5 stars
abc - Germany
July 2010
2.5 stars
Lilizen - France
3 stars
stokkie - Belgium
Alleyne - Canada
Perfectly located for exploring Loch Lomond, close to Glasgow and other lovely towns. No shortage of people to talk about walking, cycling, or gear.
4 stars
Occasional hosteller - Italy
Lovely setting, lovely views, and a historical building that must have its stories to tell, between 19th century commercial wealth and Second World War use. An early start offers a liitle extra wildlife, such as rabbits browsing on the lawns.
Kan - England
alex - Germany
Stunning building and beautiful location.
4.5 stars
scotvisitor - United States of America
traveler - Germany
The Loch Lomond Hostel is probably the best hostel i ever stayed in. my room was very large and open with a wonderful view over the loch. the kitchen is very clean and well equipped and the toilets and showers worked perfectly. and the staff was very friendly and helpful. the location itself is great althought if you do not have a car or bike it takes a little walk of ca 30 minutes to get into Balloch. still it is a wonderful place to start some day biking or walking along the shores of the loch. i will definitely come back.
andre - England
monique - Netherlands
Annachiara - Italy
Incantevole, lascia senza fiato. uno dei luoghi accessibili al pubblico più belli che abbia mai visto!
aussie - Australia
Dinner and breakfast were available at reasonable cost in a most elegant dining room. You will feel very special here! The upgrading to personal bathrooms will be an added bonus.
Stephen Bowden - England
dancingthroughlife - England
On a summer evening, cross the A82 and watch the sun go down over the loch. Beautiful.
Henry Chan - Hong Kong
newzealander - New Zealand
3.5 stars
jeromeetjulie - France
AMAC - England
June 2010
What a find, stumbled upon this hostel cycling on a rainy eve. Looks like a grand country house and feels very relaxed and welcoming.Also very good value as everything else around Loch Lomond is so over priced.
JGC - England
An excellent stop over hostel on the road to the Highlands with a small town nearby wityh excellent shopping facilities
irishrover - Australia
hups - Germany
lukemoodley - Scotland
Beautiful surroundings and building. We loved it.
Robin - United States of America
Spotsey - England
SinBosun - Scotland
moley - England
end to end triker - England
great food superb location no parking problems and a fantastic building
AllanD - England
Stayed @ L Lommond en route from Skye to SW England & recommend the hostel to all doing similar. Would enjoy a longer stay as well
hannah d - England
Anonymous - Italy
Alice - England
An amazing building to stay in. Spacious dorm room and comfy bed. Great breakfast and evening meals.
JUDE - New Zealand
What an atmosphere! Great hostel, great staff, great facilities.
Ancient hosteller - England
A really lovely hostel in a beautiful setting, with beautiful views. A lovely place to visit!
Geoff - England
nigel - England
Canuck - Canada
Great hostel, friendly staff, wonderful facilities. Had a fabulous meal, should have stayed more than one night.
Helen K - England
Wonderful old house, great situation with a view of Loch Lomond, and a welcome retreat from the bank holiday crowds in Balloch.
Sharon - England
Nomad Tyke - England
Court - Australia
Dabe - New Zealand
Great place to stay, and a lovely building.
Jenny Wyles - England
The location of this hostel is superb and the facilities impressive. We were lucky enough to get a room for 2 which was excellent. The evening meal was good and served in an amazing dinning room with a fantastic view.
Courky_03 - Canada
GORGEOUS!! We got there by bus, and so our travel around was limited. The only restaurant we could walk to was across the road in the hotel and it was Really expensive. And we had no way of getting to a grocery store the first night. (If we'd had a car, it would have been much easier.) We did get groceries the next night and the kitchen had everything we needed. It was huge! We caught the bus to Glasgow right down in front (on the highway.) Just make sure you are POSITIVE on what time the last bus goes back to the hostel/in that direction - we missed ours and had to take a cab. All-in-all we had a great stay, and I for one would go back anytime. :)
supergran - England
i can recomend this place it is the best one i have stayed in and a special experience to have had
surov - England
njross - United States of America
Kevin edwards - England
little johnny - Australia
Yecomb - England
May 2010
Impressive building. Great start to the Lochs and Glens cycle route rather than braving the neds through in Glasgow. Can recommend the chinese takeaway in Balloch for food.
Kerry - Scotland
Very much loved the surroundings. Very nice building. I was dissapointed i could not stay in the same room as my boyfriend, considering it was a trip away together!
Jelle - Belgium
T&G - Netherlands
HIghlander - Canada
007-willi - Germany
Bessy - Isle of Man
Bards - England
francois - Sweden
Janda - Scotland
KateC - England
Stunning house and surrounds. Wonderful experience. Highly recommended!!!
Sophia - Greece
You should defenalty try to walk till Luss! There is a cycling path very friendly for walking as well. It's long way but the roure is worthing the walking. Be sure that it rain is not on the forcast cause you may be in the middle of nowhere with no coverage!
the Combers - New Zealand
if you like old and large building this is it.........you feel like you are on set of a harry potter movie, we loved it and will return soon with friends
twintal - England
gsoren - England
Vikki - England
This hostel was amazing. I had really high hopes for it after seeing the website photos, but it was so much better! We honestly wished we could stay for longer.
ASE - Scotland
April 2010
Alexandra - Scotland
billy t - Scotland
smile - England
one of the lassies - Scotland
stunning location. We had a room overlooking the loch and the views are breathtaking.Castle lovely. Bedrooms very basic could do with a bit of sprucing up. Had a room for five females and had three sets of bunk beds, two chairs, six coat hangers and that was it, just as well we had an extra bed, it came in handy to sit on, but the million dollar view made up for it . Toilet and showers spotlessly clean. They do a Scottish breakfast for just under £6. Not recommended. Was awful. Take your own. Kitchen facillities are great. Great value for money for overnight stay, would definately use it again
pumve07 - Germany
Bronnie - New Zealand
* - England
2 stars
aloizas - Lithuania
Garry - United States of America
Marie Jeanne LALANNE - France
Mike - England
Käthe - Germany
Amazing house, great view, unfortunately a bit too close to a big road, easy to get to by bus. Contrary to the information on the website there is food available, one room is like a small restaurant (great view). But the members Kitchen is also very friendly. Altogether a really interesting place.
Przymorze - England
Amazing place :) In terms of value for money the best hostel I've seen and slept in so far. Nice garden with a lake view plus awesome interior :) Good location for first night when you travel by plane to Edinburgh/Glasgow. Then off to Highlands you go :) Thank you american pilots for making this hostel :)
nixy - Wales
A really lovely loacation. The price is more expensive than some other hostels but the building and location are stunning so I didn't mind. It's only a short walk to the loch which is ideal.
E.p - India
Such a magnificient place to live which is within the budget. Recommended to all student/ youths with limited budget but not compromising the quality. p.s do not forget ur coffe/tea bags and sugar as you cant get them there !!!
Jan - England
the east (right) side of the lake is very nice for walking.... the hostel is great! it's a castle with a view to the lake...with a good breakfast! well done!
kiwisinpa6 - United States of America
Beautiful location, and the best-stocked kitchen we've found anywhere.
N - Ireland (Northern)
ds - Singapore
Kiwi abroad - Scotland
heidic - Scotland
Rick - Germany
Sally - England
Kathy K - England
Stuart - England
Warm welcome, beautiful setting and good, clean facilities
honest review - England
Rebecca - United States of America
Very easy to find, lovely views of the loch and surrounding areas. Beautiful castle-like building - amazing common rooms and entry ways. Great photography opportunities.
Paul mckay - Scotland
Melanie62120 - France
March 2010
kim - England
January 2010
I would definitely recommend this hostel overall - in fact I'd recommend it over any other accommodation in the area - a wining combination of magnificent building and superb location with panoramic views over the Loch. Not often you can get to stay in a mansion for the price of a b&b or less! My partner and I stayed overnight in a private room in September, on the way over to the western isles, and other than a rather disappointing meal, really enjoyed the experience. (The bad meal may have been a one-off and there is an excellent self catering kitchen and dining room.)
Paula - Australia
Ho-Ho - South Africa
December 2009
Gleiber - Brazil
Our internet reservation was done, but when we arrived, they told us that our room was already occupied (we reserved a en-suite double room). The hostel is very good, so we stayed in a regular room, but we disliked this situation very much. The breakfeast is excelent and the staff, lovely!
CAT - England
November 2009
vince from france - France
lochlomondbride - England
Fantastic venue for a wedding, can't recommend it highly enough! We felt like king and queen of the castle for our special day, and lots of our guests said it was the best wedding they'd been to. We stayed for the whole weekend, and the pouring Scottish rain didn't dampen our spirits at all as the interior of the house is so stunning our pics were beautiful. Perfect, thanks to all.
alessio zanfini - Italy
scramble - Netherlands
norts - England
Great to stay when there's hardly anyone else there
Grace - Scotland
October 2009
I have also met people on the cycle path who had trouble finding this hostel as its on the main road. The cycle path along Loch Lomond is on a more minor road and when it joins the main road again the hostel is back down the main road on the left. Hope this makes sense.
abcd - Scotland
northwestdrifter - Scotland
S - England
alan - England
Scotty - Netherlands
alison - Australia
a must experience for families and singles one of the most beautiful hostels
bennettjohn - United States of America
BRgirl - Brazil
Does not even seem like a hostel. Beautiful building nicely located, great staff, excellent dinner. I tried to get an ensuite room but there were none available. Regardless, I loved the hostel and, as there are a lot of bathrooms and showers it was really not a problem that I did not have an ensuite room. Loved my stay at SYHAs Loch Lomond hostel!
Gaelle EVRARD - Belgium
Loch Ness, Inverness, Urquhart Castle, ...
Frank - Netherlands
Frizzly - England
etribe - England
Excellent hostel, staff very pleasant and helpful.Rooms could do with a makeover which I believe is going to happen. The pseudo castle is amazing. would stay there again
12345 - England
Birgit - Germany
Wonderful old house - nearly a castle
anonymous - England
jorbarce - France
Mark - United States of America
September 2009
NickF - England
Loch Lomand is worth getting to early, it has great facilties and the main hall upstairs with the open fires is a treat to sit and read. I would also recommend having tea there, the view from the tea room is first rate
Giggles - United States of America
April - Republic of China (Taiwan)
jim - England
scottishtravels - United States of America
a long way from the town if you are going on foot, but follow the signs for the hostel and its a nice walk. the hostel itself is and INCREDIBLE building! you feel like you've gone back in time.
Bruno Boskop - Germany
Ben Lomond is a must see. Watch for your halo / spectrum!
Neville Anderson - England
hillbilly - England
Absolutely splendid interior. Wonderful location. Fabulous views.
Matthew Sims - England
mon - England
Duke - Germany
stefi - Italy
an-g - Spain
Magda - England
Jane, Luther, Louis & Sadie - Leamington Spa - England
Amazing building andnice lcation, but could have been made much more of atmosphere-wise.
132 - Switzerland
yes - Germany
Britta - England
NOHE - Germany
Lolo - Spain
Alex - Spain
syorks - England
Although dogs were never allowed inside the hostel a new rule means they are not allowed on site(to sleep in vehicles)at all...which is unfortunate.
Ane - Spain
Raphael - Spain
Christine - Germany
Andy & Gloria - England
Amazing decor in the public rooms, and beautifully sited. We could see Loch Lomond from our bedroom window! The self-catering kitchen was large, well-organised and equipped.
wainwright - England
karen - Canada
PM - Australia
This hostel is a real Historic gem. Yes, it really is liking staying in a real-life castle. The Hostel though is not suited to young independent travellers as the hostel is located a fair distance from the main railway station. If i was perefctly honest, the Hostel felt soul-less as no one engaged in conversation & the hostel was booked up by families & their children, who did not interact with other guests of the hostel.
ALVITE - Spain
sbakenilworth - England
J.L. - France
Bel endroit et bon accueil. Très bons repas
creatachris - England
Stephanie (Malta) - Malta
August 2009
Mef - England
pawski - Denmark
hello - Netherlands
Mzg - Spain
Very nice hostel indeed. Beautiful house and gardens. Comfortable room. Good breakfast. Very friendly and helpful staff.
Gundi - Germany
dd - Germany
eagle - Hong Kong
Richard - England
lovely hostel, good facilities, friendly staff. thanks for a lovely stay
Katy Loncke - Belgium
Loch Lomond is a very nice hostel to be!!!! It's very beautiful, a real castle.. with a nice vieuw to the loch. They have a very good restaurant too!!! A very nice place to be!!!! You have all you need.. We hired a bicycle at the loch, and did a nice trip aorund the loch. Luss is a nice place to stop. The other day, we went to Balmaha for a walk en we went to Loch Katrine. In Balloch, you can go to the supermarket. The other shops are too expensive!!!
Alan - England
rainmaker - Germany
Shalabh - England
The setting of this hostel can't be more perfect - Castle-like and close Loch Lomond. While the location was perfect, the food on offer was very limited and could have been better. So would the rooms - this hostel has the worst room I ever stayed in any YHA / SYHA across the country. I took a 4 bed, so not sure of how other rooms are, although ours had creaking metal bunks and not even a wash basin. Overall, a good hostel for access to Loch Lomond and good out-of-room experience.
octopusann - England
Dorms are up 2 sets of stairs so beware if you aren't very mobile. The building is fanatstic - it looks like something straight out of Monarch of the Glen.
angela - England
piscator - Germany
Marisal - England
Fantastic setting, stunning building and very friendly and well-equipped hostel.
anita - Spain
Scot - Austria
Kristin - Norway
Pat Naylor - England
Graham,Suffolk. - England
Easy to find. Hostel set in superb location. A must to stay in.
jponsf - Spain
J M Barrett - England
Sarah - Scotland
Rosca - Spain
Alison - Scotland
Allow for bad weather whatever the time of year.
Frank - Belgium
Gon - Spain
Jorge H. - Spain
It´s a great hostels. It was a grogeous experiences stay there
Roxie - Germany
Great atmosphere, very friendly and helpful staff!
aspoeck - Austria
daniel - Netherlands
J. Martins - Portugal
Sue R - England
It's worth not staying in a B&B just to experience this great building.
philcabzi - Canada
Angelika + Alina - Germany
anon - England
Great place to visit, it's a ~20 minute walk (for a fit person with bags) from the train station - walk down Old Luss Road though, much nicer than the A82.
Alan - Scotland
July 2009
revisiitng after 30 years! - United States of America
I stayed and worked in this youth hostel back in the 1970's and returned with my family to show them the neat castle I worked in as a college student. I was absolutely amazed at the improvements I saw. The place is in great shape. The rooms and beds are comfortable and the bathrooms are updated... but best of all the food is now fantastic! We loved staying there, you feel like royalty! It is such a grand place I would recommend it to everyone.
home traveller - England
Wonderful scenery and beautiful building. nice comfy TV room!
Jenny - England
Remember the hostel is on the left as you travel north on the A82! Once you turn right, it's really hard to cross the road again.
bearwalk - United States of America
feesh - England
Trug - England
A superb location, fantastic building. Breakfast could have been hotter. Clean and well looked after. The Duck bay accross the road was very poor for dinner, couldn't cope with large party and didn't take complaints well. The Hostel though is worth the visit just for the building it'self.
Jo - Belgium
Very impressive building and wonderful view. Big gardens around the hostel, very big and nice kitchen. Breakfast and people serving it could be better...
CP - France
Wolfgang - Germany
June 2009
Ein echtes Herrenhaus mit stilvollem Interieur. Gute Küche, freundliche Mitarbeiter. Ein guter Standort um die Gegend zu erkunden.
7ft - England
gary - Scotland
Manchester Malc - England
Stay a couple of nights and soak up the atmosphere
Tony Ball - England
Lone travellers get to know more people at smaller hostels
mickey - Germany
Don - United States of America
another - Greece
becfleck - England
Mike Kesby - England
ramman - England
celeryhils - England
Stephanie - Germany
AllaD - England
Paco - Spain
Faboulous location, excellent views, friendly hostel
benji - England
Goyo - Spain
abli - England
sm - England
pikey - England
monkey - England
KasF - England
Quite a trek from the station if you're back-packing. Stunning scenery, close to Loch. Nearest take-away and shops again quite a trek so pretty much stuck with eating in hostel.
s - England
I only arrived late and left early so can't give an accurate comment except I would come again.
Volker - Germany
Fambo - France
May 2009
NAM - France
alibongo - Scotland
anonymous - France
mark - Scotland
Lol - England
david - England
paswmas - England
TCR - Scotland
Emmanuel - France
GCH - France
April 2009
alim - England