I stayed one night at Portree Independent Hostel and had no major issues. The hostel isn't filthy and is par with most other hostel accomodiations. The only issue I had was the poor mattresses. The staff was friendly and this is right in central portree. No complaints for 13 pounds/night.

After reading that this independent hostel was "clean and smart" in the Rough Guide and after perusing its website, we booked for one night. My husband and I have both done the "Europe with a backpack" thing, and knew what to expect -- or thought we did. Our tiny room had four bunks, no electrical outlets, and two of four broken lights. Bedcoverings were stained and encrusted. Adjacent bathroom was filthy -- feces stains on the toilet, mold and mildew everywhere, a "foot towel" that I wouldn't wash a rat in. The front desk attendant was usually out front smoking and was completely useless (on the outlets "Hmmm. They were working earlier."). At least we had fun reading the graffiti carved into the bunks and looking at the portraits someone made by peeling the paint off the walls.

My opinion may be biased because I didn't think much of Portree itself, but this hostel really isn't somewhere to get excited about. The sheetbags provided were ok, but a bit on the small side - the place had a pervading air of slow decline. The staff were mostly friendly, except when I asked for my key deposit back after 10am - which I guess is partly understandable.
Clean but uninspiring.