The Hostelz.com Review
St. Christopher's Inn - Bath is so far our favorite hostel in Bath. Not only is it typically the least expensive, but it's a beautiful building in a great location. Also, the staff are very laid back and friendly. Unlike some other hostels, there is no curfew, and they're happy to do late check-ins, even without advance notice (but we recommend it). There is also less of a party atmosphere (compared to other Bath hostels), which makes it relaxing to come back from a night out.
The Location
St Christopher's is the most centrally located hostel in Bath, virtually equidistant from all of the city's famous attractions. It's just down the street from the Abbey and Roman Baths, across from St. Michael's Church, and nestled on the corner of a majestic Georgian street as well as a seven-minute walk from the coach station. You could walk to almost anywhere in Bath in about twenty minutes, but this offers you the heart of the city without being on the main thoroughfare.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are fairly spacious. The beds are very comfortable, as are the provided pillows. A duvet is also provided, and there is a soft and clean sheet over the mattress (there is no top sheet, however). Some of the bunk beds are a little creaky, but they are in overall good condition. All bedding is washed daily. We didn't see any place to lock up our stuff in the rooms, even though lockers were advertised.
One thing to note is, on a busy weekend, you may not have the dorm rooms be one single gender. We had booked a twelve-bed female dorm, but there were two males placed in the room, as well. This could probably be remedied if you book far enough in advance to ensure a smaller single gender room. Speaking of which, you should definitely book far in advance during school holidays, when the hostel can be sold out over a month ahead of time. On non-busy weekends, you can have your pick of rooms at the last minute.
The bathrooms are very clean -- and on an extremely busy weekend, that is surprising! The water pressure is good and there's hot water -- even at 9 a.m. on a Saturday (a peak time). You do have to bring your own towel, or rent one. They also sell some toiletries, like toothbrushes and toothpaste. Showers are in the same large room with the sinks and toilets, but there are several bathrooms so no worries about a queue.
Common Spaces
The hostel is primarily situated above a Belushi's Bar, which means it can be a little loud quite late if there's a band playing, but which encourages you to join the fun. Hostel guests get an unbelievable discount on food and drinks in the pub when you show them your room key. In the morning, continental breakfast (free for guests) is served in the pub, which includes cereal, toast, jam, and hot water for instant coffee or tea.
There are very few other common areas, aside from a small "chillout" room and a launderette. The stairs are like a maze, so it takes some looking around to find your room (but this is kind of fun).
Summary
On our next trip to Bath, we will definitely start by seeing if St. Christopher's Inn has rooms available. We really enjoyed it, as you don't usually find that the least expensive hostel is so nice, well located, and accommodating.
The Location
St Christopher's is the most centrally located hostel in Bath, virtually equidistant from all of the city's famous attractions. It's just down the street from the Abbey and Roman Baths, across from St. Michael's Church, and nestled on the corner of a majestic Georgian street as well as a seven-minute walk from the coach station. You could walk to almost anywhere in Bath in about twenty minutes, but this offers you the heart of the city without being on the main thoroughfare.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms are fairly spacious. The beds are very comfortable, as are the provided pillows. A duvet is also provided, and there is a soft and clean sheet over the mattress (there is no top sheet, however). Some of the bunk beds are a little creaky, but they are in overall good condition. All bedding is washed daily. We didn't see any place to lock up our stuff in the rooms, even though lockers were advertised.
One thing to note is, on a busy weekend, you may not have the dorm rooms be one single gender. We had booked a twelve-bed female dorm, but there were two males placed in the room, as well. This could probably be remedied if you book far enough in advance to ensure a smaller single gender room. Speaking of which, you should definitely book far in advance during school holidays, when the hostel can be sold out over a month ahead of time. On non-busy weekends, you can have your pick of rooms at the last minute.
The bathrooms are very clean -- and on an extremely busy weekend, that is surprising! The water pressure is good and there's hot water -- even at 9 a.m. on a Saturday (a peak time). You do have to bring your own towel, or rent one. They also sell some toiletries, like toothbrushes and toothpaste. Showers are in the same large room with the sinks and toilets, but there are several bathrooms so no worries about a queue.
Common Spaces
The hostel is primarily situated above a Belushi's Bar, which means it can be a little loud quite late if there's a band playing, but which encourages you to join the fun. Hostel guests get an unbelievable discount on food and drinks in the pub when you show them your room key. In the morning, continental breakfast (free for guests) is served in the pub, which includes cereal, toast, jam, and hot water for instant coffee or tea.
There are very few other common areas, aside from a small "chillout" room and a launderette. The stairs are like a maze, so it takes some looking around to find your room (but this is kind of fun).
Summary
On our next trip to Bath, we will definitely start by seeing if St. Christopher's Inn has rooms available. We really enjoyed it, as you don't usually find that the least expensive hostel is so nice, well located, and accommodating.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2010
Their Description
St. Christopher's Inn - Bath Details
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St. Christopher's Inn - Bath Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Good stay for the price. I stayed at this hostel on two different occasions in the winter of 2006/7. The location is great, very close walk to everything, but then again bath is only so big. The breakfast is very simple (toast, jam, cereal, milk, coffee, tea). When I arrived, a big rugby match was on, so check-in at the bar wasnt the greatest experience ever. I had to dodge in and out of people with all of my baggage to get to the "check-in" counter/bar. The staff was a bit annoyed to be interrupted from the game but were somewhat helpful in storing some of my luggage downstairs. I stayed in the same room on both occasions (I believe it was the eight- or ten-bed female room). Simple framed bunk beds. Comfy and clean bedding. Like I said I was there in the winter, not prime tourist season in England. The first time I had the room all to myself. The second time I shared it with some girls. They decided to return to the hotel at 4 in the morning with two random guys as well. But hey its a hostel, stuff like this happens. Since its right over the pub below, the noise level was high, but I was still able to sleep. One bad experience that occurred was an accidental lockout. Apparently the internet terminal demagnetizes your key card, making it useless for entry. I got locked out of my room on both stays due to this, and had to knock on several employee doors until I found someone could actually get me a new card. Both occasions were after the pub closed. So don't place your key card on anywhere near the computer station, unless you don't want back into your room. Overall good hostel, what you could expect. — Denali , USA (2008-02-06) It may just be the fact that this was my first hostel experience, but I had one of the best travelling nights of my life here. Like all hostels in cities, though, it is a bit noisy, but hostels were not made for light sleeper! If you're cool with that then everything else is perfect. VERY CLEAN rooms and beds. However I can not stress how cool the staff was to me, and the people I was traveling with. In fact if you just like to hang out with interesting and clever people then you should definitely check out the chill out room. Here the staff just chills out with you to watch movies and get drunk (well ok, I and another guy got drunk, the hostel isn't run by alcoholics or something). In fact they even gave me a few beers for free. They just really made me feel at home, and it was much appreciated. More so, the inn is excellently located and the staff are very knowledgeable about the area. So that is why I have to give them five stars! — Krane (2005-04-07) A very nice hostel, with a warm welcome. Even though there is no kitchen you can buy good breakfast for an additional few pounds. It's situated almost in the center of Bath. The downstairs pub is full of friendly locals, who are fun to talk to. — Gwen (2004-12-05) This is an excellent place to stay. There are comfortable big beds and good showers (once you're in them). I'd recommend paying less for the big dorm rooms. The extra 7-pound cost for fewer beds definitely isn't worth it - the rooms are more cramped. A bad point is no kitchen facilities (no microwave or kettle). — Anonymous (2004-10-18)