The Hostelz.com Review
St. Christopher's Inn - Brighton is a laid back, essentials-only hostel with a great location and better price. It doesn't provide much in the way of amenities, but what it does provide, it does well. Included in your stay is 10% off at the attached pub.
The Location
The hostel is very easy to locate and a moderate walk from the train station. Everything you need is within a five-minute walk, including a Morrison's grocery, an open-late Tescos, and several clubs and pubs. The Royal Pier is directly outside and Royal Pavilion a ten-minute walk. To get to the hostel from the train station, take West Road all the way from the station to the beach and hang a left. You will be walking toward the Royal Pier and the hostel is very near its base, sharing an entrance with the pub Belushi's.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Rooms are mid-sized, with room to walk around comfortably, but they can get crowded once full. Everything is very well kept, feels new, and is clean. Rooms have an en-suite toilet/shower combo which can cause lineups in the morning. The showers are high pressured and provide plenty of heat, space, and privacy. Rooms are very secure and up-to-date with a keycard entry system, however in-room lockers are too small for most bags. If you feel uneasy, keep your valuables in a smaller bag and lock it away for the night -- your clothes will not fit in secure storage. There are few electrical outlets available in room. The hostel is located directly over a bar and can get noisy if you are on the first floor, but the second and third floors are quite insulated from the sound.
Common Spaces
Common spaces are nonexistent outside of the attached bar, which is open to the public. There are no kitchen or laundry facilities, as well as no internet terminals. Wi-Fi is provided free, although it's not very reliable. The bar has a friendly, pub-like atmosphere, but you are not likely to meet other backpackers as it is full of locals. At night the bar takes on a more club-like atmosphere.
Summary
Overall we would recommend this hostel based on price and location. If you want to meet other backpackers, this is not the hostel for you. If you are interested in experiencing Brighton and seeing the sights, you will love the center-of-the-action location.
The Location
The hostel is very easy to locate and a moderate walk from the train station. Everything you need is within a five-minute walk, including a Morrison's grocery, an open-late Tescos, and several clubs and pubs. The Royal Pier is directly outside and Royal Pavilion a ten-minute walk. To get to the hostel from the train station, take West Road all the way from the station to the beach and hang a left. You will be walking toward the Royal Pier and the hostel is very near its base, sharing an entrance with the pub Belushi's.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Rooms are mid-sized, with room to walk around comfortably, but they can get crowded once full. Everything is very well kept, feels new, and is clean. Rooms have an en-suite toilet/shower combo which can cause lineups in the morning. The showers are high pressured and provide plenty of heat, space, and privacy. Rooms are very secure and up-to-date with a keycard entry system, however in-room lockers are too small for most bags. If you feel uneasy, keep your valuables in a smaller bag and lock it away for the night -- your clothes will not fit in secure storage. There are few electrical outlets available in room. The hostel is located directly over a bar and can get noisy if you are on the first floor, but the second and third floors are quite insulated from the sound.
Common Spaces
Common spaces are nonexistent outside of the attached bar, which is open to the public. There are no kitchen or laundry facilities, as well as no internet terminals. Wi-Fi is provided free, although it's not very reliable. The bar has a friendly, pub-like atmosphere, but you are not likely to meet other backpackers as it is full of locals. At night the bar takes on a more club-like atmosphere.
Summary
Overall we would recommend this hostel based on price and location. If you want to meet other backpackers, this is not the hostel for you. If you are interested in experiencing Brighton and seeing the sights, you will love the center-of-the-action location.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2011
Their Description
St. Christopher's Inn - Brighton Details
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St. Christopher's Inn - Brighton Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Fair to good-ish I stayed here again a couple of years later and got a different room on the first floor, a decent size with only six beds in it. There was ample space for lockers, but they're still lacking in this respect. The en-suite facility was ok, roomy, and with a shower that was adequate. Only drawback since last time is that now the UK licensing laws have been reformed and the pubs no longer shut at 11 p.m. -- you now have a pub right below which doubles as a nightclub later on and you have to suffer eyeball-rattling dance music until 2 a.m. I can usually sleep through a nuclear explosion but even this situation was too much for me, allied to the fact that I had a semi-druggie nutcase in the room who kept waking me up in the middle of the night asking me either for a light for his fag or if I'd seen eighty quid he'd lost out of his pocket. Anyhow, I felt like a wrung-out dishrag in the morning. If you're prepared to fork out for overpriced beers until 2 a.m. til the pub shuts you'll probably get a decent sleep, if you wanna go to bed before that, try and get a room above first floor or forget it! — the not-so-happy wanderer , scotland (2009-09-02) Really friendly i stayed in st christophers during the summer of 2007 for four nights. we stayed in the hotel part, it was me and my twin daughters plus hubby, we found the hotel to be very clean and friendly. the rooms are basic but lovely. The staff went out of their way to welcome my twins partner and i. we will stay again in this friendly hotel. keep up the good work. — teresa fellegi , british (2007-12-22) we came to brighton with no prior planning after eight months on the road and found the palace friendly, comfortable with no frills. the rooms were clean, the staff friendly and tolerant. although the breakfast was very basic, the drinks were reasonable and they have the best jukebox in the southeast. we will definitely stay there again. — dj grim (2007-01-23) If you're on a smaller budget and don't have a problem sharing rooms and just want somewhere to 'crash' for a few days, then this place is great. Sure, it's not the Ritz, but what would you expect from a hostel? Our room was clean and the bathroom ok, too. There are no curfews to worry about and entry to rooms is via a swipe card. The only minor gripe would be that it may be an idea in future to have a safe in the rooms, but as mentioned entry to to the rooms is protected via swipe. Nice staff, relaxed vibe, an all night bar, and as an added bonus a nightclub downstairs -- can't ask for much more. — Major (2006-09-22) This place was not the Hostel we expected from the name "Palace Hotel"! I was there with my english advanced course at a study tour, and i noticed the following bad points. Crappy and dirty bathrooms with cockroaches and other insects! Changing water temperature at the shower and optionally no water at all. Twenty-four-hour loud squealing sound from an air conditioning system from the neighbour building! Dirty and very narrow floors and stairs. Dirty windows which cannot be opened. A horrible breakfast served with rusty cutlery! Sometimes friendly sometimes not very friendly staff. Good points -- great view, simple rooms, tolerant staff (they said nothing about loud hotel parties). — Stephan (2006-09-20) Our room was very dirty, just the beds were clean, but the counterpain was too thin. The piece of furniture was nice, but everywhere very dirty, par example on the bedside table, there were rims from the teacups. The cups was very dirty and the waterheater was grizzly. It disgusted me to drink a tea or coffee, as I saw the water and the dirt in this waterheater. Our room was in the third floor under the canopy. Likely there was something leaky, the wallpaper was damp and hung on the corners from the wall. An impudence was the bathroom. The floor was dirty, there was just a bathtub, there wasn't any curtain and the shower was so short, that we couldn't stand while taking a shower. Moreover were the taps dirty and sticky. The shower wasn't adjustable and with every movement of the shower the water changed between cold and hot, it was an absoloutly event. What about the breakfast? It was a joke, there wasn't English Breakfast, there were only toast and jam, I don't forget the cereals. I would come back to Brighton, but never come back at this hotel. — Sabbi (2006-04-23) Last year we stayed at another backpackers and had such a terrible experience that we were wary of hostels. No need to be. This place was excellent. Clean, good location and friendly, helpful staff. We stayed in an eight-bed dorm and had various backpackers and holidaymakers join us throughout the stay, some friendly, some shy. The room had air conditioning, and the toilet was cleaned daily, as were the bins emptied. We had a nice view of the pier and large, beautiful windows to let lots of light in.
Things to watch out for:
a) The eight-bed dorm only had one bathroom, which did get a bit tricky.
b) You have to re activate your card key daily.
c) The shower is absolutely CRAZY! It felt like a jet hose. Good if you're covered in beach-scum, I guess.
d) The wooden floors and metal bed frames made the room echo, so if you're coming in late or getting up early you have to be extra quiet. And try not to move around too much if you're a top bunker, the swaying made me feel rather ill as a bottom bunker! :P
It was definitely worth the extra couple of quid. We were much happier here than last year! — Lizzy (2005-08-11) Although I only stayed for one night I really couldn't have been happier with the place. I thought the view from the window in front of my bed was fantastic, and well worth the cost. I didn't get much of a chance to chat with the staff, mainly because they seemed too busy to speak. And the breakfast on offer left rather a lot to be desired. All in all, however, I found the place extremely clean. I loved the shower room, and everyone in my dorm was considerate enough not to make any noise when coming in late at night! — Josh (2005-07-28) We came down Bank Holiday weekend for my Hen Party. We checked in easily. We had a slight problem with our rooms, which was sorted straight away with an apology, too!! We were also not kicked out for not being liked! Staff were welcoming and friendly. The rooms were clean and the bathrooms were small but fully functional and again clean. We found the price of the rooms very reasonable and a very decent breakfast is included. We were very satisfied and would recommend it to anyone who's thinking of going to Brighton. — Very Happy Hen!!! (2005-06-01) I don't know anything about being kicked out if the staff don't like you... I suspect this only applies if you deserved to be kicked out!
I only stayed 1 night but was happy - I paid £16 for an 8-bed mixed dorm so it's not the cheapest in Brighton, but it was metres from the seafront and Brighton Pier and I had THE BEST view - I could see the pier even when I was lying down on my top bunk - and if I left the bathroom door open I could see the sea when I was taking a pee! - what more could you ask. The rooms are clean, bright and colourful and not cramped as is often the case with hostels. The bathroom (toilet/shower) in the room was good but might have been a problem if the room had been full (8 ppl to one bathroom?!) - although I didn't stay long enough to find out if there were other facilities.
I would go back if I had extra pounds to spend. — Anonymous (2005-05-06) The place is a dump, the en suite bathroom is like a broom closet and the place stinks. Plus the dorms are far too crowded with bunks, and decent lockers are needed, too. The breakfast is a joke —crappy corn flakes and a toaster that doesn't work. You would think that what with the amount of money they're raking in that the least they could do would be to buy a new one. This place is tolerable if you're totally desperate for a bed, but if you've got a choice give it a miss. — the not-so-happy wanderer (2005-04-02) We had a great weekend here. Have stayed here four times now. It's clean, the bar is open late, food is good, drinks are priced well and the staff are excellent!!! I would definitely recommend it..... — Jen (2005-03-29) If you can afford a couple of extra pounds per night, this hostel is great. It's very clean and modern, and has a friendly staff and beautiful views. — Anonymous (2004-07-13) We had a great stay here. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful, especially the night porter. The room was clean and bright. The bar was always clean and the food was wonderful. Give these people a raise, they deserve it. — Laura Neil (2004-04-22)