5 stars
MB - England
January 2010
Phil - Scotland
November 2009
Only disaster was that we planned to hire bikes. The Port Charlotte people were away and when we got through to the Post Office at Bowmore on the Saturday afternoon (they hire bikes) they had closed at lunch time. No Sunday buses from October but we had no problems getting the odd lift.
4.5 stars
Darkness_my_old_friend - Germany
Oscar - Scotland
October 2009
4 stars
Raslyng - Denmark
Very friendly staff. Would recommend this place to anybody who is outgoing and used to staying in dorms
Suggers - England
claire (australia) - Australia
Security was great because we had a twin room, not sure about lockers. Great location, one of the best hostels. Really close to the port charlotte hotel if thats what your into.
Joe - Scotland
Carol & Mike, Battersea - England
The location is sublime. The hostel is well comfortable and friendly; beautifully kept and expertly run. You can eat out well and the locals - hostelries and islanders alike - are smashing.
Cyclist - Scotland
G Lewis - Scotland
Very friendly and helpful staff: one of the best hostels I've stayed in! Lots to see and do on Islay , will definitely return.
ging - New Zealand
If travelling to the Isle of Islay, the Port Charlotte YHA is an incredible place to stay in that it offers fantastic views of the sea from the kitchen, dining and lounge rooms. The atmosphere is great, the staff very friendly and helpful and it is one of the most well run YHA hostels I have been to. So much to see and do on the Island and the hostel adds to it.
cédric - Switzerland
September 2009
You should know before booking that you have to take your breakfast with you, it is not included in the price. Please note that if you have to leave early, the local shop to buy your breakfast do not open before 9am.
richmix - Australia
Born again cyclist - Scotland
Tony - England
Taking a car on to the island made a short visit for my family far more comprehensive than would have been posssible using local services!
Åsa - Sweden
Julian of Hampshire - England
Several excellent Celtic crosses and old churches to visit - but the island is big, so distances around can be considerable.
Lorna - Scotland
Had an enjoyable two night stay, with friendly and helpful staff. Lots of information and leaflets to plan what to do during your stay. Would highly recommend.
Helen@ramsaystreet! - Scotland
Port Charlotte Youth Hostel is exceptionally clean, the views from the public rooms are stunning and the wardens Karl and Lorna will go out of their way to help you with anything. I would choose to stay in Port Charlotte SYHA every time I travelled to Islay.
Thomas - Germany
The staff of the Port Charlotte hostel, which is located next to the shore, is very friendly and helpful. Rooms, kitchen, showers, etc. are clean. They offer a small variety of food and other useful things at the reception and a car park is provided. Just some lockers for some valuable things are missing, although it is safe. Simply a nice place to stay for a visit on Islay.
fred - England
Morag - Scotland
Port Charlotte is the friendliest, cleanest and most efficiently run hostel I've ever stayed at - better than many hotels!
Graz - Scotland
St:=Livres - Denmark
tsmith5414 - United States of America
I reccommend the Port Charlotte Hostel. Wonderful facility and staff.
meg4gem - Scotland
Pawski - Denmark
Granny K - Scotland
August 2009
Ian - Scotland
Very helpful and friendly wardens. Despite the hostel being full, there was plenty of space in the lounge and kitchen. A great base for exploring Islay as it's on a good bus route. I look forward to returning.
eiger - England
SteveC - Scotland
An excellent stay - very friendly hosts. Book in advance during the summer holidays. I also recomend the Port Charlotte Hotel Bar (50m away) for a meal if like us you arrive late on 2 wheels without food and the local shop is closed.
Mark,Murdo and Elaine - Scotland
As above.
Sue - England
Kirsty - Scotland
Friendly, welcoming, clean and tidy. We were a group of 8 that stayed in the hostel and we all thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We were also given lots of hints and tips on what to do, where to go to eat out, taxi information - the team at Port Charlotte couldn't have been more helpful.
Staff very friendly, helpful and efficient. Facility clean, well kept. Lounge furniture a bit tired and uncomfortable, only area not tip top. Family facility worked well for us (2 adults, 3 kids). Shop nearby and local pub serves bar meals to 9pm if arriving late (kids welcome).
John M Barrett - England
The Rosses - Ireland (Republic)
Great hostel for families with young kids: perfect location; excellent hosts (Lorna & Karl) for whom nothing seems too much trouble; very comfortable premises; beaches, wildlife and whisky on the doorstep. The Lochindaal Hotel has good food (book ahead) and is very friendly. Port Charlotte Hotel - less so, but has a great beer garden overlooking the beach. Jeremy at www.islaybushcraft.co.uk runs an engrossing course for families (book well in advance), and pony trekking on the beach at Machir Bay from Rockside Farm also highly recommended. Kids (8 & 10) never bored once in 8 days. Enough said!
zarko - England
Imelda - Scotland
I love this hostel. Great location in the lovely wee village of Port Charlotte on one of my favourite Scottish islands. The kitchen, dining area and common room all look out over the water. Dorms not too big. Staff friendly and efficient.
bikerene - Scotland
Little Red Hen - England
Ideal for children- right on the beach, natural history centre downstairs, museum nearby, great play area at community centre.
jane - Canada
for whiskey lovers,this hostel used to be a distillery,so was great to find this out,we really loved this hostel,very friendly staff,nice island and hope to go back there in the future
Mary - Scotland
Friendly helpful staff and a great location to tour this wonderful island gem
windy - Scotland
Musician - Scotland
July 2009
Perhaps bringing a travel kettle would be a good idea since, although access is possible to one's room between noon and 5pm, there is no access to kitchen facilities. I appreciate that many/most people will be out all day but the possibility of having a 'cuppa' for those who may break their day would be nice.
Ron - Scotland
Relax and enjoy. This is a great place to be and you will be really cared for.
daniel - Wales
dl - Scotland
Jon_From_Largs - Scotland
The Port Charlotte Hotel was over priced and not good value for money. Much better value was the nearby Port Mor. The local Spar shop has a limited selection and restricted opening hours, best to either take supplies with you or stock up at the Co-Op in Bowmore.
bls90 - Germany
joysonabike - England
The coffee shop at the mini market 1 mile to the north is not to be missed, especially if you are a cyclist. The coast at Saligo Bay is an absolute joy, similarly Sanaigmore Bay.
Ninad Raikar - India
The Hood - Switzerland
Robert - England
An excellent well run hostel, giving budget travellers access to what would otherwise be a difficult place to enjoy and explore
martin wood - England
June 2009
Deek - Scotland
Edward Bruce - England
The Port Charlotte Hotel bar is great for good and whiskies. Bridgend has the best general store I have ever seen.
otter - Scotland
We were lucky to see otters very close to the shore when we went for a walk towards the campsite after dinner
newckie - England
jeff - England
Do not mistakenly use the 'Private' back door which leads to the bike store, the warden will be very angry !!
Pali - Slovakia
babs - Scotland
comfortable, clean and a shelter from the storm!
Excellent location, friendly, hospitable staff, great bar/restaurant next door, great facilities, spotlessly clean. Superb place for a few days or longer!
David B - England
bb - England
May 2009
Edinburgh Cyclist - Scotland
This is an excellent hostel with very friendly and helpful staff who seemed genuinely interested the people staying at the hostel. Thanks for an excellent time.
Remco - Netherlands
JM - Scotland - Scotland
Port Charlotte Youth Hostel is a very clean comfortable and relaxed hostel which I would highly recommend to anyone travelling to Islay.
STAN - England
There is no transport service to the hostel if you arrive on Islay in the evening.
JEN - Scotland
GClark - Scotland
Visit the Port Charlotte Hotel nearby for lots of really good Malt Whiskys Visit the RSPB Reserve at Loch Gruinard for bird life and if you are into History go to Finlaggan to see the display and the home of The Lord of The Isles
Hoppy - Scotland
Bajdoff - Sweden
jocktaggart - Scotland
Chris Newcastle - England
One of the best hostels w e have stayed at!
mantis - Scotland
K - Belgium
April 2009
A advisory on the website about no open restaurants or bars serving food after nine would be helpfull. We arrived with the eight ferry and after checking in had to drive all the way to Bowmore to find the only place serving dinner after nine (Indian place)