Hostel in London

Which one did you have in mind, Marie?

Do you travel HI or independent?

marie,

I've found that HI Hostels are usually fairly consistent from one property to the next, so that would be a good place to start. I haven't stayed at any London Hostels, but have in other parts of the U.K. and no complaints at all. They usually serve a good breakfast, which is something that's important to me. Having an HI membership will provide slightly better prices and preferred booking over non-members.

My daughter and I are going in September. She is looking at one near Euston/St. Pancreas Station - I forget the name - maybe YHA?

It's actually St Pancras, nothing to do with bodily organs....... :-)

If you stay in the right one, your experience will be good. The good ones: peace and quiet so you can sleep.

If you stay in one of the "party central" locations, your experience may not be very good. The bad ones: party animals will make noise all night and your roommates may be throwing up. (The one known as the Generator.)

Here's the good one--best--great location: http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/london-st-pauls

YHA has several locations around London. Euston/St. Pancras--good location for transportation nearby, but not my choice. Look at the YHA home page to see other locations. But I think you will be pleased with St. Paul's.

YHA home page for London:
http://www.yha.org.uk/places-to-stay/london

YHA has the best reputation in London for hostels. I would not stay in one that was not a YHA, personally; but that is just my opinion.

I've stayed at hostels in the Hosteling International/YHA chain and found some of them to be a little underwhelming in terms of amenities and not as sparkling clean as some think they are known for being. I actually prefer some of the independent hostels and find that if you carefully read through reviews in advance of booking on sites like hostelworld.com you can get a good sense from the reviewers (and the hostels own websites) as to whether they attract a party crowd or more serious travelers who just want a decent place to sleep and shower.

While a bit more expensive than some of the hostels, I would recommend the lodging offered by London School of Economics. Some of their locations offer rooms for tourists year-round. Their website is notorious for showing no vacancies whatsoever, so it is best to reach out to them either by phone or send them an email to inquire about availability at one of their locations. I really liked Northumberland House which is only about 2 blocks from Trafalgar Square. All rooms have their own private bathrooms/showers and daily maid service. Northumberland also has coin-op laundry facilities on-site as well as some communal kitchens that are available for guests to use to prepare breakfast, make lunch, or store some snacks or drinks. It is a busy neighborhood. If you are a light sleeper, you may want to request a room that is not directly facing the street traffic. LSE does have other locations around the city and also offers apartments for rent if you want more space to spread out.

Thank you for the help. We went with YHA in Central London. ST. Paul's wasn't available the dates we are there. And I now know it's St. Pancras...:)