The Hostelz.com Review
Astor Museum Inn is a simple but likeable little hostel in the middle of London. It's part of the Astor group of hostels that includes several hostels around London. It's located right in the center of the city, directly across the street from the British Museum (which has free admission by the way and it worth seeing).
The door rooms have any number of beds ranging from 4 to 12, with lower prices for rooms with more beds. The beds are typical metal hostel bunk beds, but the pillows and mattresses are a little nicer than average. Lockers big enough for a small backpack (you didn't overpack did you?) are provide under each bed. Remember to bring your own padlock (always a good idea when hostelling).
The hostel is kept reasonably clean. There's no smoking allowed in the rooms or most of the common areas, but smoking is allowed around the reception desk area, so the smoke from that part of the hostel can drift around to the rest of it.
The common areas include a small "DVD room" with a tv and a stock of DVDs, along with a few (way overpriced) internet terminals. Downstairs is a well stocked kitchen and eating area where the free breakfast (stale cereal, bread, and coffee) is served.
The atmosphere is chill and laidback. It's a friendly kind of place, but the common areas are small and it's not the kind of hostel where people hang out much at night or during the day.
The door rooms have any number of beds ranging from 4 to 12, with lower prices for rooms with more beds. The beds are typical metal hostel bunk beds, but the pillows and mattresses are a little nicer than average. Lockers big enough for a small backpack (you didn't overpack did you?) are provide under each bed. Remember to bring your own padlock (always a good idea when hostelling).
The hostel is kept reasonably clean. There's no smoking allowed in the rooms or most of the common areas, but smoking is allowed around the reception desk area, so the smoke from that part of the hostel can drift around to the rest of it.
The common areas include a small "DVD room" with a tv and a stock of DVDs, along with a few (way overpriced) internet terminals. Downstairs is a well stocked kitchen and eating area where the free breakfast (stale cereal, bread, and coffee) is served.
The atmosphere is chill and laidback. It's a friendly kind of place, but the common areas are small and it's not the kind of hostel where people hang out much at night or during the day.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2005
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Does the job, great location. Stayed here for one night in the middle of May 2011. Overall stay was okay, nothing exceptional. This hostel is split into two buildings, which I didn't read about anywhere online, so was a little annoyed. Typically, I was in the second building, which is nicely hidden on little russel street (a seemingly dodgy back street). Reception staff gave me very little direction on the location of the second building, but luckily I knew the area a little, and found it okay, around a 3 minute walk if you know where you're going. The main annoyance of the two buildings is that the common space is in the first, so being in the second building felt very separated until I went over for breakfast in the morning. Generally speaking everything else was fine, fairly clean, met some awesome people, great location, obvious value for money (especially as breakfast is included -- don't expect much though!), friendly if a little unhelpful staff. I would consider staying here again, if not just for the location. — Cassie , UK (2011-06-05) Poorly Managed Nice location and staff but next to no organisation. I was sent to a room with no floorboards, and no beds. Then they moved me and I nearly died from paint fumes. There were no curtains for privacy and my bed wasn't made until 7 p.m. The next day I was asked to leave the room between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and was made to wander aimlessly around London with a hangover I would have much preferred to enjoy in bed. All in all a complete shamble. Maybe with some management my stay would have been more enjoyable. — B.Reynolds , USA (2009-01-29) Very Friendly After staying in numerous hostels throughout the U.K., this was the friendliest. Maybe because there were a few Aussies and Kiwis there, but all the long termers made themselves known and invited you to drinks or whatever. For what I paid I thought it was great. The showers and toilets were clean and the kitchen was not dirtier than that of my boarding house -- it's a communal kitchen for goodness sake! I had a great stay (six nights) and will be back. As an Australian, it was the Museum Inn that gave me my first ever Fosters can! — Katherine , Australia (2009-01-23) Very good, fantastic location I had a very good stay here in June 2007. Fantastic location, easy to walk just about anywhere, close to a few tube stations (including Picadilly Line which goes to-from Heathrow). Good area, felt very safe at all times of day/night, quite a few pubs/cafes within easy walking distance too. Great little park just up the street to chill in, and across the road from the British Museum. Cannot complain about this hostel's location at all. The rooms were a decent size, beds were comfortable enough and had lockable drawers under the beds. The drawers (more like baskets) aren't particularly big though, a few other people had some trouble fitting all their stuff in, although I managed to squeeze my mega-sized rucksack in. Breakfast was acceptable, cereal and toast, about standard really. Rooms were cleaned every day (they accidentally woke me one day at about midday after a night of clubbing -- hit up Turnmills on a friday if you're there before it closes for good -- when they realised I was still there they quickly lowered their voices to try to avoid waking me). Bathrooms were a little ho-hum, only two toilets and two showers for the ground floor and level one, although I never had to wait in a week of staying there so its not a major problem. They were clean enough too. I'll definitely be staying here if I'm ever in London and staying in a hostel again, really good. — Ben , Australia (2008-02-24) Great place! We had a private room with shared toilet and shower, and were very pleased. Our room was in one of the annex buildings about two blocks from the main office, but this wasn't really a problem. Charming old building with good showers and not too much noise other than some stomping on the stairs. Breakfast was nice and included muesli and good bread and jam. Above all, the location can't be beat! Only a few minutes from the Underground, parks, pubs, Oxford Street, Covent Garden, and more. Across the street from the British Museum! — M & J , USA (2007-06-04) I stayed in the Astor Museum Inn in August 2006. The staff were friendly and helpful and the hostel was reasonably clean. The hostel isn't too far from a small park where you can relax and do some people watching, and a Tube stop isn't much farther. It's not more than a ten-minute walk to the nearest bank, supermarkets, and Internet cafes. My dorm room faced the street, which can be fairly busy, so a loud truck or two would occasionally pass by during the night (this is where my earplugs came in handy). The social scene was pretty decent went I was there, and I shared a few beers with some of my dormmates on the sidewalk across the street in the evenings. Granted, this was in the summer when the weather was nice. — Sho , United States (2007-04-18) We stayed here the beginning of february for three nights. The place has a great location if you plan on visiting the british museum. There was also some decent restaurants in the area. The hostel itself was way overpriced for what you get. Our room, a room with one bunk bed and a sink, was really small, dingy, and plain gross. The bathroom was even worse. I didn't want to shower there at all. The internet was too pricey as well and the common room was really small. They did have a good selection of dvds. Overall London is an extremely expensive city. If you are traveling in the off season I suggest doing some research. After we left the astor museum we found a nice hotel for only 10 pounds a night more. — Gail , Canada (2007-04-02) I stayed at this place for three nights in February and must say that the place is great. The location is just fantastic. You can get wherever you want within minutes. There's no better option for this price. The staff is nice and helpful. It may get loud sometimes but not to much. I'm staying at this place when in London. — Alla (2007-02-16) I have stayed in the Astor Museum last weekend and had a great time! It is organized, utilities are clean, and the neighborhood is cool and safe. Cross the street from the British Museum and walk distance from major sites. The breakfast is not so bad! Recommended! — Mario de Sa Vera (2006-10-04) I stayed there for four nights, one week ago. At first I felt strange, because I wasn't used to staying in hostels, but then I liked it. Spare the free breakfast (it's disgusting!), but the place is nice, the staff also. The neighbourhood is very good (it's beside the British Museum), close to three underground stations and is possible go on foot to West End, Leicester Square, and other cool sites. The bedroom is clean and organized, just like the bathroom, which is divided into shower and toilet places. Cozy hostel, I would recommend it to a friend. — Artur (2006-09-29) The staff is very friendly, the rooms are quite clean, and the bathrooms were cleaned well, too. (I'm picky about my bathrooms.) It wasn't as social as other hostels I had been to -- as a matter of fact, the least social in all the places I stayed in Europe. But the kitchen area is huge, although if you have more than one person at a time cooking it gets crowded easily. The washer and dryer in the hostel are VERY HANDY. The breakfast is pretty lame -- I recommend you go to the TESCO down the street and buy your own deliciousness. All in all, I would stay here again if I ever found myself in London for a second trip. — Christine (2006-09-01) A little old but clean and a fun staff. Good price for London too. — Dave (2006-08-16) I was there in Jan 06. It was my first time in a hostel and i had fun. Its across the street from the British Museum and 2 blocks from the subway. They do have lockers there to keep your stuff, but you should bring your own lock. And dont forget a towel for the shower. If the people in your room are not friendly you can always go to the TV room and start a conversation. I didnt even know about it until my 3rd night, so definitely go hang out. The internet there is way expensive, but there is an internet cafe about 5min away (its about 2 dollars for one hour). Its a good hostel, stay there. But i suggest you wash your dishes before and after you use them. Everyone is supposed to clean there own dishes, but i wouldnt trust other people-so wash em before you use them. So yea..good hostel. — Cliff (2006-02-08) This is a great hostel. It's clean, in a good neighborhood, close to a Tube stop, very secure, and has good staff. My one complaint is about the social atmosphere, though. The TV/Internet/luggage room is cramped and tiny, so most people hang out in the kitchen/dining area. There are also a lot of long-term residents at this place, which I think hurts the sociability also. It's easy to start a conversation with other travelers about where you've been and where you're going, but it's a little tougher when folks are basically just living there. Fortunately I had some great people in my dorm, and we just hung out in there most of the time. But since you're in London, you really shouldn't be spending much time inside the hostel anyway, so no worries. — Jonathan, USA (2005-09-13) I stayed here in August 2005 for three nights. It was clean, comfy and very quiet. Not the most social hostel I've ever stayed in, but with so much to see and do in London it wasn't really an issue. Breakfast was ok, the usual cereals, toast, bread and jam, etc. There's a small kitchen if you want to cook. Excellent location, right opposite the British Museum, and a one-minute walk from Oxford Street, 10 from Covent Garden, and two minutes from Charing Cross. I will definitely be staying here again. It was cool. — Gemma - English (2005-08-26)