Sandra's Backpackers Hostel

The screenshots say it all. Any guest who dares to leave an honest review here is immediately branded a liar by management — apparently, the problem is never the hostel, it’s always the guests. I stayed here three years ago and ended up covered head to toe in bedbug bites. It got so bad I needed antibiotics and eventually had to go to A&E for antihistamines. When I reported it, I was told that another guest had brought bedbugs a couple of weeks earlier… and in the same breath, they suggested I also might have brought them. Incredible customer service. As for hygiene? I personally witnessed someone mopping the kitchen floor and then dumping the filthy mop water straight into the kitchen sink, where food is prepared. At that point, I knew their idea of ‘clean’ and mine were worlds apart. But of course, according to the owner, every guest who complains is unfair, untruthful, or part of a grand conspiracy. If that’s the kind of attitude you want to deal with on holiday, by all means, book a stay. Otherwise, save yourself the drama. And George, please consult a psychiatrist, there is no cabal against Sandra's Backbackers.

AVOID! AGGRESSIVE HOST + BED BUGS. The host behaved in a shockingly aggressive and threatening manner. He shouted at us and kicked us out of the hostel with no reasonable justification. He was so intimidating it seemed like he could be physically dangerous. Staying in the double bed w/ private bathroom, we woke up after the first night freezing cold as the heating was switched off overnight & morning. When I called the host, James, to see if the heating could be left on even at a low level he said no as he personally found it uncomfortable to sleep with it on (weird) and that it was expensive (fair enough). He pretty much hung up on me so I called him back to ask if instead we could have an extra blanket. He said 'I'll see what I can do' then hung up again. Since communication was so short and snappy, my girlfriend phoned him back (there is no one staffing the disgusting mess of a reception so most communication has to be via phone) to clarify if we'd get an extra duvet/blanket. James proceeded to shout, full-volume, very aggressively at her. We were both shaken and upset by the exchange. When we returned to our room, James knocked on our door, returned £50 cash for our last night and told us he was kicking us out, that if he found us there the next morning he would physically throw us out, repeatedly calling us 'beasts'. We were calm and polite with him in all communication, even when he lost his temper. He was highly agitated and very intimidating. Our bedroom was by the kitchen with squeaking floorboards. All night and all morning when we heard people passing our room, we were afraid it was James. We kept the door locked out of fear. The next morning, my girlfriend woke up covered in bites. When I inspected the bed, I found bed bugs in the seam of the mattress. I would have reported this to James, but I felt genuinely threatened by his behaviour and was afraid to tell him. Judging by another review here, this anger and aggression is not an isolated incident. This does not feel like a safe place to stay.