Pollock Halls

I stayed here during my trip to Edinburgh and I thought it was a pretty good choice. Although they’re a university accommodation, they have some rooms for travellers and I was put up in one of those. I had my own room, shared a restroom with a few other rooms and ate at a really nice breakfast buffet at their cafeteria all for £49/​night.
The proximity to Arthur’s seat is definitely a big plus, but you are a bit away from the city centre although it’s easily reachable by bus/​taxi.

This is NOT a hotel, it is a student dorm, noisy, hot, terrible heating and not very safe. A old fashioned key on the door and a lot of people going in and out all the time.
It was very disappointing to find out I rented a broom closet with no ventilation, no shower or toilet, these are in the corridor. The only good thing about this place: the breakfast is excellent! Other then this, it is too expensive for the facilities they offer.

Nice halls and garden areas along with ample parking make this a good choice for those who’d like to tie the knot not too far from the city centre.

Although they are the student residences for the University of Edinburgh, (the many) Pollock Halls are available for short term stays by summer travellers.
I have stayed there twice now and you can’t beat Pollock for value, especially during August Fringe month when hotel rates are nuts. (You still need to reserve Pollock early to get the kind of room you want.)
First, PH is located right beside Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park, which is the most amazing hike in the region. If you are a jogger, there is a wonderful 6 km loop around Arthur’s Seat — my best run of the year in terms of breathtaking scenery.
There are lots of shops are restaurants near PH but it’s a 30 minute hike to the Royal Mile so take the bus! The system easy to figure out, you basically stay on the same street and the Scots, are endlessly helpful if questions arise.
PH has accommodation at all sorts of price points from swanky, baronial buildings to basic student dorm rooms, some with private and some with shared bathrooms (make sure you’re clear on what you want). PH has a very professional and efficient check-​in system and lots of on-​site parking. Both times I stayed there, breakfast was included. For a student cafeteria, it was surprisingly good. Who knew you could get vegetarian haggis?
The grounds are well maintained and the gardens are quite lovely.
What I like best about PH in August is the energy of lots of student groups and performers who are staying there for Fringe. This time I made friends with a Mexican marching band and last time I got to know a group of Maori haka dancers, complete with traditional face tattoos.
If you need super quiet or deferential service, go downtown and pay double, but if you want quality, value and a guaranteed unique experience, check out the rez.

Massive place where you can stay as a non-​student. Decent, clean rooms, fab breakfasts (haggis AND black pudding), cheapish.
On the down side: You are in studentish accomodation & there are thin walls and whatnot. If you visit Embra between terms, it’s a decent place to stay.
Except for the odd shower configurations. It’s just a hole in the corner of a tiny little room, so make sure you do any toilet business before your shower… or you’ll feel like you’re sitting in wee.
Totally decent place to stay, and at £55/​night, not too bad.

Ah, Pollock. The memories. Most people who’ve stayed here did so as freshers although the uni does rent out the nicer blocks to tourists or people attending conferences at the on-​site conference centre, St. Leonard’s Hall.
The tourists only ever get put in Chancellor’s Court or John Burnett House, as the others are pretty skanky breezeblock cells housed in ugly 1960s wannabe tower blocks, and also because these two are the most expensive. When the rahs go home for summer and aren’t cluttering up the quad with their stupid huge hairdos and jack wills tracksuit bottoms, this place is pretty good. There are a few grassy areas for lounging on during the rare suny days, there’s an on-​site pub and there’s also a little corner shop which is fairly well-​stocked.
Just don’t eat in the JMCC canteen. They like to dress it up and call it a restaurant, but it will always be a canteen. And not a very good one at that.

Pollock Halls is without doubt the best way to spend your first year at university in Edinburgh. You don’t have to worry about food, buying domestic items and bills, the key to first year is to have fun, and that is what Pollock Halls allows you to do.
When I was staying in Pollock there was extensive work being done, with a new house being build, a new road being laid and a conference centre being built. I have recently returned for nostalgia’s sake and it looks absolutely stunning.
The main drawback against Pollock Halls and it is a pretty big drawback, is that it is becoming more and more expensive every year, especially after the new developments have been done so I can imagine people coming from more modest backgrounds could very well start to be priced out of coming to Pollock in the future, which would be a real shame.

This catered university residence is also known as Edinburgh First
outwith the school semester, and has a pretty wide range of accomodation available!
I was placed in Chancellor’s court, one of the newer buildings. I’d say it’s quite angular and modern; not exactly what I had hoped for in the beginning, as I’d aspired for more Hogwarts-​like surroundings. However I quickyly came to appreciate my lot, as Chancellor’s
is one of the four dorms with ensuite bathrooms! I wouldn’t say the other buildings were shabby, or too shabby; they are what actual university dorms should look like. Chancellors, and the even newer John Burnett, are just a bit extravagant!
In the middle of it all is the JMCC, or John McIntyre Centre, where the catering facilities and school shop are. The centre underwent an £8 million refurbishment in 2009 so everything’s still bright and shiny.
Many students are contractually kicked out of the halls during the easter break, when Pollock Halls becomes Edinburgh First and Chancellor’s Court is used as a hotel for guests. Wasn’t really a fan of that policy!

Pollock Halls quite rightly is important to many University of Edinburgh students, as Emily says. I stayed there in my first year, living in Chancellor’s Court. This was a great place to live; with the ensuite bathroom being very useful. There are a number of other houses that provide rooms of differing sizes, some with bathrooms, some without.
I agree with Emily’s description of the house separation. Chancellor’s was supposedly where all the rich kids lived, Grant was the ghetto, Baird /​Ewing /​Masson all merged into one in our minds, and Holland was a world of its own. Everyone was able to come together in the John MacIntyre Centre and enjoy a good (?) meal.
Not all of my memories of here are good ones though. Noise in the small hours of the morning from people coming home late. Thin walls meaning you could hear everything from the next door rooms. Fire alarms going off on an almost weekly basis. That said, the experience was a great one for getting to know people, and most will say that the friends they made in halls were the friends that they kept throughout their time at the uni.
You could talk for pages on all the things that Pollock offers. But I won’t. I’ll just leave you with the thought that, though it isn’t cheap to stay at, it is an experience you will never forget.

I stayed in Turner house in Pollock Halls for my first year in 2008-​09 and it was, without a doubt, one of the best years of my life. All we did was get drunk, have fun and do as little work as was conceivably possible to pass our respective courses. The rooms in Pollock are all in pretty good condition with large desks, comfortable chairs and beds and clean sinks. As the other reviews have mentioned, there’s all the stigmas attached to each house, but everyone is of a muchness no matter what house they’re from.
The JMC (the canteen) was being extended when I was there so I was overlooking a building site most of the year, but the finished building looks great now. The food in the JMC isn’t always the best, but their brunch on the weekends is legendary. If you’re a prospective first year student at Edinburgh Uni I recommend Pollock without any hesitation.

Well, well, it seemed like only yesterday that my parents were dropping me off at Pollack Halls, the halls of residence for first year students of the University of Edinburgh. Fast forward four years, I still look back at Pollack Halls with mixed feelings.
Yes, I loved the fact that you get to meet lots and lots of people. In my house of Baird, our floor shared bathrooms and a kitchen but all had our own rooms. It was a great way to meet people (some might get on your nerves throughout the year!), share facilities but also have your own private space to go to!
At Pollack Halls, breakfast and dinner are provided for you within the package at the JMC building. Newly refurbished, the building is looking much more modern since I was there, however the food has stayed broadly the same. And that was the problem. The food was the same week in week out, alright quality for a first year student but after staying there for months and months you will be cringing at the thought of having yet again pizza and chips, curry, baked potato, stew etc etc…
Pollack Halls are great for students who don’t know how to cook and gives you a good grounding in the city. The houses are of different quality, some houses have en suites, others are still in the seventies mould, while others have only been recently built. Location wise, it’s only a twenty minute walk to George Square and a lightly longer walk to Kings Buildings. At right next door id the brilliant Arthur’s seat, a great area for sports! Prices are increasing every year, so it is quite expensive to stay, but it is a great place to start and a great place to meet new friends!

Pollock halls is the large student accommodation complex run by the University of Edinburgh. The accommodation ranges from extortionately expensive to mildly extortionate. There’s a range of buildings housing students with a couple of particularly up market constructions facing Arthur’s Seat. This is where you’ll find swathes of ‘Rahs’…I wont say any more in fear of venturing on a relentless rant.
There’s an onsite convenience shop, function suite, and computer labs. Its all kitted out for students as you would expect. Think of it as a breeding ground for first year student camaraderie.

POLLOCK!
I think Pollock Halls hold a special place in the hearts of all Edinburgh University students. It certainly does for me. The entire area is huge, fantastically huge and it is easy to get lost. There are several different houses — Chancellors, Baird, Lee, Turner, Grant, Holland (Blocks A, B, C, D and Annexe), Masson and Fraser court. I’m sure there’s more I’ve forgotten about!!!
Here’s the scoop — when I was here in 2007 there was a distinct seperation between each house. Chancellors Court was generally reserved for the yah’s at Edinburgh Uni — I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, but the rooms are lovely, modern and clean. All en-​suite, naturally. Chancellors Court and Holland are the only two houses with en-​suite facilities. I stayed in Holland B block (following my brothers recommendation) and loved it. Yeah, the rooms weren’t huge and the toilets were tiny, and the walls were really thin, and it got cold (wow, I’m really selling it) but it was fantastic. Because Holland was one of the older houses it had a real sense of tradition about it. I’ve made some brilliant memories in Holland Block!
The JMC food-​court left a lot to be desired, I’m afraid to say. Their breakfasts were good, always a great selection of fruit, cereals and cooked breakfast, but their dinners went steadily downhill as the term progressed. Don’t get me wrong, it was all edible (but i once got a bad bug from the beef goulash) and if there was nothing you fancied there was always salad and cold meats, but it wasn’t amazing.
Overall, however, I thoroughly recommend Pollock Halls. I recently went for a drive and saw that the whole place has been updated with a whole new house being built, so I’m sure it has just got better!

Polock Halls Residence is located in the foot of Arthur’s seat, just at the entrance of the Holyrrod park. It offers tranquility, gorgeous views of the hill and the reserve. Close to all cultural sights and restaurants in the old city, Polock Halls is part of the students’ dorms of Edinburgh University. The rooms are well kept, bathroom and toilets are shared on each floor. A nice terrace bar and restaurant on campus. Visitors are welcome to eat in the student’s canteen — the food is decent but a bit pricey.