St Christopher's Inn, Greenwich - Hostel

I was pleasantly surprised by St Christopher's Inn Greenwich and would stay again. I normally use YHA hostels, but when I visited London in June 2025, there was no availability, so I found this very cheap alternative after doing some research. I was a little skeptical at first, but the experience was great from arrival to departure. The price was excellent for the room and included drink, especially given the location. It was extremely warm during my visit, so they put fans in our room. They were loud, but understandable in the heat, and I still slept well. I had a bottom bunk, which felt a bit like sleeping on the floor, and I wasn't fully reassured by the security of the lockers beside each bed, though they were a good idea for the room layout.

The location is the only real plus. There was nowhere in the room to put clothes, a phone or glasses: no hooks, hangers or shelves. The lockers had no locks, so they were useless, and the reading lights didn't work. One of the most uncomfortable rooms I've stayed in. Breakfast cost more than advertised, and the common room was neglected and absolutely disgusting. The woman at check-in was nice, but the man at checkout was horrible.

I booked through booking.com for a night with my daughter after Florence and the machine played at the 02. We were turned away because she wasn't 18, a rule that booking.com hadn't stated. I could have accepted that as a misunderstanding if they'd sorted out a refund. Instead, they said they couldn't refund me because I couldn't prove I was her father, despite never raising that at the time. When I was there in person, they seemed happy to arrange a refund and said their manager would email me. It was disgusting behaviour. They were happy to take the money when all I needed was somewhere to sleep after the concert.

The bar downstairs was a nice surprise, with lovely food, a decent drinks selection, good music and very friendly, helpful staff. The hostel is right beside the train station, but far enough away that station noise wasn't an issue, and a regular bus goes directly to and from the O2 Arena. I picked the place for that access and my very tight budget, and stayed one night in June this year. My main issue was how dirty the shared showers were. When I checked in that afternoon, there was litter, clothes and towels left around, and the floors were dirty. I showered early the next morning and it was still just as bad. The floors and doors in the sleeping areas are old and squeaky, much more than the photos suggest, so light sleepers will need earplugs. The room's air conditioning was just one small wall fan, not ideal in a full dorm during a particularly hot European summer. For the price it's an OK hostel and fine for one night on a budget, but neglected shower rooms are a bad sign.