Saddle Mountain Hostel
4.9 out of 5
1052 reviews
4.7 location
5 staff/service
5 cleanliness
4.9 facilities
Guest from
3rd June, 2023
4.8 of 5
A very modern and clean hostel with a range of room options, a clean kitchen, plenty of showers and towels/laundry available at extra cost. There's a large dining room and large loungue with plenty of games, reading and local maps and info available at hand. Free coffee for guests. No TV in loungue, I don't recall any lockable cupboartds for belongings and no food available (even at a cost) so you will need to bring your own (there are also some basic facilities available in the nearby village). The availability of the drying room cannot be gauranteed. I was able to stay without booking as I found it by chance whilst completing the Great Glen Wy at around 7pm one evening. It is well signposted from the route which passes by the main entrance drive
Ratings
Thank you for taking the time to complete a review of your stay. We’re glad that you enjoyed your stay. We appreciate that it wasn’t planned, and that you stumbled on us after what was a very challenging day for you. You have raised a few points which we feel that we should respond to. No TV in lounge - we used to have one but removed it during the pandemic and haven’t replaced it. We found that it was barely used, and when it was it tended to be a noise distraction for the majority of guests who were not interested. Removing it also freed up space for extra guest seating. Lockable cupboards - we do have a set of lockers and you can get a padlock form us for a (refundable) £5 deposit. You must have not noticed them and you didn’t ask us if we had any. Food - we deliberately don’t do meals or have a shop as we have chosen not to compete with our neighbouring local businesses (hotel/restaurant and filling station shop). We have a large self catering kitchen and will do an (uncooked) breakfast on request for people who arrive on foot or by bike. Bear in mind that there are only two of us and we already do all other jobs in connection with the business. Drying room - we don’t know what you mean. The drying room is never closed. On the day you stayed it was very hot and sunny so we may have mentioned that if you washed anything it would probably dry quicker outside in the sun than indoors. Laundry - we do have a cut off time of 9pm for using the laundry equipment in case the noise disturbs other guests who may be trying to sleep. We don’t think that’s unreasonable. Check out time - check out time from the building is 10am, as you say. That’s not unusual in a hostel context. The hostel is closed during the daytime as we need unfettered access to all areas to clean it and do the laundry. We do sometimes let guests stay for longer if they have a legitimate reason (we aren’t monsters!) but a late start can mean that the hostel isn’t ready for check time.
Guest from
2nd June, 2023
5.0 of 5
Another great stay at one of the best hostels in Scotland. First class facilities and welcoming hosts.
Ratings
We really appreciate you taking the time to review us again after your latest visit. We are lucky to have a lot of regular and loyal guests such as you, we hope because of the way we run the hostel and the standard of our facilities. We promise to keep working at it to make you want to come back again.
Guest from Congleton
1st June, 2023
5.0 of 5
It was great to return to Saddle Mountain Hostel to learn its high standards have been recognised with a five star rating. You get a warm welcome to an ideal hostel from you can enjoy a hillwalking holiday. It has comfy bunk beds, well equipped kitchen, roomy dining room and cosy lounge. Fortunately this trip I didn’t have to use there effective drying room.
Ratings
Thank you so much for another great review. We are very proud to have been awarded a 5 star hostel rating by VisitScotland. It takes a lot of hard work to earn and we will be working just as hard in the future to keep it.
Guest from
1st June, 2023
4.5 of 5
Brilliantly located right by the path. Very fastidious with cleanliness. Well supplied with all the equipment you might need. It would have been good to have been clearer about the cost of washing. Truly lovely place and lots of great information.
Ratings
Thank you for your review. We’re glad that you enjoyed your stay and would recommend us to others. We have noted what you say about laundry costs. These are not a secret. There is a prominent sign right next to the washing machine (titled “Laundry”) which says exactly what the costs are. The cost of a wash during the 2023 season is £4. This includes the detergent and reflects the fact that our electricity costs have risen substantially during the last 9 months. We don’t think that the cost is unreasonable. For a smaller sized wash (such as yours) the cost is higher per item but the running costs for us are the same regardless of the wash size. In your case you expressed an interest in using the machine to one of us but it was the other one of us who saw you when you decided to go ahead. Unfortunately, neither of us specifically told you the cost beforehand and you didn’t ask. We will make sure to mention the cost to future guests before they go ahead with a wash, as we normally do. Apologies for the oversight on this occasion.