They should provide some information about good sleeping habits and packing bags. I think we saw this in another review suggesting more information about dealing with snorers, this wasn’t as relevant to us (maybe we are the snorers???) but maybe they could do a combined project (just a suggestion, this doesn’t take away from our majestic experience and 5 stars!!). Back to the beer pong, we were disappointed with the sportsmanship from some Southern Trash. We’ll leave it at that (watch ur elbows lads). Dropping things in Edinburgh was also a HUGE issue for us. We dropped not one but TWO soups on the street walking back to the hostel. Even though the soup was half gone, the microwave was confused and struggled to heat anything up. I think the soup might have gotten colder! Also we dropped not two but ONE bottle of perfume in room 24. Lucky duck whoever finds that!! You can queue songs which is cool but we were publicly shamed when our songs kept getting skipped!! We could have been killed!! Ultimately we had a great time and felt very safe especially after interacting with all the strangers that we’d never met that walked into our room (maybe only in the Brain room?? Not rlly sure about others experiences of this…) P.s no bed bugs so first 2 pics are of our stay then the rest are some Randos from the camera roll enjoy!!!!!!

  6. Confirmed Google Maps

    Really nasty bedbug problem. Staff would not listen nor care about it

  7. Confirmed Google Maps

    Worst case bed bugs in my life!!! Never before had bed bugs sent me to the hospital. Horrible staff too!

  8. Confirmed Google Maps

    I stayed for 4 nights while staying in Edinburgh. Location is literally PERFECT. Less than 2 minutes to Edinburgh castle and no need to take any transportation to explore the city. However, when I was staying in Edinburgh, the weather was extremely freezing but there were no heating systems at all in the hostel. I needed to wear my jumpers while I was in the room. Moreover, I got bedbugs here and it was actually terrible🥲 However, kitchen is so large and well equipped and shower facilities are also big and clean. Even though the room was extremely cold, it was really big so I didn't have any trouble packing and unpacking my stuff. If you're visiting in warmer seasons, this hostel would be definitely flawless. But please consider before visiting in winter season.

  9. Confirmed Google Maps

    BED BUGS & BAD HYGIENE. Had bed bug bites all over my body.

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Vibe Analysis

Castle Rock Hostel sits right by Edinburgh Castle, with Old Town, pubs, cafes, tours, shops, and major sights easy to reach on foot. The building has an old, castle-adjacent feel: big, maze-like, full of corridors, themed decor, lounges, and hangout rooms rather than slick hotel polish. The common areas are the main win here. There are multiple lounges, a cinema or movie-night setup, a pool table, spaces for games or music, a large kitchen, free tea or coffee, and organized nights such as pub crawls, ceilidh outings, comedy, beer pong, and other social stuff. It can be a fun base if you want a huge, scrappy, old-school hostel with lots going on. Rooms are more hit-or-miss. Dorms and private rooms can be small, old, stuffy, noisy, or short on privacy, and beds often lack curtains, shelves, or much personal space. The place works best for budget travelers who care most about location, social rooms, and a weird historic building, and who can handle rougher edges without expecting boutique-hostel sleep science.

Signals to check

  • Bathrooms are often shared or mixed-gender, and cleanliness can be inconsistent. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • Noise can be a real issue from doors, floors, hallways, late arrivals, street noise, and social areas. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • Beds and bedding may feel old, thin, small, or uncomfortable, with limited privacy in dorms. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • Some rooms are cramped, cold, poorly ventilated, or awkward for luggage, especially near the top floors. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • Staff experience is uneven, with both helpful service and disorganized or rude moments appearing in the pattern. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • A cash key deposit, ID checks, stairs, and a maze-like layout may add friction at check-in and during the stay. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
  • Breakfast is basic, and the kitchen can feel crowded or worn when the hostel is busy. 3 mentions Last mentioned May 14, 2026
Book here: Hostelworld from ≈$42 Booking.com HW prices from yesterday

Tags

Facilities

🍳 COOKER 👕 Laundry 🔥 BBQ 🌅 Outdoor Terrace 🍳 Breakfast
Other facilities (35)
Bicycle Parking Adaptors Luggage Storage 24 Hour Reception Tours/Travel Desk Internet Access Book Exchange DVD's Board Games Pool Table Wi-Fi Recycling Bins Linen Included Reading Light Hair Dryers Towels Not Included Charging Plugs Towels For Hire Hair Dryers For Hire Security Lockers 24 Hour Security Fire Extinguishers First Aid Kits Smoke Alarms Smoke Detector Common Room Lounge Room Tea & Coffee Making Facilities Free City Maps Free WiFi Free Internet Access Free Security Lockers Free Luggage Storage Hot Showers Flexible NRR

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