The Hostelz.com Review
Palmers Lodge Hostel is a lovely Victorian mansion and calls itself a boutique backpackers. It's a nice change from average buildings -- it feels rather special.
The Location
The location is good -- North West London in the London Borough of Camden. It is a five-minute bus ride (Bus 31 Stop E on Avenue Road -- down from the tube) or a twenty-minute walk to Camden. It is in zone 2 but is only four stops on the Jubilee line to Bond Street/Central London. Swiss Cottage tube is about a two-minute walk from the hostel as well as Finchley Road tube a five-minute walk away. Just a few minutes further is Finchley Road and Frognal Overground. Swiss Cottage is a nice, middle class area with many shops, pubs, and eating places on Finchley Road. There is also the landmark pub Swiss Cottage that gives the area its name. It sits on the crossroads of the districts of St. John's Wood (where celebs live), Hampstead, West Hampstead, and Primrose Hill and is minutes from the hostel. Right down the street from the hostel is a twenty-four-hour deli which is very popular with the hostelers. There is free parking available at the hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are private rooms. There are dorm rooms ranging in size from four up to twenty-eight beds. Some rooms have curtains around the beds, others do not. There are female-only dorms or mixed dorms. Some mixed dorms have double beds for couples! Rooms are accessed by key card. There are lockers under the beds but they are rather awkward to pull out if you have another bunk close by! Also the two lockers under each bunk are joined together, so you have to pull out your own locker and your bunk buddy's locker too. Beds are ready made up on arrival (2 p.m. check-in) and if you stay a while, housekeepers will change the sheets weekly. Each bed has its own reading light. This can be annoying if there are no curtains around the bed and you are trying to sleep!
All dorms have a different character due to this hostel being an old mansion -- some are a little gloomy. There is one female dorm with ensuite bathroom but apparently this is about to be converted into private rooms. All other rooms use communal bathrooms -- all are mixed. The bathrooms are the only part of the building that are not in keeping with the old mansion -- they are new modern bathrooms. They can get smelly. Shower water pressure is not particularly good. Also since bathrooms are mixed most people probably prefer to dress in the shower. There is room for this with a small bench and hooks, however the shower stalls get very steamy and wet so you may find it difficult! There are soap dispensers in the bathrooms and paper towels and hand dryers. Some toilet cubicles have tiny sinks and soap dispensers in the toilet cubicle. It is very difficult to wash ones face in these tiny sinks. The floors also get very wet. Rooms and bathrooms are cleaned daily.
Common Spaces
There is a large lobby with twenty-four-hour reception where you can book tours. There are also many London souvenirs to purchase. Board games are available to rent. There are computers for internet access in the lobby (internet is free, as is Wi-Fi, which is available throughout most of the hostel). However many people do a lot of downloading so the internet can get slow. There is a grand television lounge with books above the fireplace as well as computers, a pool table, a tea and coffee machine, and vending machines. The TV lounge, usually full of laptop users, is not really great for watching TV due to the layout and size. Also the TV only has channels 1 through 5 (but there is a television in the kitchen that has sky channels).
In the basement is a restaurant serving cheap evening meals Monday through Saturday. There is free breakfast in the morning, which consists of juice, fruit, cereal, toast, and croissants. There is no guest fridge and no kitchen for cooking, but there is a microwave and kettle. There is a bar with cheap drinks, and bringing your own alcohol into the hostel is forbidden. There is a conservatory area above the bar. There is an outdoor patio with seats and a BBQ for summer. All common areas are social, particularly the bar, for obvious reasons! The weekend is the liveliest time in the bar -- people sometimes dance on tables! There is luggage storage for free. There are also lockers available for a price. There is an elevator. There are laundry facilities and an ironing board.
Summary
This is a great comfortable hostel. It is easy to meet people and have fun in the bar but it is not a major party hostel so you can get a good night's sleep. It is lacking a guest kitchen and not everyone will like the mixed bathrooms. Despite this the hostel attracts a lot of long stayers looking for jobs -- probably due to the free Wi-Fi. The hostel is very friendly. Overall it's a great option. It's clean and welcoming, and being an old English mansion is a great experience for foreign travelers.
The Location
The location is good -- North West London in the London Borough of Camden. It is a five-minute bus ride (Bus 31 Stop E on Avenue Road -- down from the tube) or a twenty-minute walk to Camden. It is in zone 2 but is only four stops on the Jubilee line to Bond Street/Central London. Swiss Cottage tube is about a two-minute walk from the hostel as well as Finchley Road tube a five-minute walk away. Just a few minutes further is Finchley Road and Frognal Overground. Swiss Cottage is a nice, middle class area with many shops, pubs, and eating places on Finchley Road. There is also the landmark pub Swiss Cottage that gives the area its name. It sits on the crossroads of the districts of St. John's Wood (where celebs live), Hampstead, West Hampstead, and Primrose Hill and is minutes from the hostel. Right down the street from the hostel is a twenty-four-hour deli which is very popular with the hostelers. There is free parking available at the hostel.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are private rooms. There are dorm rooms ranging in size from four up to twenty-eight beds. Some rooms have curtains around the beds, others do not. There are female-only dorms or mixed dorms. Some mixed dorms have double beds for couples! Rooms are accessed by key card. There are lockers under the beds but they are rather awkward to pull out if you have another bunk close by! Also the two lockers under each bunk are joined together, so you have to pull out your own locker and your bunk buddy's locker too. Beds are ready made up on arrival (2 p.m. check-in) and if you stay a while, housekeepers will change the sheets weekly. Each bed has its own reading light. This can be annoying if there are no curtains around the bed and you are trying to sleep!
All dorms have a different character due to this hostel being an old mansion -- some are a little gloomy. There is one female dorm with ensuite bathroom but apparently this is about to be converted into private rooms. All other rooms use communal bathrooms -- all are mixed. The bathrooms are the only part of the building that are not in keeping with the old mansion -- they are new modern bathrooms. They can get smelly. Shower water pressure is not particularly good. Also since bathrooms are mixed most people probably prefer to dress in the shower. There is room for this with a small bench and hooks, however the shower stalls get very steamy and wet so you may find it difficult! There are soap dispensers in the bathrooms and paper towels and hand dryers. Some toilet cubicles have tiny sinks and soap dispensers in the toilet cubicle. It is very difficult to wash ones face in these tiny sinks. The floors also get very wet. Rooms and bathrooms are cleaned daily.
Common Spaces
There is a large lobby with twenty-four-hour reception where you can book tours. There are also many London souvenirs to purchase. Board games are available to rent. There are computers for internet access in the lobby (internet is free, as is Wi-Fi, which is available throughout most of the hostel). However many people do a lot of downloading so the internet can get slow. There is a grand television lounge with books above the fireplace as well as computers, a pool table, a tea and coffee machine, and vending machines. The TV lounge, usually full of laptop users, is not really great for watching TV due to the layout and size. Also the TV only has channels 1 through 5 (but there is a television in the kitchen that has sky channels).
In the basement is a restaurant serving cheap evening meals Monday through Saturday. There is free breakfast in the morning, which consists of juice, fruit, cereal, toast, and croissants. There is no guest fridge and no kitchen for cooking, but there is a microwave and kettle. There is a bar with cheap drinks, and bringing your own alcohol into the hostel is forbidden. There is a conservatory area above the bar. There is an outdoor patio with seats and a BBQ for summer. All common areas are social, particularly the bar, for obvious reasons! The weekend is the liveliest time in the bar -- people sometimes dance on tables! There is luggage storage for free. There are also lockers available for a price. There is an elevator. There are laundry facilities and an ironing board.
Summary
This is a great comfortable hostel. It is easy to meet people and have fun in the bar but it is not a major party hostel so you can get a good night's sleep. It is lacking a guest kitchen and not everyone will like the mixed bathrooms. Despite this the hostel attracts a lot of long stayers looking for jobs -- probably due to the free Wi-Fi. The hostel is very friendly. Overall it's a great option. It's clean and welcoming, and being an old English mansion is a great experience for foreign travelers.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2009
Their Description
Palmers Lodge Hostel Details
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Palmers Lodge Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Beautiful house, feels like home I've stayed at Palmers Lodge twice and enjoyed myself both times. In December 2008, I went to London for New Years and had a blast. They had drink specials in the bar and the staff were great. I also had a nice cheap meal there. Although it's not that close to the city, Swiss Cottage is a great neighborhood, with the O2 centre nearby, as well as Hampstead Heath. I also went in November 2010 for a job interview. The staff was helpful. There was a problem with noise when a girl lost the key to her locker and the night porter had to cut it off, but I doubt that could have been avoided. It feels like home. — Caroline , USA (2011-08-02) NIGHTMARE I stayed at Palmers Lodge as I am a dual citizen looking to live in the UK and Travel Europe. I needed somewhere to use as a base whilst I searched for a job and figured it all out. I spoke to Kate on reception when I first called she assured me they were willing to take long termers and that they would give me all the necessary paper work needed to get going for banks, councils. Today 01 September 2010 I went to pay my rent. I was told that I was not allowed to extend my booking as I had left a bad comment on a hostel review site, but this could not be true as I have emails from the administrator of hostel world apologising for the review processing being down. I read the review they claimed I made, it was very strange it seemed to be a vague collection of things I had asked about that had been altered and stuck together with angry slander. I think the people in reception fabricated the review as they had my email account details and knew my date of birth and particulars. I tried to speak to the house manager, he told me alot of reception staff had complained about me and I had to pack my things and leave in 15 minutes! I asked if members of staff had complained about me why no-one had given me a warning or asked for a meeting anything so I could know what was going on. He told me to get my things and get out and that he was not prepared to discuss anything and then he became aggressive clenching his fists and glaring at me and in a raised voice in front of everyone at the hostel he told me he would call the Police or Physically remove me himself from the premises. They also tried to charge me for an extra two nights as I was paying the weekly rate of £105 a week and started this process on a Friday and suddenly on the Wednesday I had to leave they told me I had to make payment. I questioned it saying I am supposed to be payed up until Friday that was the wrong thing to do an italian a woman called KATE became really rude and offensive then the Duty manager showed up and told me to Leave there and then with no warning whatsoever. Staff are terrible, (except the one Guy and the The guy that wears his cap backward they are really nice people). I suspect they are part of some sort of organised crime syndicate as even when one is wrong the others defend them. I wish there was some sort of Hotel Ombudsman as these guys really should not be allowed to operate at all. However I am aware there are housing legislation in the UK and you can't just rip someone off and then throw them out. And the duty manager that threw me out is a regular at the bar schmoozing with all the younger women that are half his age every night. The Ordeal I went through happened in front of other guests all of which were too afraid to say anything. Good Luck going there make sure you have some sort of backup! Place is a complete circus!! DO NOT GO THERE, IT IS A NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! — anonymous , anonymous (2010-09-01) Really nice! Friendly staff and a great set of common rooms and bar downstairs. Met a lot of nice people here, but a good chunk of them are there as a layover to finding a job or renting an apartment and it tends to be laid back. We managed to get the usual Aussie/Canadian/American crowd out for clubbing, but it's not what you'd call a party place. Nice rooms, wifi in rooms too BIG PLUS. showers are pretty cramped but no biggie. The big mansion atmosphere is impressive. Wish we'd stayed here the entire time in London. — Doug , Canada (2010-05-27) Good, but staff are rude the location and facilities ok. but the staff are very rude, and unfriendly. i did not like them. you need to wait till 2 p.m. till they allow check in, even when rooms are clean and empty. the toilets are so tiny that you can hardly enter there. some taps were not working. and some sinks are blocked. the showers lights turn off and on every ten seconds, they have sensor. so you need to left your hand every ten second to switch light on while taking shower. so annoying. — george , ireland (2009-11-14) Stay here at your own risk! Sketchy place -- The owner's son is stealing from guests and causing chaos.
The hostel looks very nice and comfortable so you wouldn't expect this -- but then you can't even trust the staff! So I did not have a relaxing stay! I was in fear of the staff. Well some were lovely, but a few guys were very mean. — Vanessa , Italy (2009-11-14) Appears nice but beware of thieving staff! While I was here, a guy got his laptop stolen by one of the staff that works on reception! And I heard that this member of staff steals from other guests also, but people are too scared to report him! Shocking and terrible that the hostel allows this behaviour by members of staff! Other than that it appears to be a nice place. — Travelbuddy , Wales (2009-11-07) Wonderful place to stay! I thought Palmer's Lodge was great -- clean, cheap, and friendly. The Internet is free, breakfast is free, and the showers are warm and clean -- what else do you need? Plus the beds are comfy and each have their own reading light, and the bar sells dinner during the week for good prices. It is a bit out of central London, but there is a grocery store, a M&S Foods, and tons of restaurants right around the corner. The Tube stop is very close, and the staff are very helpful. I would definitely stay here again! — Caitlin , Canada (2008-07-30) Pretty good hostel Pretty good hostel. I lucked out I think and I got a room with two "floors" by lofts, and each bed was huge with its own privacy curtains and shelves that went around the bed. Also, had huge lockers underneath the bed as well. Free internet, but had to get a code and use thirty minutes at time, although you can get more codes if no one is waiting after you. The location isn't the most convenient, but it was relatively close to a tube station, Swiss Cottage, so that was ok. Breakfast was simple -- one bowl of cereal, one croissant, one juice, but unlimited tea/coffee/toast. Bathrooms were mixed, and there were tiny stall bathrooms and tiny shall showers, otherwise, good hostel. My room was the room that was on the ground floor, the only door to the room that's next to (on the right of) the lobby desk, if anyone cares to know. — jacki , usa (2007-06-25) We have not come across better than Palmers Lodge and would choose to stay here again without hesitation. The beds are solid, not wobbly or flimsily built in any way, the matressess are comfortable and the bedding is crisp and fresh. The whole place is very clean and the staff are friendly, helpful and above all else they are very knowledgable. Breakfast was very edible and enjoyable. Chef's quality rather than greasy cafe cook.
The toilet rooms are a little narrow on the narrow side which may be problematic for people larger stature. The sinks in the bathroom area are little on the small side. There is no way you can fill up a pop bottle from the tap. The underbed lockers are sizable and can easily fit my small rucksack and more. The free internet is a welcome bonus and the queueing method for PC's is effective. You can also log on to the internet via wi-fi.
The disabled facilities were appropriate for those who have mobility issues but would recommend you check further for facilities for wheelchair users. There is a public lift. The photographs on this site at the time of writing are a good representation of this hostel. — Wendy , British (2007-05-14) Splendid gaff if you like a bit of room, on my evidence other London hostels are perilously cramped. here there are daily papers to read in a huge sunny gracious living room, six PCs for free internet, and beds have little reading lights, plus Hampstead is a lovely part of town -- one of the finest. Not a particularly fun place though, bit anal about alcohol, and there's no kitchen so you have to live off sandwiches and chips (there is a microwave but that's it, not even a fridge) which i suppose is all very English. Also on downside all the doors make a huge clicking noise (enough to wake you up) and there's a dearth of basins (you know, for shaving), seems weird when other facilities are fine. Bit hard to clean your teeth when the Italians are in town. Tip for blokes, ten-, twelve-, and fourteen-bed dorms much better (and cheaper) than six-bed dorms which are cramped and dark. And, if you get room 103, turn and flee, the second door bangs louder than a church bell and the floor above seems to be a nineteenth century amplification device. but all up it beats the hell out of many (most?) other London hostels. — noel , nz (2007-05-11) It's a very nice looking building, but i had a bad time at Palmers Lodge. The staff are the main problem, ive stayed in so many other Hostels in London and people have been really nice, so this was a big letdown. I left my bag on top of my bed in the morning to brush my teeth when i came back the cleaners had put (thrown?) it onto the floor and my camera and watch inside were both damaged. The guy who said he was the manager wasnt interested in helping at all and said I should probably move on to a different hostel. To make things worse when I checked my credit card online, I saw that they billed me for the next night anyway, although im not sure if this is the fault of the booking website or the Hostel. I was not impressed with the way this place was run at all and definitely wont be back. Ive been in London for two months now and discovered far better hostels that are much closer to the centre of the city. — Annice , Austalia (2007-04-17) Great place, we loved it! I had heard many horrible stories about London Hostels. However, this was one of the best we've been to during our three-month trip around Europe. Very clean and tidy, friendly staff, and large quiet rooms with a comfy bed and a reading light. There's no kitchen, but there is a small pub downstairs where you can get cheap (for London) nachos and a few other meals. The included breakfast was good and they have storage lockers you can rent to store your pack during the day. Internet is free, but as with other hostels that offer free internet access, you have to wait for your turn or show up during less busy times. Our only problem was that they messed up our reservation twice, so check your booking confirmation. Also, they fill up fast, so book well ahead. — Julie , Canada (2007-04-05) New hostel, very "posh" as they would say in England, with beautiful, clean and comfortable amenities. Secure with keycard access everywhere. Location on Finchley Road was good, though you have to factor in an extra nearly five pounds a day for a two-zone travelcard on the tube to get around to Central London. Free internet was good, but very crowded with long lineups to get online. Staff also seemed sticklers for the "rules," for example, in my dorm room there were three empty bottom bunks but they insisted I take the top bunk I was "assigned," that was next to the squeaky door, rather than switching to an unoccupied bunk because it would screw up their "system." Whatever. TV room was good for relaxing, and the free breakfast was excellent, but there was no kitchen to cook other meals, which is a pain in London because of how expensive takeaway food is. Luckily there's a good cheap Thai place around the corner. Because this place was so large, and had lots of long-term residents (i.e. Aussies and Kiwis on work visas looking for jobs and flats), I found it was hard to socialize and make friends here. Also, the bathrooms were absolutely tiny, with barely enough room to squeeze in sideways and the showers and taps were so powerful that everything will end up soaked. They have a few bugs to work out but overall this is a good place to stay in London. — Sarah (2006-07-09)