Antigallican Hotel & Hostel

Antigallican Hotel & Hostel's name recalls an eighteenth-century movement seeking to stop the French from dumping goods on Britain, which suggests how long there has been a pub on this site. It is now a pub hostel/hotel catering for backpackers, audiences for gigs at the O2, general tourists, and tradesmen working away from home. It's also useful for those who cannot find somewhere in central London and is also just off the A2, which goes to Dover and the cross-channel ferries. The hostel is very clean throughout; free and efficient Wi-Fi is provided throughout the hostel.

The Location

The hostel is just two hundred metres from the Charlton railway station and is also located on a few bus routes. Although on a busy corner, it's not excessively noisy. There are a few small shops nearby and a large shopping complex a couple of bus stops away, or it's about fifteen minutes' walking there. Central London is also only thirty minutes or so on the Underground. It's a fifteen-minute bus ride to the Old Naval Barracks, Greenwich Observatory, the Maritime Museum, the O2 concert hall, and Greenwich Park, and there are industrial/historic walks along the nearby Thames.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are two dorms and a family room that sleeps four; the rest of the twenty-one rooms are private rooms, some of which are ensuite. The rooms, stairways, and corridors all look fresh and clean, as do the bathrooms and toilets.

The dorms are not overcrowded and are rather simple, with limited furniture and no individual lights or power sockets. The small lockers (you can get a key for a small fee) are just for valuables, so bags must stay on the floor. The bunks have metal frames and springs -- the latter sag a little, but are comfortable enough (though they squeak when you move).

The bathrooms and toilets are all clean -- the current cleaner is very thorough. The water is hot, but during our stay, the hostel was far from full, so it is difficult to assess if the water holds up in times of heavy use. There are no ensuite facilities in the dorms or family room -- the facilities are spread through the building, and some are gender-segregated while others are single gender. Most shower cubicles do not have a space to hang clothes, so just like at home, you must change in the single-gender common area when using the two showers and wash basin in that shower room. These showers are controlled by a fixed-temperature push button, which runs water from seven to fifteen seconds.

Common Spaces

The combined lounge room/kitchen is open from 7 a.m. to midnight. The kitchen component is quite large and meets the needs of most hostelers. The lounge area is cosy, but there's not much of it -- there are a few games, books, and brochures as well as a small noticeboard; there's a TV and DVD player and a single free PC. The Wi-Fi service is excellent. The reception is a small, functional hatch on the ground floor and not a meeting place. While the lounge/kitchen is clean and tidy rather than oozing atmosphere, it was adequate for the few occupants of the hostel during the review, but it could not cope with a full house.

Summary

This is an excellent, functional hostel despite a few critical comments, but as the common areas are small and lacking strong hosteling character, it's never going to be a partying place. Being a pub hostel, though, there's always the bar downstairs -- a down-to-earth, traditional type of place, not a trendy modern bar. The staff are polite and helpful. If the location suits, most hostelers should be able to spend a few happy and economical days here.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
December 2011