Phoenix Hostel

The staff were friendly enough, and I don't blame them for how run-down the place is. The owners need to spend money on maintenance and upkeep. The private rooms are extremely basic but okay. Bathrooms feel a bit precarious, and it's basically a shed. Don't bring your woman unless she's very bohemian. It was grizzly enough that I left early on two of the three nights. I didn't get that last night refunded, but leaving was worth it. I'm not sure what award they won, but to me this is one of the worst hostels I've stayed in.

Vincent on reception made me and other guests feel so welcome, big shout out to him. This is a fantastic, cost-effective way to experience London, and I'll be back! 💓 I got in quite late last night, but the bar was still open for a drink and had a nice atmosphere, with people chatting. I was in room 7 with, I think, eight people in total, and I was the last to arrive. Everyone kept to themselves, even those who were awake, and it was silent all night. My top bunk was clean and comfortable. I'm not usually a great sleeper, but I genuinely slept well. In the morning I had a nice shower and was greeted with coffee and breakfast.

The bathrooms were tiny and uncomfortable, and one had only piping hot water. The whole place felt unsafe and unclean, with a bad vibe as soon as we walked in. Our room was crowded and dirty. There were four of us, and one bed hadn't had its sheets changed. The sheets on the other beds were still dirty. At check-in and check-out the staff were good, but the night staff weren't. When we asked reception for clean sheets, the first response was, "I don't think so I have fresh sheets as laundry comes in only in the morning, but I'll still check." If there are no clean sheets, would you really expect guests to sleep in dirty ones? This isn't worth the money, whether you're travelling alone or with a group.

We booked well in advance, but when we arrived we were told there was no room for us and sent to another property for the first night. When we came back the following day, our booked room still wasn't available. We didn't stay a single night at this hostel, yet they marked us as checked in. Management avoided talking to us and was unhelpful. The owner refused to give us a refund despite the hostel's disorganization and failure to provide a room, so we cancelled the rest of our stay. We can't recommend it. There are plenty of cleaner, better-run hostels in London at the same price.