Palmers Lodge Hostel

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.