London Backpackers, London

Very good!

Can't complain, it's a pretty good hostel with direct links into central london just 30 min on the bus or less on tube.

London Backpackers is located just outside of central London, just across the street from the train station, small shops, restaurants, and many cafes. The hostel supplies free linen and blankets, free Wi-Fi, a TV lounge, games room, laundry room, and lockers. Also when you're ready to leave, the very friendly hostel staff will help you book your flight, train, or bus to your next stop.

The Location

The hostel is located down a small street right next to the tube station, which makes for easy access in and out of the city centre. The road is pretty noisy, but inside the building, you can't hear a single car. The hostel is very easy to find, since it's located right across the street from the train station. There are large signs on the building that you can see from afar, and they are lit up at night.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are up to fifteen people per room, which can feel very overcrowded and hot and humid during the warmer months. Each bed has a curtain around it, which makes for a bit of privacy, as well as reducing the amount of light coming in, so it's easier to sleep. Under each bed there's a cage where you can store your belongings, and if you don't want to use those, they have lockers available as well. The bathrooms are extremely dirty and unsettling. All of the showers are joined together, with just curtains separating each one. The toilets are very old and dirty.

Common Spaces

The hostel has a TV lounge, games room, and a kitchen. The rooms are quiet crowded, especially in the mornings. There are a couple computers for use, and also free Wi-Fi that only works in the kitchen.

Summary

This is a great hostel for a short stay, especially if you don't mind staying in a hostel that is a thirty-minute train ride away from central London. Breakfast is included (it's only toast and cereal), but it is extremely crowded in the kitchen in the mornings. The whole hostel is typically very crowded at all times, so it's difficult to meet new people. If you're on a budget, and don't mind dirty bathrooms, this is the place for you.

Best hostel ive seen in London

New beds with lights and free lockers. great staff very helpful and across the road from the station.

I am young and like to have fun, and not usually very picky, but this place just didn't do it for me. It's all the way in Area 4, way out of the way of the London center (so plan on paying a lot for the tube.) The atmosphere is average -- there's this weird real estate business right in the middle of it, and it's extremely dirty. Maybe it was just the double room I was in but, I kid you not there was mildew on the walls. And there's no wifi. On the upside, there is free internet, a kitchen, the staff in generally helpful, and it does allow you to see another part of London (but it's not too interesting). Overall, I would not suggest going here. I'm sure there's better ones.

I would recommend you stay somewhere else! This is the worst hostel I've stayed at, and is in my opinion, substandard for it's price. For a four-night stay, we had to change rooms twice. The beds were really uncomfy (unless you happen to like springs digging into you) and felt like they were going to collapse at any time. It's situated on a pretty major intersection, and it's very noisy all day and night. Earplugs are a must. You can try and close the windows, but then it will be even hotter and more uncomfortable than it already is. The bathrooms were not cleaned very often (perhaps not ever) and you have to hold down a button the whole time you are taking a shower or the water stops. And you can't even choose the temp. The kitchen wasn't much better. It was also dirty and way underequipped. When we stayed, there was one bowl! There was no space to keep any food, so we had some stuff in our dorm. We didn't know you were not supposed to have food or drink in there, and the cleaner so generously threw it out for us without any notice. Some positive notes -- there is a washing machine and dryer, but it costs 4 pounds. Free computers with net, but they weren't always working and there were often people using them otherwise. People staying were nice. There is a games room in the basement, but it should be renamed to the smoke lounge, as it's the only place to smoke in the whole hostel all the smokers gather here -- and the ventilation is not good. In conclusion, there are better places for the same price, and not so far away from the centre.

I stayed here one evening, but liked the rooms (they weren't cramped) and the beds were fairly comfy. The bathrooms seemed clean enough and the water pressure was good in the showers (always a good thing). The staff was friendly, internet free, big kitchens and washer and dryer in the hostel. not the safest place at night, but I didn't feel like I was in danger. Far from all the things to do in London, but it's kind of worth the price and not being surrounded by complete chaos all the time.

Fine compromise between affordable price and reasonable comfort. Having used hostels in London before I must say that this is step ahead of those. Of course, it's not a hotel. And so the rooms might be cramped sometimes, and the kitchen might be a terrible mess after someone has passed through it as if he was Attila and a good number of Huns. If you want a room of your own, and restaurant food, maybe you are looking for a hotel. Pay for it, and you'll get it. But as a hostel it is really reasonably priced. You got a self-catering option (very appreciated to save some pounds in a city as amazingly expensive as London). It's away far from the center (about half an hour by tube), but because of that is much cheaper than similar but centrally located hostels. The same kind of accomodation (four bed room and no breakfast) will cost you as much several pounds more a night. Anyway the tube station is something like twenty meters from the hostel. And there are night buses to to get to Golders Green (if you are flying from or to Stanstead this is a blessing, as National express busses stop right there). Plenty of restaurants, pubs, and supermarkets nearby to make your shopping (and a Jewish bagel shop in Church Lane that you should not miss). Safe and relaxed neighbourhood. If you can stand a shared room, a shared kitchen, and a bit of noise of the nearby tube and road, this is a fantastic option to sleep in London.

I really enjoyed my stay here. The staff are very helpful, the beds comfortable, and the area was very safe at all times. At 4forty-eight, I am somewhat older than the average guest but I was never made to feel uncomfortable in anyway. The only negatives here are that I stupidly forgot to bring my own towel and facecloth (bedding is provided). Also, the tube is very close but in Zone Three, which is somewhat far from most of the attractions but gave me a chance to check out Camden Town and Hampstead. The weekend Market in Camden is an absolute must and the Coffee Cup Restaurant in Hampstead is a hidden jewel (turn left from the Tube and down about a block and a half). There's not enough space for all of the guests to keep food for the stay and never enough dishes or utensils. The street and Tube noises were very distracting at night but I always have earplugs with me. Considering the fun I had during my stay I can more than forgive the Tube location and the lack of utensils and kitchen space. And my last issue is a hazard of living in a modern city. All in all I would stay here again in a heartbeat, even at my advanced age.