The Hostelz.com Review
Dover Castle - New Cross Inn Hostel is a average, everyday hostel. Any age group could be satisfied here, but note there is a bar downstairs that plays music usually late into the night (its effects depend on which floor your room is on). The hostel is relatively cheap, but the location is not the most desirable in London. The rooms are of decent size and quality but the bathrooms leave more to be desired. A guest at the hostel says it is popular for long-term stays, as they offer a weekly rate (many of the guests we met there were staying for a longer period of time). The hostel offers very little to take your breath away, but gets the job done.
The Location
The location of the hostel is one of the more negative points. It is about an eight-minute train ride (the trains come anywhere from every hour to every thirty minutes depending on the time of day) or a thirty-minute bus ride (bus runs all night). There is no access to the hostel by tube as there are major renovations occuring in London on this tube route. Be sure to get a day pass for zones 1 and 2 at the train station for use on any tube, train, or bus within the city -- it saves you a lot!
The neighborhood is not the most flashy in London. It seems to be slightly lower class. It is not necessarily dangerous as the train and bus stations are just a couple blocks away and the street has a decent amount of traffic, but be wary of walking alone down the side streets.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The bedrooms at this hostel are great. The beds are fairly comfortable and the room we stayed in had a sink (it is unknown if all rooms have sinks). They have different-sized rooms, but all have bunks ranging from four to eight beds. Each guest has his own key to the room. Towels are not included in the room and it is advisable to bring your own sheets.
The bathrooms are this hostel's major downfall. They are terrible! Don't let the pristine condition of the bathrooms fool you -- it is probably because they are never used as the hostel has a major water problem. Do not expect any water at all on the weekends here and if you do get enough water to shower it will be ice cold. There was not even enough water to turn on the sink when we stayed there. While this could be just a one time occurrence, other guests that had been there for a longer time mentioned it as well.
Common Spaces
The hostel offers great common spaces. There is a common room with a TV, movies, and books. There are also multiple kitchens in the hostel to make your own foods and refrigerators to store supplies. The hostel is located directly above a bar that is used to serve breakfast in as well. The breakfast includes toast with toppings, cereal with milk, coffee, and some kind of beverage. While the bar does play music late into the nights, the hostel is not necessarily a party hostel. There are a variety of people that stay here that cannot be placed into one specific group, though it does seem that many are using the hostel as a temporary residence until they find something else (it is kind of strange that they can stay here for a long period of time with the water situation). There is a luggage storage available for free and lockers available for a charge. There is a computer in the lobby with internet access as well.
Summary
Overall, Dover Castle - New Cross Inn Hostel is nothing to write home about. You will have a very average stay and if you are not too picky about your living conditions, you will have a great time here. For the price you will pay compared to other hostels closer in London, it is definitely worth the short travel time. There are some nice amenities at the hostel and the bedrooms are nice, but the bathrooms are way below par. If you are just going to be in London for a weekend, you will find no problems with this hostel and you will surely enjoy your stay.
The Location
The location of the hostel is one of the more negative points. It is about an eight-minute train ride (the trains come anywhere from every hour to every thirty minutes depending on the time of day) or a thirty-minute bus ride (bus runs all night). There is no access to the hostel by tube as there are major renovations occuring in London on this tube route. Be sure to get a day pass for zones 1 and 2 at the train station for use on any tube, train, or bus within the city -- it saves you a lot!
The neighborhood is not the most flashy in London. It seems to be slightly lower class. It is not necessarily dangerous as the train and bus stations are just a couple blocks away and the street has a decent amount of traffic, but be wary of walking alone down the side streets.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The bedrooms at this hostel are great. The beds are fairly comfortable and the room we stayed in had a sink (it is unknown if all rooms have sinks). They have different-sized rooms, but all have bunks ranging from four to eight beds. Each guest has his own key to the room. Towels are not included in the room and it is advisable to bring your own sheets.
The bathrooms are this hostel's major downfall. They are terrible! Don't let the pristine condition of the bathrooms fool you -- it is probably because they are never used as the hostel has a major water problem. Do not expect any water at all on the weekends here and if you do get enough water to shower it will be ice cold. There was not even enough water to turn on the sink when we stayed there. While this could be just a one time occurrence, other guests that had been there for a longer time mentioned it as well.
Common Spaces
The hostel offers great common spaces. There is a common room with a TV, movies, and books. There are also multiple kitchens in the hostel to make your own foods and refrigerators to store supplies. The hostel is located directly above a bar that is used to serve breakfast in as well. The breakfast includes toast with toppings, cereal with milk, coffee, and some kind of beverage. While the bar does play music late into the nights, the hostel is not necessarily a party hostel. There are a variety of people that stay here that cannot be placed into one specific group, though it does seem that many are using the hostel as a temporary residence until they find something else (it is kind of strange that they can stay here for a long period of time with the water situation). There is a luggage storage available for free and lockers available for a charge. There is a computer in the lobby with internet access as well.
Summary
Overall, Dover Castle - New Cross Inn Hostel is nothing to write home about. You will have a very average stay and if you are not too picky about your living conditions, you will have a great time here. For the price you will pay compared to other hostels closer in London, it is definitely worth the short travel time. There are some nice amenities at the hostel and the bedrooms are nice, but the bathrooms are way below par. If you are just going to be in London for a weekend, you will find no problems with this hostel and you will surely enjoy your stay.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2008
Their Description
New Cross Inn Hostel Details
|
|
(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Map Location/ContactHow is New Cross Inn Hostel rated on other websites?
New Cross Inn Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
reasonable comfort, cheap price A twin room for 30 quid, 1 stop frpm London Bridge. A kebab house next door, for a Whetherspoon pub that offers a pint for 1.69 pounds simply take one of the buses towards Lewisham, where there is a shopping centre. 8 minutes and you are there).
In a word-cosy location, cheap stay, nice staff. — pavel , estonia (2009-03-23) This place is amazing This place is amazing, the staff are very friendly, everyone made me feel really comfortable! and the good thing is that also people staying there were all nice persons! We met people from all over the world and we were never alone! Besides the Hostel is really close to the London Bridge! And also if one night you are tired and don't feel like going around London, there is a nice pub right under the hostel and you can meet nice people and have fun anyway. — Gabriella , Italy (2007-09-25) The area is kind of out of the way of the main part of the city, but the area is at least pretty decent. The staff was really nice, the breakfast was all right. The rooms and bathrooms could be cleaner and they try to really pack a lot of beds in the dorm rooms. Had a decent kitchen and common area though, which was nice. — Allise, US (2007-03-08) well i sayed here for five weeks, and everyone seemed really friendly and helpful. i was working all day and the only thing i can fault in this place is dont expect much sleep, or at least buy some earplugs, because it is directly over a noisy pub which has live loud music most nights and there is also a nightclub very near. (if you want a rating of noise level, an example is that i could feel the music pumping through my body and the painting on the wall shook!). but that is the only fault, and for the bargain price, surely you can afford some earplugs? — rebekka muukkonen (2006-09-11) This hostle was average but was fairly cheap. The room was clean enough and the rest of the hostle not too bad. The shower was not that great but about on par with the rest of europe. The door lock on my room was broken I think so it kinda worked. There is a bar directly underneath the hostle which is also where breakfast is but i did not check this out. Most people seamed to gather in the common room/kitchen anyway which became very smoky. I think a big proportion of the guests are long term. There is also a crazy old man who lives there who is harmless. Overall I would not stay again not because there is anything particularly wrong but just because there are other hostles in london that are better. — Mike (2006-07-25)