Hashtag Elephant & Castle

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about staying in a hostel at nearly 30, but this one surprised me in a good way. For £42 for two nights with breakfast included, I had very little to complain about. I was in a six-bed female dorm with an en-suite bathroom, and everyone was considerate and quiet. People came and went at different times, as you’d expect, but tried not to disturb each other. The halls stayed quiet most of the time, even Friday and Saturday nights. The mix of ages suited me. It didn’t seem like a place just for university-age students coming to party in London. My dormmates mostly kept to themselves, so it wasn’t really a place to meet people, which was what I wanted anyway. Breakfast was simple but decent: bread, baked beans, chicken sausage, deli meats, pain au chocolat, croissants, hot drinks, juice and cereal. The main downside was the heat in the rooms at night. I woke up once or twice each night because of it. Still, it was a great experience and I’d return when I’m in London.

Having the hostel close to central London was great for us as first-time visitors. Our check-in staff member was pretty blunt, though I wasn’t expecting a lot of friendliness. Staff did step in when guests got too rowdy watching the football match in the living room. My biggest issue was that the beds in our six-person mixed room had no curtains.

Last February, the beds here had curtains. I was HORRIFIED to arrive today and find they’d been removed for privacy, with no announcement. That feels incredibly unfair when photos on their Google site still show curtains. This place doesn’t get the best men. Smelly, dirty and WEIRD. As a woman, I’d say it’s NO LONGER a Safestay for sleeping in mixed dorms. Removing the BED CURTAINS was not a SAFE idea, and IT SHOULD BE DULY NOTED on all sites. They need more security and thorough Cleaners like the other hostels. I accidentally booked NO refund, so now I have to battle to find a hostel W CURTAINS. I can’t sleep in a room exposed to strangers. 😩💔

I arrived in London late last night and was welcomed warmly. The guys at the counter were friendly and polite and helped me settle in. Michael at reception was especially courteous, and even helped fix my charger, which would otherwise have cost 5 pounds. A great place to stay with nice people.