Kirkwall Youth Hostel
Location: Old Scapa Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, Kirkwall, gb
Star Rating: 2 Stars
Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
About this Property
Convenient Location and Historical Charm
Comfortable Accommodation and Amenities
Exploration and Adventure Await
Experience the historical charm of Kirkwall Youth Hostel, conveniently located just minutes from St Magnus Cathedral. Enjoy free parking, a self-catering kitchen, and comfortable private rooms with shared facilities. With laundry services and a well-equipped kitchen, your stay will be both convenient and pleasant. Explore the surrounding historic sites like Skara Brae and Maes Howe, or take a ferry trip to the Northern Isles from Kirkwall Harbour. End your day with a meal prepared in the hostel's kitchen or dine out at one of the nearby restaurants. Book now to embark on your Orkney adventure at Kirkwall Youth Hostel.
Important Information
Full payment for all bookings will be charged at the time of booking. All major credit & debit cards are accepted excluding American Express.
All bookings will include a temporary membership fee per person per night. (Full, existing members of Hosteling Scotland and HI using these channels are not entitled to a membership refund).
Individual reservations (Up to 9 people) - can cancel free of charge until 3 days before the arrival date. If canceled within the 3 days before the arrival 100 percent of the total price will be charged.
Groups reservations (more than 9 people) - different policies and additional supplements will apply. More than 8 weeks (57 days or more) 20% of total cost. 8 – 4 weeks (56- 29 days) 55% of total cost. 4 – 0 weeks (28 - 0 day) 100% of total cost.
No stag or hen parties are permitted at any youth hostel.
Should guests be entitled to a refund or part refund please note that these are processed by Hosteling Scotland National Office, Stirling. It may take 7 to 10 working days from the date of cancelation request for the refund to be processed back onto the original card used.
From the age of 12 to 15 years, young people must be accompanied by a parent or guardian of the same gender when booking a bed within shared accommodations. Parties with young children (under 5 years) will only be accommodated in private rooms, where available
Parties with children (under 12 years) will only be accommodated in private rooms, where available Hosteling Scotland advise that additional notice be given to the destination youth hostel when traveling with children, to ensure that suitable accommodations is available.
Hosteling Scotland advise that additional notice be given to the destination youth hostel when traveling with children, to ensure that suitable accommodations is available. There is no capacity for extra beds or cots.
Check-in from 17.00 until 22.00 and check-out from 08.00 until 10.00. The hostel is closed during the day between 10.00 and 17.00, though access may be arranged – please contact the hostel in advance.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests are required to show a photo ID and credit card upon check-in. Please note that all Special Requests are subject to availability and additional charges may apply.
Policies
Check-in: 05:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Check-out: 10:00 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Parking
- Non-smoking rooms
- Family rooms
- Pets allowed
- Luggage storage
- Non-smoking throughout
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Board games/puzzles
- Shared kitchen
- Staff adhere to local safety protocols
- Guest rooms disinfected between stays
- Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
- Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
- Cashless payment available
- Fire extinguishers
- First aid kit available
- Sanitized tableware & silverware
- Contactless check-in/check-out
- Invoice provided
- Guests can opt-out any cleaning services during stay
- Smoke alarms
- Key access
- Free wired internet
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Offsite parking discounted rates available
- Internet access
- Japanese garden
- Vegetarian menu options available
Rooms Available
-
Twin Room
This private room has access to shared bathroom facilities.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Key access
-
Triple Room with Shared Bathroom
The triple room includes a shared bathroom fitted with a shower. The unit has 3 beds.
Max Occupancy: 3 (3 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Toilet paper
-
Single Room
This private room has access to shared bathroom facilities.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Key access
-
Quadruple Room
This private room has access to shared bathroom facilities.
Max Occupancy: 4 (4 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Key access
-
Single Bed in Male Dormitory Room
Rooms are 2 square yards.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Bunk Bed in Female Dormitory Room
Rooms are 2 square yards.
Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Lockers
- Key access
-
Double Room
The double room offers a carpeted floor, heating, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a shower. The unit offers 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Key access
-
Double Room with Private Bathroom
The double room features a carpeted floor and heating, as well as a private bathroom boasting a shower. The unit has 1 bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Heating
- Linen
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Trash cans
- Key access
Guest Reviews
- David (7/5): -
- Carl (10/5): -
- janice (9/5): -
- John (8/5): -
- Graeme Robert (10/5): -
- Alessandro (8/5): -
- Abby (10/5): Clean, cosy and lovely - Lots of room, very good facilities, beds are sooo comfortable and the whole place is very cosy! The staff are incredible, I lost something incredibly sentimental to me and they’d kept it safe and sound and I genuinely could never thank them enough!
- Mark (10/5): - The staff at the hostel were first class professional through and through and a credit to the orgaisation very helpfull and full of little valuble tips to make your stay memorable keep up the good work It was safe clean and very comfortable with straight forward rules 10/10 no dislikes at all
- Francoise Elise (10/5): Très bien - Tout Le risque de ne plus pouvoir entrer dans la chambre si on a oublié de prendre la cl
- Christian (9/5): -
- Zoe (7/5): A new experience for me. - Location in Kirkwall made it a good base for travelling around to different parts.
- Emile (8/5): Very brief. Would deffo stay at hostel again when next in kirkwall - Genuinely lovely hostel. Comfy single beds. Clean. Friendly staff. Option for breakfast but kitchen free to use if you want to save money. Didnt strike me as a party hostel which you can get in some towns and cities - as an older backpacker on a wee adventure, I appreciated that. We all felt safe. If you don't have a car you do have a bus ride and then a 15 min walk from the ferry port - and the ferry arrives late. But the bus driver was super helpful and friendly. The rest we Google mapped.
- David (10/5): Ideal for a stopover in Lirkwall - Very convenient for the town & shops Nothing
- Dimitris Greece (9/5): A place I' suggest! - The location is good, not in the heart of Kirkwall but not that far on foot. Cleanliness everywhere is taken for granted. The staff are polite, smiling and helpful. The bunk is comfortable and the duvet is very soft. The hostel provides all the facilities needed to have a comfortable and nice stay while in Kirkwall.
- Katarzyna (9/5): -
- MacDonald (9/5): Can’t wait to return! - Clean, presentable, friendly. Honestly , everything was better than expectations.
- Sophie (9/5): -
- Ben (10/5): Very good base to explore - Parking and the rooms showers lounge All good
- Hannah (10/5): -
- Lynzi (10/5): Would recommend and most definitely stay again - Was nicely central but, not too close to town Friendliness and helpfull staff and other visitors alike very welcoming
- MOLLARD (9/5): - Propre, lits, salle de bains, espace commun... Petit déjeuner basique à volonté pour 6,50 € correct. Personnel sympathique Très bon rapport qualité prix RAS
- Geoff (6/5): - We arrived late at night and left the next morning. We didn’t see any staff. But key was left as expected. Comfortable beds and clean room. Expensive for what it is. No towels.
- Beth (9/5): Accommodated us last minutes and we’re very helpful. The gent at reception was very helpful and we had an excellent stay - Good shower facilities ajs communal areas.
- MarkyGriffin (8/5): - Excellent arrival instructions. Thank you. Noisy group of drinkers rolled in at 3am.
- Janice (7/5): Good value accommodation - Clean and quiet A bit far from town
- Penelope (9/5): - The hostel is about 600 yards from the travel centre in Kirkwall. The number 9 bus stops outside. Very clean, with a good kitchen. Quiet, although, as in any hostel, occasional noise from other guests in the corridors. Beds not fabulous, but passable. Water in showers hot. Laundry available in the afternoon for £5 fee. Staff friendly and helpful. Supermarkets 400 yards away.
- Emilia (9/5): -
- Katherine (8/5): Good communal area and friendly staff and - Good location Some of the mattresses need replacing
- koehler (8/5): - Très bien équipé et spacieux
- Katherine (3/5): Make sure you try out the mattress before you book for the night. - Good location for arriving on the ferry from Shetland The mattress was awful. It was impossible to sleep. In the morning the staff said they’d already had a few complaints about the mattress. It needs replacing - you could feel the springs and it was like lying on a cattle grid.
- Gert (7/5): - De ruimte om lekker te zitten na wandeling Het ontbijt witbrood was zelfs beschimmeld
- Shona (9/5): Excellent hostel, comfy, clean and lovely staff - Clean, comfortable beds, excellent lounge and kitchen. Staff were so helpful and friendly. One of the nicest hostels I have stayed in, and I have stayed in a lot! My only criticism is the soap dispensers in the toilets were empty or almost empty. I did mention it but I then just used the one toilet that I knew had soap.
- joanna (9/5): I was pleasantly surprised of cleanliness, staff were really nice and helpful - Dining room, shower, kitchen
- BarbeeK (9/5): - Warm, clean, good parking excellent kitchen Mattress was uncomfortable and it was not within walking distance of town.
- Hanna (9/5): - Good hostel, a good and big kitchen. Everything as I expected.
- Jeremiah (10/5): -
- Anna (8/5): Återvänder gärna till både boendet och platsen för det var varit väldigt trevligt hela veckan - Mycket vackert på Orkney och så vänliga människor Verkar ha blivit lite mycket tvätt som hopat upp sig när många avreste samma dag - behövs lite framförhållning kanske
- Ren (7/5): - The location's pretty convenient for getting to the airport and into the town. Didn't get to try the breakfast. Rooms were clean and comfortable. I liked that there were gender neutral toilets and shower rooms, though i'd prefer if you didn't have to chose a gender when booking. The booking system wasn't very easy to use on mobile, it wasn't clear what hours the breakfast was available between. Private room felt quite expensive for what it was.
- Glenn (7/5): It was my first stay at a Youth Hostel. I was happy with my stay there. - I could see my motorcycle from the window of my room, for security. I had a good night's sleep on both nights that I stayed there. The room and facilities were all clean and well presented. All the doors in the main corridor could do with soft closing devices, there ws constant slamming going on due to other residents just letting them slam shut behind them. Although in fairness, it is possible to close them quietly (as I did), but most residents didn't think of others. Not a fault due to the hostel.
- David (8/5): -
- Jurgis (8/5): -
- Damian (8/5): - Frugal 2 bed room at reasonable value, good location, friendly staff, clean facilities, well equipped kitchen and ample room in dining/lounge area
- SHEILA (8/5): Good inexpensive basic accommodation. - The "Wee Breakfast" was great. The hostel was very quiet and comfortable. My room was warm. Everything very clean. Staff were friendly and helpful. I arrived late at night off the Aberdeen ferry after reception had closed. Everything was fine except there was no towel. Bed was made up but towel had to be collected from reception. Reception didn't open till 8am next morning. I needed to be up before 8am. So I couldn't get a shower. Why not leave the towel in my room?
- Luigi (7/5): - Bagni pulitissimi, stanze un po meno ! Struttura spartana
- Kate (10/5): -
- Megan (8/5): -
- Susan (8/5): Nice accommodation which served a purpose but a little on the expensive side - Good kitchen, breakfast room. Comfortable bed, nice room, good showers Bit far from town
- Katrina (9/5): excellent - staff exceptionally helpful. met all expectations. perfect for solo budget traveler utilizing public transportation.
- Rebeca (5/5): -
- Barbara (6/5): -
- Helma (10/5): -
- John (7/5): -
- Helma (8/5): - De prijs en de keuken Niks
- Takayuki (7/5): -
- Xuella (7/5): -
- Allan (7/5): -
- Jenny (7/5): -
- gloria (10/5): -
- LILLIAN (8/5): -
- Timothy (4/5): - the bed was rock hard and very uncomfortable
- Root73 (9/5): L'unico ostello di Kirkwall. Per fortuna è anche un buon ostello :) - Pulizia eccellente e posizione ottima come punto di partenza per qualsiasi attività sulle isole. Parcheggio posteriore ampio, comodo e gratuito, stanze piccole ma pulite e silenziose. Docce e servizi esterni numerosi e molto puliti. Letti accettabili, materassi e strutture non eccezionali.
- Mink (4/5): - kitchen - saucepans good quality. enough fridge and non-fridge storage room for food outside rotary clothes line for drying clothes in the sun and wind would have appreciated basic seasonings for cooking like salt and pepper to be available. also sugar. not great knives, one set of stoves impossible to read high / low. found the staff unhelpful and smug when asking for local information; also not responsive to keeping toilet rolls, paper towels, dishwashing liquid available
- Anne (9/5): Langs St Magnus Way - Toalett på rommet, vennlig personale, nærhet til Kirkwall Hard madrass
- Agnieszka Anna (9/5): - Personal muy profesional. Buena ubicación. Comedor y sala de estar muy cómodos.
- Rhonda (8/5): -
- Carlo (7/5): -
- Spruit (5/5): -
- Carlo (7/5): -
- Martin (8/5): A pleasant stay in cost-effective accommodation. - Good value for money accommodation. Nothing
- Julian.Z Zhang (5/5): Poor experience without any check-in information - There are plenty of rooms. It is very quiet at night. The location is quite far from the ferry terminal, requiring a long trip through the centre of Kirkwall. I didn't receive any information about the check-in process before arrival. The ferry arrives at Kirkwall daily at 11 PM, so I didn't think late check-ins were uncommon. However, when I arrived at the hostel at 11:30 PM, no one was there. The combination door was locked. I didn't have the code. I knocked on the door and called the posted emergency number, but there was no response. Fortunately, another elderly person was also checking in that night and was also unable to get in. He received a vague email. After reading his email, I discovered that I needed to first open a small lockbox near the entrance to retrieve the main entrance code and room key. After nearly an hour of searching, we two finally entered the hostel when the staff member suddenly woke up. She said she couldn't provide me with the check-in instructions in any way, including email or phone. However, my email address was receiving emails normally, Booking was receiving messages from the property normally, and my mobile number, though not the UK‘s, was still available for WhatsApp and text messages. I couldn't understand what she said, even though she said sorry with sleepy eyes. If it weren't for this old man, would I have to sleep in the entrance lounge all night? A terrible stay experience.
- J (9/5): - 房间是两人间，有个小镜子，行李够地方摆~8月夜晚稍微有点凉，有暖气需要自己打开。卫生间和洗浴间是公共的，卫生间不分男女，洗浴间分男女，水比较热。厨房和就餐区超级大，太阳落山的时候阳光洒在餐桌上，就好像给食物加了魔法~厨房有基础调料和油，锅具非常全，用完洗完记得放回原位，冰箱也超大，三四个冰箱。这里有垃圾分类。门口有x1公交车，运营时间到很晚很晚。一定要避开周日，周日大部分公交车不开。这里有个行李寄存小屋，入住当天和退房当天均可寄存，是免费的。这家店是宠物友好的，基本上每个家庭都带了小狗来玩！
- Heike (7/5): - It is a youth hostel and on can use the kitchen
- Paul (10/5): Friendly staff and also dog friendly AAA+++ - Everything Nothing
- Helen (7/5): - Specious kitchen and dining area. Good size twin rooms. Good washing and drying facilities. Some of the bedroom door levers needed adjusting to prevent banging shut.
- Sebastian (8/5): -
- Jackie (6/5): - Close to main town and also bus route from airport Typical hostel on Friday night with guests being inconsiderate banging doors late at night. However, the previous 3 nights were very quiet.
- Nadea (7/5): - Lots of shower rooms. Too much dust on the path. The road leading to the hostel needs to be paved. There too much dust. It is very difficult to pull a suitcase on gravel and dust.
- Maria (10/5): -
- KAROL (6/5): -
- Peter (8/5): Easy hassle free stay in Kirkwall - Location is good, facilities in hostel are good & rooms are fine. Out of our party of 3, 2 didn’t find beds comfortable with wonky springs disturbing sleep.
- Taro (5/5): -
- Joanna (9/5): -
- Jan (10/5): Me and my friend stayed in for 2 nights. We had to check out very early in the morning, but the reception staff explaine - The room was clean and the reception staff were very friendly. I’m not the biggest fan of fan on shared facilities. There was also quite a bit of noise in the corridor from other quests, which didn’t help us get some quality sleep before a 14 hour journey back to England.
- Alexander München (8/5): -
- Marie (8/5): -
- nicola (7/5): -
- Christopher (5/5): -
- Sebastian (9/5): - Der Aufenthaltsraum war geschmackvoll eingericht und die Küche groß genug für alle Gäste. Die Zimmer waren ausreichend groß und sauber.
- Patricia (1/5): No alojarse - Nada Habitación sucia, con baño sucio, sin papel. Olor horrible. La cama era una tabla. No volvería nunca, no lo recomiendo
- simone (9/5): -
- Alice (5/5): - Unproblematischer später check - in Es gab keine Handtücher
- Andrea (7/5): -
- Diane (9/5): Good location, good value for money - Quiet. Off the beaten path.
- Miloslava (10/5): - Comfortable basic accommodation for affordable price. The bathrooms were clean and modern, toilets a bit dated, but also clean. The kitchen facilities were good Location a bit far from ferries
- Jim (7/5): - Friendly staff Bit old fashioned needs updating
- Philip (5/5): -
- Catherine (8/5): -
- Scott (10/5): - Excellent place, very clean and had all amenities needed. Good location in Kirkwall for access to anywhere. All staff were friendly and helpful.
- Michael (5/5): -
- Wolf 1970 (8/5): - Die Sanitäranlagen waren sehr sauber und die Betten gut. Der muffig Gang.
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