St. Christopher's Inn - Camden

The Location

St. Christopher's Inn - Camden is located in the very cool alternative area of Camden town, which is packed with bars and restaurants and a number of street markets open daily. The hostel itself is located on top of
Belushi's bar -- in fact, the reception is in the bar itself. It is very easily accessible by either the Morningcrescent tube stop or the Camden Town tube stop, both within a two-minute walk.

Rooms and Bathrooms

St. Christopher's offers six-bed female dorms, six-bed male dorms, eight-bed mixed dorms, and ten-bed mixed dorms, all of which are bunk-style beds. They also offer a twin, private en-suite. There are cage-style lockers under the bunks, but unfortunately only enough for one person per bunk. But the lockers are included in the price. The rooms are secured via card keys, with which St. Christopher's has a hard time -- the card keys often do not work or require several swipes before the door will open. The rooms are clean and almost homey. There is a bathroom and shower in each room. The shower, sink, and toilet are all separate from each other, which is nice when multiple people are trying to get ready in the morning. The showers and toilets are kept very clean.

Common Spaces

There is a chill out room at St. Christopher's with a big flat-screen TV and a couple of couches. But mostly people hang out in Belushi's bar below the hostel. The bar is loaded with flat screen TVs, attracting a bit of a sports crowd. The bar however, is not strictly for those staying in the hostel, which can be good and bad. One great downfall of St. Christopher's is that they do not have a kitchen. You can buy some food at the bar and people staying in the hostel get a 10% discount off food.

There is one computer with for-pay internet access for guests located in the chill out room. They also have a luggage storage room and they will let you store your luggage there for the day, even if you're supposed to be checked out or haven't checked in yet. St. Christopher's is a good place to meet other travelers and is definitely a more social hostel. With the bar right downstairs, it's hard to call it anything else than a party-oriented hostel. However, rooms are quiet if you're not interested in taking part in the party downstairs.

Summary

Overall, St. Christopher's is a nice hostel -- the location can't be beat, and the cleanliness and social aspect are big pluses. However, it is not the cheapest hostel, but you do get a bit more for your money than at some more budget hostels.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2008