Backpacker Hostel London

Cheap Backpacker Hostels Around The World

Cheap Hostels in London

The Torquay Hostel London operated by LHA London Ltd is located not far from Hyde Park, just a few minutes walk from Royal Oak station on the Hammersmith & City line, and about 15 minutes walk from Bayswater station on District & Circle Line.

In short, this is one of the worst hostels we’ve ever stayed in the world. One would expect this kind of unhygienic rooms, toilets and facilities in developing countries in Asia, North Africa or the Middle East – but not in London. Everything is filthy, rooms, carpets, toilets, showers, kitchen – everything! An exception is the common room with TV downstairs in the basement, where a free breakfast is being served every morning from 8:00 to 9:30am. The breakfast at least is OK, the chinese lady very friendly. Some dorm rooms even have a dirty bathroom with a dirty shower attached, and even a small dirty kitchen. But there are no pots, pans, cups, plates or cutlery to use it. In front of the window there’s a noisy elevated highway that you can hear during the night even with windows closed (there’s a hole with a fan in the wall as well). Long queues in front of the reception are common – it is unattained very often for too long. However, staff in general is friendly, even they seemed a bit clueless sometimes, moving people around for no reason and not knowledgeable about the city. To use the free WiFi you need to register your name (linked to your personal details) with the reception – giving you personalized login details. This is weird and leaves room for speculations. The photos below were taken in a dorm room with attached bathroom costing 15.50 GBP per night, that’s in total 62 Pounds per night for this dirty 4-share room! For 62 Pounds you can easily find a nice shiny hotel room somewhere else in London. What a rip-off! Disgusting…

Free lockers in room
Some dorms have bathroom attached
Some dorms have small kitchen with tap
Nice common room with TV
Nice staff
Free WiFi
Free breakfast
Rooms very dirty
Carpets/floors/hallways filthy
Bathrooms/Showers disgusting
Extra charges for small things
WiFi requires PERSONAL registration
Kitchen in common room is just for staff
Kitchen has no pots/pans/plates/cutlery
Reception often unattained (queues)
Elevated highway in front of window
Full of long-term stayers looking for work
Definitely lacks character
Much too expensive (given low value)

London Torquay Hostel London Torquay Hostel - Entrance
London Torquay Hostel - LHA London Ltd London Torquay Hostel - Dirt in Room
London Torquay Hostel - Dirt in Bathroom London Torquay Hostel - Dirty Windowsill
London Torquay Hostel - Dirty Bathroom London Torquay Hostel - Bathroom Paint
London Torquay Hostel - Dorm Room
Beds from GBP 12.50
Book here >

Our Rating:
    1.5 / 5.0
Avoid, avoid, avoid!!! What a disgusting place…

(Last Reviewed: June 2011)
No. 8 Hostel London - Entrance Hostel No.8 London is one of only a few cheap hostels in London, situated in the Suburb Willesden in the London Borough of Brent north-west of the city center of London (District NW10). This location is very convenient in terms of public transport and food. The hostel offers a free breakfast with coffee, tea, orange juice, cereals & milk, toast, butter, jam and alternating cheese or salami. But, every morning queues in front of the toasters; plates, cups and cutlery is either wet or don’t look clean at all, orange juice being diluted with tap water, the bread was mold 2 mornings in a row when we stayed here. Also the reception (and bar area used for breakfast) NEVER opened in time (8:00am) in more than a week that we stayed here, resulting in a crowd of people waiting in front of closed doors EVERY morning for 10-15 minutes until the staff managed to get up from bed. The breakfast takes place downstairs in the bar, which has Sky TV, a Pool table and free Internet – free WiFi in the rooms is available too. The safety of the rooms is good; every room has a proper safety lock.
The hostel has usually clean rooms (depending on the people who are staying inside) and a kitchen with fridges, stove & microwave and a smoker terrace. The bunk beds have very good mattresses, letting you sleep extremly well. The black curtens on the beds shade off the light during the night – a good idea. The rooms are heated in winter, the showers sometimes have warm water, toilets and showers are clean too, both in the same bathroom shared between genders. Check-in time is 12:00 noon, keep that in mind. In fact they really let us wait nearly 4 hours when we arrived just before 8:00am !!! If you don’t book online, you will be charged the ‘walk-in rate’ of £18.00, so you better Book here > online. The hostel is usually fully booked because of the low price and long-term stayers, most of them job seekers.
FOOD: The long main road in front of the hostel (High Road) offers a lot of cheap take-aways and smaller restaurants in this very diverse neighborhood of ethnic minorities from all over the globe. But don’t worry, it’s a save place to stay. When you’re leaving the hostel turn right and walk straight along High Road, the main road in Willesden, towards Willesden Green tube station. After walking about 15-20 minutes you will see the Willesden Library on your right. Keep walking straight for another 2 minutes and you will see the big Sainsbury’s supermarket on your right, providing you with everything you need during your stay. Buy the Sainsbury’s home brand to save money: 2 liter bottles of Water or Soft drinks for only £0.16-0.18, frozen meals from £1.00, cookies for just a few Pence.
TRANSPORT: The connection to the city by public transport is excellent. The nearest Tube station is "Dollis Hill" on the Jubilee Line (grey color), only 5 minutes walk from the hostel ("Tube" is the London underground train system). From here it only takes 14 minutes to Baker Street in Central London. Another option is instead of boarding the tube at Dollis Hill station in Zone 3, you can also walk to the next station Willesden Green in Zone 2 – but this is quite far to walk, about 20-25 minutes from No. 8 Hostel, near the Willesden Library. This saves you £0.40 (peak time) or £0.60 (off peak time) if you are using an OYSTER Card, but nothing if you buy a single cash fare ticket which costs £4.00 to the city in Zone 1 (one-way). It’s £2.90/£2.50 from Dollis Hill (Zone 3) and £2.50/£1.90 from Willesden Green (Zone 2). The higher price is at peak times between 06:30-09:30 and 16:00-19:00 Monday to Friday (except public holidays), at all other times the lower Off Peak prices apply.
The cheapest way getting around London is by BUS. The bus lines 52, 98, 260, 266, 302, 460 are running right in front of the hostel. Oyster cards can be used on all city busses, not only on the Tube system. Busses in London only costs £1.30 per trip using an Oyster card. To get to the city from Hostel No. 8 in Willesden, just catch bus number 52 to Victoria Station (major railway station in London) or bus number 98 to Oxford Circus and Oxford Street. Just cross the main road and wait at the bus stop in front of the fruit & vegetable shop (where all other people are waiting). The bus ride to central London on Bus 52 or 98 takes about 1 hour and costs £1.30 with Oyster card or £2.20 in cash. When traveling London by bus it is also interesting to know that there is a £4.00 price cap per day when using the Oyster Card, meaning you will not pay more than that. This allows you to see and explore much more of London for only those £4.00. Travelling with an Oyster card ("pay as you go") is the only reasonable option for getting around London on a small backpacker budget.
For more information on public transport in London, please visit: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/

How to SAVE MONEY in London from your first day

Book ahead your Airport shuttle bus to Baker Street with EasyBus (http://www.easybus.co.uk). Ticket fares start from only £2.00 up to £13.00 one way, depending on the time of the day and how early you book it ahead. This ticket is valid within +/- 1 hour from the booked time. At Baker Street buy an Oyster Card from the small ticket office. No registration or personal details are required; just pay the refundable £5.00 card deposit and a minimum credit of £7.00 which equals £12.00. Note that Oyster Cards are NOT being sold or refunded at machines, but only at ticket counters. However, Oyster Cards are being sold (but not refunded!) at smaller shops across London as well. From Baker Street take a train on Jubilee Line (grey) north bound and get off at Dollis Hill station. Exit the station through the longer curved tunnel and leave the station straight, not left. Reaching the main road, just turn left and keep walking to the end with the traffic light. Cross the road at this traffic light and walk left for another 30 seconds. The No.8 Hostel London is the black building just on your right. Enjoy your stay !
Good location & Public transport
Clean rooms (heated & safe)
Comfortable beds & mattresses
Free breakfast
Free Internet/WiFi
Bar with TV & Pool table
Kitchen with Fridge,Stove,Microwave
Plates & Cuttlery not clean/wet
Sometimes cold shower
Bit grumpy staff
Staff always late (after 8:00am)
Late check-in time (12:00 noon)

No. 8 Hostel London
Rooms from £7.00 (US$ 12.00)
Book here >
No. 8 Hostel London - Entrance Willesden High Road London
London Hostel No. 8 - Bar Breakfast - No. 8 Hostel London
No. 8 Hostel - Internet & Common Room No. 8 Hostel - Pool Table
No. 8 Hostel - Ground Floor No. 8 Hostel - First Floor
No. 8 Hostel - Kitchen No. 8 Hostel - Reception
No. 8 Hostel - Toilet No. 8 Hostel - Dollis Hill Station

Our Rating:
    4.0 / 5.0
A good & cheap place to stay in London.
(Last Reviewed: February 2011)
The New Cross Inn Hostel in London is one of the rare affordable places to stay in London with rooms starting from only £11. It is located between “New Cross” and “New Cross Gate” train stations on New Cross Road that also has frequent bus services. The backpacker hostel provides basic dorm rooms with bunk beds, hot showers, has 2 kitchens and a common room with SkyTV and DVD. Free WiFi is also available. There is a nice bar downstairs at the corner which is pretty busy during the night – however, the noise level is limited when you stay upstairs and is not too disturbing. In the morning the bar turns into a common breakfast room with free toast, cereals, milk, tea and coffee. The place is always very busy as a result of the low budget prices for their rooms, so it is highly recommended to book your bed ahead.
New Cross Inn Hostel London 1
Rooms from GBP 11.00
Book here >
New Cross Inn Hostel London 2 New Cross Inn Hostel London 3

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