Smart Russell Square

Smart Russell Square is friendly and fairly social but it lacks comfort and real backpacker atmosphere. It is clean and well run, but expect to pay for any extras. The building is bland and not particularly inviting. It's fine for a couple nights of good sleep but if you are looking for anything else there are better hostels in London.

The Location

The location is good, with Russell Square tube a short walk away. There is an outdoor mall nearby with a food market. There are banks, pubs, and eating places close by. King's Cross St. Pancras station is nearby.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are private rooms and dorm rooms (these are female only or mixed). Dorms vary in number of beds from four up to twenty-four beds. Rooms are accessed via key card (key card must also be used to get past reception up to rooms or into social area). There are lockers under the beds which are available at a price. There are curtains around beds. There is a mirror and sink in dorms. Dorms are plain and characterless but are clean. There are toilets located on each floor -- either single toilets or rooms of toilets.

Showers are located in the basement -- extremely annoying for persons on high floors, since you have to walk all the way down the stairs to the basement to use the shower. Also to make matters worse, getting to the basement is very complicated. There are many different stairways, corridors, passageways, and doors to walk through to get to the showers! So it is very easy to get lost. There is one easy way to get to the showers, but this is by walking past reception and then through the TV room and kitchen, which is not good for people who don't want to be seen first thing in the morning pre-shower!

There is one male bathroom and one female bathroom. The bathrooms are clean. The showers are in rows separated by curtains. The showers are activated by a push button and stay on for a few minutes until you press again. There is no temperature control. Some showers are too hot, but pressure is good. There are hooks outside of the shower to hang clothes. There are lockers available at a price -- you must get the key from reception. There is a large bench area to get changed, similar to a gym locker room, so there is no privacy. There are hair dryers and a mirror in the shower room.

Common Spaces

There is a small, well equipped kitchen. There is a large dining area where free breakfast is served in the morning (consisting of juice, cereal, and toast), which doubles as a drinking area at night. Joined on is a lounge area with sofas. There are two large televisions, but only one appeared to be working when we stayed here and it has no sound and only subtitles -- probably because the room is large and busy and it would not be possible to hear TV! It's not great if you just feel like chilling and watching TV after a busy day. There is a pool table.

The dining area and lounge area are social at night with people drinking alcohol and chatting. But since the room is big, if you are traveling on your own you will have to be brave and approach people -- otherwise, people tend to keep to their own groups at the tables. The lights are too bright and therefore not restful for the evening. The room feels like a school dining room. By reception there are computers with internet access available at a price. There is no Wi-Fi available at the hostel. There is luggage storage available at a price. There is a gym but it was not open when we stayed here.

Summary

There is nothing really wrong with this hostel, other than the annoyance of the showers on the basement, but still somehow this hostel is not a memorable one. The atmosphere is more like a place to stay on a school trip! There is no backpacker vibe, even if it can be enjoyable enough in the evening for a chat and a few drinks. Stay if you just want to sleep, otherwise find somewhere else to write home about!

— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
April 2009