The Mornington Camden Female Only

The bathrooms and sheets were clean, and I was happy with the accommodation. My room was in the basement, and the beds are assigned in advance, with a ticket on each one, so you can’t swap. The other residents were respectful, though someone always seems to come in late and rustle bags. That’s hostel life, really. I’d stay again if I could get the same price. Finding the place was ridiculous: GPS sent me in circles for about half an hour. Just come out of Mornington Crescent station and turn left. It’s two doors down, about a minute away. Wish someone had told me that.

The train line is extremely loud, so don’t expect a good night’s sleep unless you’re a heavy sleeper. The place is fairly cheap and decent enough, and the room was reasonably clean, but there were big cracks in the wall, a really dusty window, and a tatty bathroom. You get what you pay for. A few gripes, but it’s still a decent place to stay.

I waited all day for my bed to be made. The other guests were lovely and helpful, unlike the staff, whose service felt apathetic. And this isn’t a ladies-only hostel in the way I understood it to be. Men have their own shared room, but they can also be elsewhere in the building. Some blokes thundered down the stairs while I was relaxing in shorts and a vest without a bra, as I would in a women-only space. I was shocked and peeved, especially since women may need that feeling of safety for good reasons. When I raised it, I was told it counts as women-only because men can’t enter the dorm. One of them could still sit beside you in the common room, so bear that in mind before booking.

I was there for just one night, less than 12 hours, so I can’t really judge it fairly against longer stays. The room was spacious, the bathrooms clean, and it’s near the station and Camden Town. The rooms are in the basement, and there’s no washer or dryer. Tube noise might bother people who are sensitive to sound, though it didn’t bother me.