We went last year and the children liked it so much they begged to go back this year. The hostel has friendly staff who go out of their way to be helpful. Like most SYHA hostels you have to go out for a few hours each day so the place can be cleaned, and the kitchen is not open at lunch times , but here is loads to do in Islay and there are lots of places to eat if you don'y want to pack a picnic.

You get your bedding and can hire a towel if you don't have one. The bedrooms are what you expect in a hostel- clean, basic and not huge.The kitchen and dining area is spacious, as is the lounge- has tv and internet access There's a laundry and drying room.We didn't notice any road noise, and the clientelle were friendly, quiet at night ( there is a curfew) and clean up after themselves in the kitchen! The bathrooms and showers are clean and there is one that you can lock yourself into if you are worried about security( see previous review) I'm female and felt safe at all times: I had no concerns for the children's safety either.

The hostel is great for kids as it is on the beach (safe for swimmimg) and there is a natural history centre downstairs. The village has a park with really good selection of play equiment and a sports field with football goals. There is a cafe next to the park which is family friendly and has a pool table.

These 2 managers ticked all the right boxes. Need I say more. I marked the Hostel down slightly, as I wish there were more bathrooms / toilets; but I know they are resricted for space.

For a British youth hostel, I would rate Port Charlotte quite highly.

We had a twin bunk room, which was clean and well-presented, with a sink so that you didn't have to clean your teeth in the communal bathroom! Although cold when we arrived (due to the window being wide open!), the heater soon had the room toasty. We were given a sleeping bag liner and a towel each on arrival; standard youth hostel issue.

The communal areas at the hostel are spacious and comfortable and the lounge has a fair range of books if your tours are rained off. The bathrooms are clean and the showers roomy. Female travellers should note, though, that you cannot lock yourself in the shower (it's a curtain only!), which would make personal security a bit of a risk if you were anywhere other than Islay. This is particularly pertinent when you realise that the hostel remains unlocked until very late.

Unfortunately, the road through Port Charlotte seems to attract a lot of traffic, and we were woken on more than one occasion by the rattle of an empty livestock wagon, or the rumble of a goods lorry. That said, you are only a very short walk from the nearest bar in one direction and a hot breakfast in the other, so the location isn't all bad!