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Pollock Halls is the perfect choice for larger groups and budget travellers visiting during the spring and summer. Our campus accommodation offers good value in a great location and you can look forward to a hearty breakfast in the Restaurant @ JMCC. Lunch and dinner are also available during the summer months. The cafe bar @ JMCC serves food, fine wine, beers and spirits. Summer Stays at The University of Edinburgh offer a campus lifestyle to educational and sports groups seeking facilities for students to sleep, eat and learn. Located at the foot of Arthur's Seat – the city's iconic ancient volcano – and on the secure Pollock Estate, we are within easy walking distance of the Old Town and the capital's main educational attractions. With 2,000+ bedrooms, onsite catering, shop, teaching spaces, and coach parking, we offer affordable accommodation for diverse school and sports groups.
18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AY Scotland
Pollock Halls
749 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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I had a great time. It is a student residence not a hotel. The rooms are equipped for students - desk with many sockets and single beds. We stayed in the most modern structure, the older ones are beautiful. The room was an acceptable size. The bathroom with a large shower. There is no daily cleaning and this affects the quality of the cleaning itself. It should be daily and more accurate. The highlight is the breakfast in a building near our residence. Abundant and varied. The college is always full of young people and students who stay in different structures than ours and we had no problems sleeping. The structure has kitchen areas on each floor with refrigerators available for guests. There is no hairdryer in the bathroom.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip: Visto che la pulizia non e’ giornaliera, organizzatevi da soli.
Comodissima la lavanderia con...
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We stayed for 3 nights at Pollock Halls, which during term time would be student accommodation. I was very impressed with the whole set up. The accommodation was basic, no frills accommodation, but functional, clean and comfortable. Also, the grounds are beautiful. The breakfast, has to be mentioned. It was amazing!!!! I've eaten my share of hotel breakfasts, but this one goes to the top of my list for choice, quality and quantity. I can't fault it. I liked the atmosphere at Pollock Halls. There was a huge international mix, with guests from all over the world. Evening meals are available and there is a bar. Transport into Edinburgh was easy, as there is a bus stop just outside the grounds. We didn't ever have to wait more than about 10 mins for a bus. An adult day ticket letting you go anywhere cost £5.00. The bus times are online, but we found it useful to photograph the timetable displayed at the bus stop. The staff were all helpful and polite. I very much enjoyed my stay and would thoroughly recommend Pollock Halls. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.
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Date of stay: August 2023
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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I stayed here for a week of the Edinburgh Fringe. Buses to city centre 5 minutes walk away, or 29 minutes walk to some of the Fringe events. Stunning location under the majestic Arthur's Seat, so I had to have a go.
Reception staff are very courteous, helpful and welcoming.
Part of Edinburgh University student accommodation which they let out as bed and breakfast accommodation in the summer break. Buffet breakfast in conference centre on site, all you can eat self-serve, gets very busy unless you are an early bird - restaurant is open from 7am...
Great value for 3 star accommodation. Clean and spacious bedsits, I paid a little more for en suite.
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Date of stay: September 2022Trip type: Travelled solo
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This is a dormitory with en suite bathrooms. I have stayed here twice, and the rooms are hit or miss. They are all modest, as you might expect of a heavily used, poorly maintained dorm room. The first time, it was okay as a place to sleep. The second time, there was a foul smell from the bathroom that would fill the entire dorm room when the window was closed, and there was lots of street noise when the window was opened. Unfortunately, the hotel was full, and the receptionists said they could only move me to a room between loud teens who they said they had already received complaints about or to a room with bees that was currently out of service (due to the bees).
There is often a long line for service at the front desk. If you don't mind staying in a run-down, hit or miss, potentially loud dorm, this is certainly fine. If you need to sleep at night or want some level of comfort or service, you should not consider this place.
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Date of stay: July 2024
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We'd booked for one night at Pollock Halls on the back some half decent reviews. Unfortunately, for us, staying there was not a good experience. Staff on reception are a bit brusque and there is a rather odd system whereby you have to submit two bank card debits (one for 1 pence) and another for your accommodation. Also means it's all paid up front. The first room (we saw three in total) was small and below basic, by which I mean in dire need of updating and it was dusty and dirty. The en suite shower had seriously bad mould and the tap almost came off in your hand when you turned it. This was the best of the three and given it was quite late by this time, we decided to stay. We both spoke to reception about the issues and although they'd offered different rooms, it was clear that they didn't really appreciate the problems or perhaps thought we were just being difficult. Sleeping there was grim. One positive thing is that the breakfast service was well organised and there was plenty of food, albeit a slightly limited menu. That said, it was much better than a lot of hotel breakfasts with the exception of the scrambled eggs. Staff were pleasant and friendly. Also, we did receive a 50% refund as a gesture of goodwill. I suspect there is a complete disconnect between the people with overall responsibility and management of the halls and those on the ground delivering the service. It was clear that no monitoring of standards was taking place, otherwise it would not have been so bad. It's a shame, because location wise, it's quite convenient and if it were better run, it would be a good alternative option for a stay in Edinburgh.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
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Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I recently stayed in this student residence. It is a very good accommodation option 15/20 minutes walk from the center. (UBER to the center costs about 5/7 pounds) Double rooms (two beds) are a very good choice. Is there a coffee maker in the room The beds are comfortable The clean bathroom The residence does not have room service unless you notify The residence is quiet and there is no noise. The breakfast, simply exceptional, varied. 100% recommended Greetings
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Extremely basic accommodation in old student residences which was overpriced for the experience received including substandard comfort and amenities.
The bed was appalling with a terrible mattress, thin pillows and lumpy duvet and resulting in a poor night's sleep.
With no television provided the Wi-Fi needed to work well, it did not.
The communal bathroom was dirty from an age of wear and tear.
Breakfast was a mass catering nightmare. ...
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â Avoid taking breakfast at 8.00 to 8.30am
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I didn't quite know what to expect when I booked a two night getaway. The price attracted me (£50 a night with breakfast) and I thought, "If it's not great at least it's cheap!"
This is an amazing little oasis of calm under Arthur's Seat. Check in was great; a lovely, friendly receptionist and a smooth and transparent check in procedure. My room was clean and comfortable, with little touches like fluffy white towels, a tea and coffee tray and delicious body wash and soap. The view!!! Wow!! At night, the water feature gently trickles in the gardens below and it's so peaceful.
The bar is friendly and has a good range of wines and food. Breakfast was Covid secure and tastily plentiful.
What a gem this accommodation has been. Thank you Edinburgh First and UOE.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
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Edinburgh is hilly and an iconic city to explore. This venue was located on a reasonably flat walk to the centre. The accommodation offered your own room and ensuite. The bed was super comfortable and the shower was gentle. Very clean. Tea/coffee/milk provided in room. The included breakfast ranged from a buffet - hot / cold / fruit/ pastries all very tasty. Staff were friendly and helpful. The grounds were a delight to wander around. Great find.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
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Location
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Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Â No hair dryer in room.
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This is a hall's of residence so you get basic accommodation. Fine.... But the numerous fire doors and room doors bang shut and echo through the walls as people crash home at all hours and it goes on ALL night. Bring ear plugs.... Breakfast was excellent but rooms smelt musty and you have to keep teh window open all the time (Grant House).
Fix the automatic door closers so they shut slowly, it is not that fricking hard.
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Date of stay: June 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Â Maybe top floor would help
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Response from Robert Kitzinger, General Manager at Pollock Halls
Responded 29 Jun 2022
Dear Mathew, Thank you very much for your feedback, it was nice to hear you very much enjoyed breakfast. We do take all our guests comments very seriously and thank you again for highlighting your experience with the doors. I will certainly pass this on to our team to see what improvements we can make. I do hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Edinburgh in the near future. Kind Regards, Claire Hillis Rooms Division Manager
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stilton, United Kingdom40 contributions25 helpful votes
I can't remember the bus number! But all the information like that is readily available at the Reception. There are bus timetables but also the staff are incredibly helpful. The bus stop is immediately outside and the buses quite frequent. There are various bus passes you can buy which were good value but a day ticket was very cheap. Also, at the entrance there is usually a taxi hovering, but ifnot, in Reception there is a dedicated phone and one will appear quite quickly. Oddly enough we couldn't find a taxi in the city centre when returning from a concert, but we did get a bus back. We came back with one of the orchestra who was staying at Pollock Hall and he said taxis were scarce and needed to be prebooked, but he found the bus reliable.
I would also mention the open topped tourist buses. They take you to all the tourist sites, including out to the Royal Yacht in Leith. Not cheap but convenient and save wasting time.
I can recommend the accomodation. A bit far out if, like me you can't walk far, but great value for money. In summer I stay in university accomodation if possible the length and breadth of the UK
Hi there,
During student time we have two onsite hotels called Masson House and Salisbury Green both of which have double beds. If you'd like to make a booking do email bed.breakfast@ed.ac.uk .
Kind Regards,
Dominic
There are more places to choose from in the Edinburgh area.
PRICE RANGE
£64 - £146 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
pollock halls - edinburgh first hotel edinburgh, pollock halls - edinburgh 1st, first hotel edinburgh, edinburgh first hotel
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandEdinburgh
NUMBER OF ROOMS
1,800
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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