Overall Ratings & Reviews JOIVY Heart of the Old Town Literally Under the Castle

This flat is very close to Grassmarket and the castle. It is a very walkable location. We loved being in old town. We felt like this was a safe location for our children as well. I would not recommend using the sofa bed so it really only sleeps 4 adults. Two of our children had to sleep on the floor even though the listing said it sleeps 6. It also takes a good while to air dry clothes since there isn’t a dryer.

I wish I paid more attention to other reviews and stayed elsewhere. This property is in Terrible condition. As I understand that remodeling a place like this could be costly, what is unacceptable is the overall maintenance - stained carpets, furniture falling apart, wholes in walls, heater covers are loose/disattached from walls, closet doors missing in both rooms (and you have to see all their clutter exposed). Also very important— there were 4 of us, so we didn’t use the sofa bed. But DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE SOFA BED - there are multiple sunken in areas in it. Your back will not be happy about sleeping here, even sitting in it was close to impossible. However - location is great, walkable and close to most points of interest. Also there is no elevator to the apartment.

We booked this property because the Expedia website specifically mentioned (in 3 places) it had a washer AND DRYER. It only had a washer. This was disappointing as we planned and packed with the intent of washing and drying laundry here. The unit itself is okay. The closet doors were broken in both rooms. The closets were also filled with stuff making them impossible to use. A chair was clearly broken and then poorly repaired. A radiator cover is broken. One bedroom has a queen-size mattress on a full-size bed frame making for a U-shaped and uncomfortable bed. Beds were uncomfortable. The location is wonderful! Beautiful views and lots of stores and restaurants nearby. Location was a little noise as it is near bars and restaurants. There were 5 of us staying 4 nights. We were given 2.5 rolls of toilet paper. When we requested more, we were advised we would have to pay for it. We all agreed that we would not recommend this place.

The location was great. However, we had no idea that there was construction around the entire building. It would have been nice to know that ahead of time, so we would know what to expect. The construction made it a little difficult to find the entrance when we arrived after dark. Also, the refrigerator door wouldn't latch, so we propped a chair in front of it using an area rug to keep it shut. We have a one year old and needed the refrigerator to store milk and baby food. We notified the owner immediately and were there for three nights. He got back to us the next day and said he'd try to send someone over to look at it but, no one came and we were never offered compensation of any kind. On the subject of our toddler, the windows are old and thin and tge apartment is a very busy nightlife area. It was our first time to Edinburgh, so we had no idea the nightlife was as vibrant as it is. We heard loud tourists yelling, throwing construction cones, kicking garbage cans, and whatever else from about 11pm until nearly 4am each night. Then each morning we woke up to construction workers hammering away on the sidewalk and road on both sides of the building. It was less than ideal and knowing what we know now, we'll stay somewhere else next time. If you're planning on being a drunk tourist this is the place for you.

Location was great; however the unit is surrounded by construction. This was never mentioned in all of our email correspondence. Even though we were there on a weekend workers were still there working at 8:00 each morning.