Can you find a NICE hostel to stay in London?
It seems that many people are complaining about the quality of the hostels in London despite there being literally hundreds scattered across the capital of the United Kingdom. I should know, I stayed in quite a few dodgy places.
But there’s one hostel that will guarantee to make you feel at home, safe with your belongings and actually get a great value for your money. Enter this London hostel, Astor Hostels Queensway.
Based in West London, only a few streets away from Queensway tube station, you’ll be quite pleasantly surprised to see that the hostel is situated at the doorstep of Hyde Park and within beautiful architectural surroundings.
Let’s find out how London Astor Hostels Queensway fared!
Service
Upon my arrival at the hostel at the darkening hour of 9pm, I was greeted very enthusiastically by an American woman at reception who made me feel right at home. She ensures security at the door is in place and you have to be buzzed in. Sorting me out with my keycard (swapped with £5 deposit or ID), she’ll give you a run down on what’s happening in the hostel in the evening. She mentioned that Poker was happening at the moment and motioned me to the social rooms that I thought I’d check out after dumping my bags in my room.
I was pretty impressed by the service really and the friendly staff who always had a winning smile and always looking to help.
Room
I was given the ‘penthouse’ room, which meant I had to climb six flights of stairs with a suitcase! However, the walls and decor made the hostel feel like a home in a townhouse that had quirky stairways.
My room was a private twin bed that was straight up within the roof. it was homely and cosy. Included in the room was a desk, tea service, an industrial fan, coat pegs, towels, beds and a sink.
I liked the decor. It felt strongly British and colourful giving me a sense of proudness and satisfaction.
The beds were comfy, their pillows offering a soft and pleasant experience during your sleep. I slept soundly and felt refreshed upon waking up.
I absolutely loved the notice board that gave me a welcome. I’s always the small things!
The room was very warm during the heat wave London was experiencing but you could have the window open and have the fan on that kept in fresh air and respite from the heat.
It was nice having the tea service but it would have helped to have milk in the room too. However, coffee and hot chocolate was also on offer.
I could only see two plug points behind the desk that one was used for the fan. It was a little bit of a hindrance as I wanted to use three plug points but I survived!
Overall, I had a pleasant stay in the room.
Bathroom
The shared bathroom could be found straight outside my door. It was small but it was good that only one person could use it. I used the bathroom plenty for my showers and every time I went in, it was always immaculately clean and tidy. The shower had a strong blast, which was nice!
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi remained consistently strong throughout the hostel, which was a huge blessing for a London hostel! I could even stream a Netflix movie one evening! Absolutely no problems there and only requires a password.
Breakfast
Breakfast was an interesting affair. I was informed by the staff that £1 donations for your breakfast would be given to charity. So, it did feel worth it to have breakfast within the kitchen that can be found at the basement of the hostel. There was a selection of breads available including toast. Jams, butter and marmalade was provided. Alternatively, you could crank out cereals should you wish. A variety of juices was on offer and of course, coffee.
Breakfast was a relaxing experience especially when I could watch outside the window and watch the world go by while being drenched in the sunrise. Plus the tablecloth was a big hit with me!
Location
For Astor Hostels Queensway, it was all about location, location, location. It was pretty perfect for me as I could easily get off the Central Line at Queensway and walk only a few streets to get to the hostel. What’s more, Hyde Park tantalised you to explore it should you have free time. Unfortunately, I had to work so i didn’t get a chance to but it did all look rather tempting!
There are many bars and entertainment places close by, particularly in Notting Hill, which is only a few minutes walk away. There are also late night opening shops as well that you can take advantage of if you feel peckish on the way home!
Entertainment
Hostels provides a social setting for travellers to mingle and meet. So, it’s no surprise that Astor Hostels Queensway does exactly that by laying on special event nights in the Kitchen in the evenings such as that Poker Night I mentioned earlier. However, if you’re feeling shy or in the mood for some ‘me’ time, the hostel has a TV room where board games and DVDs are held should you fancy a distraction. The best thing about the TV room was that there were loads of plug sockets under your seats, so don’t charge your devices in your room, why not come down and talk to other people while doing so?
Verdict
Overall, I quite enjoyed Astor Hostels Queensway as a quick getaway place from the hustle and bustle of London. I stayed there for two nights and I literally had no serious complaints. I looked forward to talking with the staff actually! With comfy stays, clean bathrooms, good social atmospheres and based in a great location, I would recommend to stay here if you’re looking for a place to stay in London.
For me, it did feel more like a home hostel rather than a luxury hostel as I wasn’t totally wowed over by the experience. However, I definitely felt relaxed, at ease and chilled out to the max. So, yes, I would stay here again.
More information on Astor Hostels Queensway:
Website: http://www.astorhostels.com/our-hostels/queensway/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/astorhostels.london
Instagram: https://instagram.com/astorhostels/
E-mail: queensway@astorhostels.com
Address:
Astor Queensway Hostel
45 Queensborough Terrace
London
W2 3SY,
United Kingdom
*Thanks to Astor Hostels for providing me with a two night stay in Queensway. As always, my opinions are my own.
