Hostelling in London

A complaint I hear from visitors all the time is that London is expensive. And it is, no denying it – though possibly not as expensive as Japan.

That rules out London for spring break hols, for instance, in many Americans’ minds.

Rubbish! The dollar buys more in London than it used to, there are some amazingly cheap flight deals, and you can book into a hostel rather than a hotel to economise on your accommodation bill.

One way of cutting down on the expense and having a cheaper spring break is booking into a hostel rather than a hotel. You don’t have to be a dyed in the wool backpacker to use a hostel – and nor do you have to be a student or under a certain age. Nor do you have to take a dorm room – a number of hostels now offer double rooms for those who want more privacy. And they’re not all traditional Youth Hostels – many entrepreneurs have now started running hostels for the budget traveller.

To stay in a YHA hostel you will need to belong to (or join) the international Youth Hostels organisation. That said, the joining fee equates roughly to a single night’s lodging with them, so if you’re staying a week or more you’ve got a good bargain. Membership lasts a year and you can stay in any YHA affiliated hostel around the world.

Hostelworld features 66 hostels in and around London. That’s plenty of choice!

Some of the best are:

• YHA London Central. From £15.95 a night – just south of Regent’s Park, close to all the major sights, this is a real bargain.  Many four or five bed rooms – few large dorms – so that you get a quiet night’s rest. Free wifi and a chance to play Nintendo Wii games make it a lot funkier than the youth hostels I remember from the 1980s!
• Astor Museum – in the heart of Bloomsbury, convenient for the British Museum, theatreland, and Covent Garden.
• Astor Hyde Park – recently opened in a huge Victorian house in South Kensington, this is another of the Astor chain – with its own distinctive style and in a trendy area with lots of bars and restaurants, and close to the V&A and Natural History museums. From £15 dorm rooms to £35 for a double or twin private room. Note though that the Astor hostels are limited to 18-35 year olds, a restriction that personally I find galling (see below).
• Generator London Hostel – not my type of place I have to admit, as it’s a ‘party hostel’, but great if you like a busy social life. Situated in Russell Square, Bloomsbury, it’s close to the British Museum – but it’s the young rather than the antique that it aims to attract with its nightly entertainment and huge bar. Prices from £12.50 in dorms or £25 each in a twin/double.
• YHA City of London Hostel – in Carter Lane, near St Paul’s, this hostel is tucked away right in the middle of the financial district. Weird – and very quiet at weekends when no one works in the City.  There’s no self-catering, but there is a restaurant. £19.95 for adults.
• Wake Up London – near Paddington, in a white stucco fronted house, is currently being refurbished. This used to be a great hostel – so I’m going to be interested to see what it looks like when it reopens.
• Piccadilly Backpackers at 12 Sherwood Street is just off Piccadilly Circus. Bright and clean looking, it has services including an internet cafe and laundry facilities, no lockout or curfew, and 700 beds from £12 a night.

I’ve travelled quite a lot using hostels – some attract a very young and sometimes noisy crowd. However in most of them, particularly the smaller ones, I’ve found quite a few older travellers – ranging from the 40 year old who’s taking a year off to travel the world, to an elderly Austrian couple who had decided to visit Spain for the first time. I do wish some hostel chains didn’t decide that all under-30s are interested in booze and all night parties – I never was, even at 21! – or that everyone over 35 wants a four star hotel (even if we could afford them!)

I was definitely in a minority when I stayed at the Oasis in Granada, for instance. That said, with sangria at one euro a glass, I spent a great evening in the bar, chatting to the barman who happened to be another Irish music lover.

But I would definitely recommend the YHA and the less party-orientated hostels to anyone who’s looking for a budget deal in London. You may be fortunate enough to find similar rates at bed and breakfasts around London-  but you’ll probably not find anywhere as central.

Photo – the YHA City hostel in Carter Lane, by Loz Flowers on flickr