The Hostelz.com Review
Central Hostel has cheap beds (in the London hostel market, the price is pretty much unbeatable). The location isn't bad either -- only a few blocks from the Bayswater underground stop, which is on the Circle line that will take you to Victoria Station (buses from Luton airport have drop-offs there), Tower Hill, Notting Hill, and other notables. The neighborhood is comfortable, safe, and middle-class, and near a pretty church. Internet and luggage storage are both available. The check-in staff are all very friendly and helpful.
Now for the accommodations. To get into Central Hostel you have to descend a flight of stairs from street level, and then you enter the common room (very kitschy), which was packed with a noisy visiting student group when we first arrived. The walls of the entire hostel are decorated with murals, and while some of them are pretty good, they are gigantic, bright, and cartoonish -- this is a hostel aiming at a very young demographic (at twenty, we felt too old).
Our dormitory is a horror -- three bunk beds, with metal frames that creaked and shook as if they were going to fall apart, with thin, terrible mattresses (we couldn't move all night because the springs were so poky), linens of questionable origin, and no ladders to the top bunks -- so when your bunkmate comes in at 4 a.m., they will definitely wake you up trying to pole-vault onto the top of your rickety, creaking bed. There is an overflowing trash can, and the "en-suite shower facilities" consist of a shower stall plunked in the corner of the dorm room, without any walls or doors or any kind of privacy, in a mixed dorm, mind you. Apparently nobody had found this prospect appealing in quite awhile, because there was mold on the floor of our shower stall.
To be fair, the toilets (two for a whole floor of six dormitories) are quite clean. Breakfast in the morning is a couple loaves of white bread, generic Nutella, jam, and Nescafé instant coffee. They do have a DVD collection and Playstation, but only one TV and it's in high demand, so if you want to be able to choose what you're looking at you'll have to camp out there for quite awhile.
So basically, Central Hostel is a classic case of "you get what you pay for." If you're on a budget and a little skeeze doesn't bother you, you could do worse, but you're definitely not guaranteed a good night's sleep.
Now for the accommodations. To get into Central Hostel you have to descend a flight of stairs from street level, and then you enter the common room (very kitschy), which was packed with a noisy visiting student group when we first arrived. The walls of the entire hostel are decorated with murals, and while some of them are pretty good, they are gigantic, bright, and cartoonish -- this is a hostel aiming at a very young demographic (at twenty, we felt too old).
Our dormitory is a horror -- three bunk beds, with metal frames that creaked and shook as if they were going to fall apart, with thin, terrible mattresses (we couldn't move all night because the springs were so poky), linens of questionable origin, and no ladders to the top bunks -- so when your bunkmate comes in at 4 a.m., they will definitely wake you up trying to pole-vault onto the top of your rickety, creaking bed. There is an overflowing trash can, and the "en-suite shower facilities" consist of a shower stall plunked in the corner of the dorm room, without any walls or doors or any kind of privacy, in a mixed dorm, mind you. Apparently nobody had found this prospect appealing in quite awhile, because there was mold on the floor of our shower stall.
To be fair, the toilets (two for a whole floor of six dormitories) are quite clean. Breakfast in the morning is a couple loaves of white bread, generic Nutella, jam, and Nescafé instant coffee. They do have a DVD collection and Playstation, but only one TV and it's in high demand, so if you want to be able to choose what you're looking at you'll have to camp out there for quite awhile.
So basically, Central Hostel is a classic case of "you get what you pay for." If you're on a budget and a little skeeze doesn't bother you, you could do worse, but you're definitely not guaranteed a good night's sleep.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
May 2007
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Best for price, but do note price I have stayed here twice for a total of ten days. The reception was friendly and helpful with directions and advice at any hour. Free DVDs/TV when you want to crash, and internet is available. The neighborhood is quiet and rather safe, but boring. The tube station is a couple of blocks away. There is a deposit for the key, but bring change, they're usually short. For the cons, it is not a flashy establishment. Everything about the building shows its age -- the beds are flimsy, some of the doors stick, and the en-suite showers are not terribly clean. They do what they can with what they have, though. The shared bathrooms are almost always clean and functioning -- I had the chance to use both en-suite and shared showers, and I definitely recommend the shared. Also, I've had problems with loud roommates showing up at 4 a.m., but that happens in most shared rooms. I would recommend this to younger, serious travelers. Be sure to book in advance, as they charge a bit more at the door. — Suzy , USA (2009-04-30) Excellent Value for Money I had the pleasure of staying at the Central Hostel for a few nights in May 2007, and found the experience quite exceptional. The staff and other guests were very friendly and most helpful. I was quite jet-lagged and not very London-savvy, and so their kindness was most appreciated. The rooms were quite clean and as comfortable as can be expected. The atmosphere was lively, but not intimidating. The location is conveniently near a Tube station and pleasantly close to Hyde Park. A few days into my stay in London, two of my Canadian friends joined me at the Central Hostel and they shared my high opinion of it. Relative to other hostels my friends had stayed in, they were quite impressed. A perspective guest should not expect luxury (one enters by the servants' door I noted), but it offers ideal accommodation for those seeking a respectable and comfortable place to sleep, shower, and eat breakfast at a good price. Traveling, particularly in London, is costly enough and so I found this savings on accommodation financially liberating. The Central Hostel certainly offers excellent value for money. Were I to stay in a London hostel again, I would readily choose the Central Hostel. I have recommended it to others. — Brent Wiancko , Canada (2009-04-17) You get what you pay for I stayed there in Oct. '07. I was mildly surprised when I arrived, but then again 14 us dollars a night. the staff weren't the best, but then again it's a hostel for 14 us dollars a night, what do you expect. best advice i can give anyone about staying there is, be prepared for something different than what you are use to. you travel to see different scenery. well this is different. also you don't have to worry about curfews and lockouts. bring shower shoes and pillow. I had a great time there, not the cleanest, but not the worst! — Mac , USA (2008-09-06) Nightmare in London My group and I have arrived at that hostel last year and we were greeted by the extremely rude reception. Their service was poor and they didn't care about our London experience. Our rooms were in the top level, so we had to drag all of our luggage up to the top on the very narrow, falling apart staircases without any assistance. The rooms were all filthy -- dirt on the floors, random smelly towels and beer cans siting in the windows that would not close. The rooms smelled so bad and had a random sink and shower stall in the corner of the room. I was the only brave one to look in the shower and I was shocked at the sight of the mold growing along the edges, dripping shower head and a pool of standing water on the floor. the beds were these creaky metal frames that had no ladders so you had to climb up to your bunk. the mattresses were thin and I had springs poking on my back, so I obviously didn't sleep well. The sheets and duvets were sticky too for some odd reason. The community bathrooms were scary because there was no privacy and were had to guard each other outside the door. "Breakfast" was served downstairs in the basement, in which my teacher described it as the "opium den." The kitchen was no more than a small nook in the wall and served nothing but instant coffee, toast, and cheap cereal. We were so glad to get out of there. The only good thing I would have to say about the place is the prime location, but otherwise don't go there unless you are desperate on low on money. Stay at your own risk! — Katchaos , USA (2008-06-23) Grrrrrrrr I stayed at one of Central Hostel's sibling hostels, in December and thought it was brilliant. So when I went back to London in February I really wanted to stay there again. I made a booking, and paid my deposit. Unfortunately, the management of that hostel and the two other hostels nearby it completely ruined my experience there and all the beautiful memories I had of that night in December. It turns out that a booking at the sister hostel does not mean a bed at that hostel. They take your money and then send you to another hostel -- not far, away, but still, they sent me to a second place, at 10 o'clock at night, when I had been traveling all day and haven't even had the chance to have dinner yet. I got to the second place, waited in line at reception, and when it was my turn they told me that they, too, did not have a bed for me. They sent me to a third hostel, Central Hostel, which was also close, but, honestly, it is not acceptable to send a person who has made a booking and paid for a bed to three different hostels at 10pm at night with heavy bags and no sympathy from any staff members. To top it off, though I had paid for a 6 bed dorm, and the man at the first place had offered me a 4 bed dorm to compensate for the being sent on a wild goosechase around Bayswater fiasco, I ended up in an 8 bed dorm in Central Hostel sleeping on a mattress that was so saggy I didn't even need to use a pillow. I was so angry I went and complained to the first hostel, and the man refunded me £1, the difference in price between a 6 bed and an 8 bed dorm, but they didn't even have a complaints book, which is why I am ranting on here. The next day, I had to pay that £1 to store my luggage at Central Hostel in a room so small that, when I came back to collect it, about six suitcases had to be removed from on top of my bag before it was accessible. At the first place, the luggage room is even smaller, but at least you don't have to pay for it. I can't believe they charged me £1 to put my luggage in a sardine can. I will never stay at any of those hostels again, which is a very sad waste because their location is SO AMAZING, and it is wasted on them because of the ridiculous hostel management. If they want to own three hostels then good for them, but they should be run INDEPENDENTLY. If someone books and pays for one hostel, they should be sleeping at that hostel!! If they book and pay for Central Hostel, they should be sleeping at Central Hostel. End of story. But obviously the management of these places coulnd't organise a piss up in a brewery. — Carrie , Australia (2008-02-18) No way! The worst place I have ever been to, and I have stayed in a lots of hostels! What is the point to offer room number if they never put you in the same room. I made two reservations, both for two people, in Room 6, and called the evening before to confirm we were coming, but when we arrived it turned out that they had already offered two beds from our four-beds room to someone else. So we had to stay in separate rooms. The staff is a thousand miles away from being friendly and helpful. The window in our room would not close. Stay away from this one! — Pavel , Estonia (2008-01-03) Horrific When we got there we had to go down a windy lil staircase to the basement (with thirty-pound backpacks) -- not much there to hang onto. The reception area downstairs is very dark and dingy -- all we could smell was cigarette smoke and what smelled like nail polish (dunno if it was). We were given a room at the top so up five or six flights of stairs. I pulled back the sheets to see hair all in the sheets (the bed was made up). My friend noticed a big piece of cookie under my bed. There's cracks in the walls. I slept on top the bed with my sheet over the pillow because it stank (i had to throw my sheet away the next morning). Staff seem alright. Friendly enough. However cleanliness is my #1 issue anywhere. I don't recommend this place to anyone. It is in a great location but location isn't everything! — Sara , Canada (2007-10-05) Bad Service, Bad Conditions We got very poor service at this hostel. We had a room on the top floor and nobody helped us carry our suitcases and there was no elevator. Also, the showers were dirty and we had to share with more than twenty people. The place was very noisy and the staff didn't give us any maps or pointers on what to visit when we asked. The so called "free breakfast" is served on poorly washed dishes and -- well, bread and chocolate can hardly be called a breakfast. The internet was more expensive than other cafes in London and our parents couldn't even get in touch with us because the hostel did not allow them to call reception. — Marty , USA (2007-05-29) well i stayed at this hostel for only three days but it felt just like home! i liked interior there. it was kind a flashy and homey. wall paintings were funny. i enjoyed other people and receptionists as well. if you are fun-seeking and want to stay at good place then stay at Central Hostel -- you won't regret that. — liene linke , latvian (2007-04-14) Staying in Central Hostel was perfect! Staff was great, they even had playstation! We spent only weekend there and we didn't expect nothing like this. The location is also great. For this price, is hard to get better place to stay. See you soon London! — Gape , Slovenia (2007-03-26) I stayed at this hostel for two months, met some of the most amazing people in my journey and had a fantastic time. Until the owner 'Simon' would randomly kick people out because he was a paranoid stoner. then it was my turn, one week before i returned to Oz he passed on the message for me to leave, with no explanation. thus, spending my last week living in london on my own. The smoking room/lounge room is right outside the kitchen. The bathrooms reek and i saw them overflow many times. People can get in quite easily off the streets which results in sex in the bunk above you and criminals, for example, the guys who stabbed our friend and were arrested in the hostel. All in all, if you want somewhere cheap and to meet interesting, amazing people, go for it. Otherwise, pay 5 pounds extra and get more for your buck. — lost (2006-08-30) There was nothing positive about this hostel. From the begining, all they cared about was my payment. They don't seem to care about travelers wanting to find out what to see and what to do. The manager, on top his stinginess, he was drunk and let random people in the hotel. No security. I have never seen any hostel like that in England. — Moomin (2006-05-21) This place was ok, I stayed there with two other friends in May 2005 and we were stuck on the top level. You could imagine three females lugging heavy bags up several flights of stairs - so that wasn't a good impression. At night, the place has like a gathering of some stayers chatting to one another downstairs - but we were so far from it (being on top floor) that we didn't hear the noise. The night manager was drunk, and I feared that someone was going to leave the stove on, so my friend checked just to make sure before we went to bed. Good location as far as being close to a metro line. The shuttle bus stunk and looked like it was about to fall apart, but the driver was nice. The showers were unisex, so that caught me off guard as I didn't know that and it made me feel uncomfortable, but if you are ok with it, it shouldn't bother you at all. The kitchen wasn't so tidy and was small, so if you were trying to cook something, there may be a line, or very little room to move. Overall, it's 10 pounds or so, so you should keep that in mind. — Anonymous (2005-06-09) I stayed here for two weeks in Oct. 2004. Most of the people here were long timers, meaning they weren't really looking for the hosteling experience but rather looking for a cheap place to stay until they found a job. This isn't the place to go if you are looking to meet people to go out on the town with. But you will meet some interesting people there. In addition, the rooms could use painting and the kitchen was tiny. But, if you are like me and need a cheap bed, you can't beat their prices. — Anonymous (2005-06-02) This hostel was crappy! The showers were terrible, you had no privacy and they were unisex! In my room there were no security lockers and you could see the floor below through a hole in the floor. It was very rundown and pretty grotty. It could do with a freshening up. It is a shame because it has an excellent location. — Anonymous (2005-05-16)