Hostel 7

Getting the toilet paper we asked for the same day was a bright spot, thanks to the sweet lady who helped us. The location and price are excellent, and if you manage to get into the hostel, the service is great. It's an adventure, though: hot water in the showers is a matter of luck, and figuring out how to start the oven feels like a puzzle. While baking a pizza, we accidentally switched on the furnace too. There was a pizza box on it, so the fire alarm went off. The hostel was built in 1985, and I'd recommend it to adventurous people. Three out of five.

It's in a fantastic spot in London and reasonably priced. The front door and room door use codes instead of keys, and the building was clearly once a very nice house. If you can put up with a very basic stay and service, it might be okay because of that location. There was no hot water, and the place was dirty and moldy, with torn wallpaper and a funny smell. The fire alarm kept going off. There's no sign outside, and I saw no sign of the manager or interaction with them, just the cleaner. It looked nothing like the pictures. Some people never got their reservations because the place was overbooked, and the owner didn't refund them.

After just one night, the owner moved everything I owned into garbage bags and put it in a tiny room with two single beds and nothing else. I'd paid for a triple room with a kitchenette. He came into my room while I was out to do it, and it felt like a total violation. I was tempted to call the police. There were two other people in the lobby dealing with problems too. The owner was telling them this wasn't Hostel 7. Please don't stay here.

For the price, I wouldn't worry about the location. It let me see and explore more. It's a hostel, not a five-star hotel, and I slept well in the beds and liked my room. The host is cool and sweet. Just remember to call the host an hour before you arrive.