Accommodation - The Rough Guide to London - page 360

designer touches and the feel of being in a slightly eccentric
home fr om h ome. One small single/double and two larger
doubles. £90

one studio apartment (sleeping three) in a pretty house in
a quiet street right by the train station, walking distance to
Richmond and the Thames. No on-site staff, which means
you get a lot of privacy, but the friendly, e cient manager
is a phone call away, and they provide a complimentary
continental breakfast in a small servery with a fridge, kettle
and toaste r. Rate s drop the longer you stay. Doubles £85 ,
apartment £135

WEST LONDON
The Old Stables 1 Bridle Lane, Twickenham T 020
8892 4507, W oldestables.com; St Margarets train
station from Waterloo; map p.341. Three bedrooms and

HOSTELS
Hostels run the gamut from the e cient and safe YHA establishments to funkier and more relaxed independent hostels,
some of which have a serious party vibe. Virtually all have internet/wi-fi access, and most include breakfast in the price.
W hostellondon.com is a good website for booking online.

family-friendly. No groups, no c afé, but a larg e kitchen, and
everything is clean. Dorms £30 , doubles £80
St Pancras 79-81 Euston Rd, NW1 T 0845 371 9344,
E [e-mail]; ! King's Cross St Pancras;
map p.120. This hostel, on the busy Euston Rd has nearly
200 rooms and is popular with families. Rooms are clean,
bright, double-glazed and have en-suite facilitie s. No
kitchen, but there's a nice café. No groups. Dorms £28 ,
doubles £72
St Paul's 36 Carter Lane, EC4 T 0845 371 9012,
E [e-mail]; ! St Paul's; map pp.156-157.
A 210-bed hostel in a superb location opposite St Paul's
Cathedral. Breakfast included, in the café, and there's a
restaurant for dinner, bu t no kitch en. No groups. Popular
with families. Dorms £25 , doubles £75
Thameside 20 Salter Rd, SE16 T 0845 371 9756,
E [e-mail]; ! Rotherhithe; map
pp.224-225. London's largest purpose-built hostel,
with 320 beds, is in a quiet spot near the river, 15min
from the nearest tube. It can feel a bit of a trek, but
has space when more central places are full. Self-
catering available, and a restaurant serving breakfast
and dinner. Dorm s (4-10 beds) and doubles. Dorms
£28 , doubles £50

YHA HOSTELS
London's Youth Hostel Association (YHA; W yha.org.uk)
hostels are guaranteed to be clean and e ciently run. Their
rates depend on availability, special events and the like:
dorm prices start at around £19, doubles/twins at £50;
wi-fi is available for a fee. Advance booking is
recommended. You don't have to be a member of the YHA
or an a liated hostel association to stay (membership
costs £16/year), but nonmembers are charged a £3
surcharge per night.
Ì Central 104 Bolsover St, W1 T 0845 371 9154,
E [e-mail]; ! Great Portland
Street; map p.97. Excellent, secure and clean 300-bed
hostel, in a surprisingly quiet West End location, with a
kitchen and a late-opening café-bar/lounge area. No
groups; families welcome. Most dorms (4- 8 be ds) are en
suite; others have showers next door. Dorms £23
Earl's Court 38 Bolton Gardens, SW5 T 0845 371 9114,
E [e-mail]; ! Earl's Court; map p.250.
Buzzy, busy 186-be d ho stel with sma ll kitchen, café and
patio garden. Dorms £24 , doubles £70
Holland House Holland Walk, W8 T 0845 371 9122,
E [e-mail]; ! Holland Park or High
Street Kensington; map pp.274-275. Idyllically situated
in a Jacobean mansion in Holland Park and fairly convenient
for the centre, this 200-bed hostel has a kitchen and café.
Popular with groups. Dorms (12-20 beds) only. Dorms £19
Lee Valley Windmill Lane, Cheshunt, EN8 T 0845 371
9057, E [e-mail]; Cheshunt train station.
In the 10,000-acre Lee Valley Country Park in deepest North
London, this place offers a rural experience in the city, with
six waterside log cabins and lots of water-based activities
available on the reservoir. Good cycling and birdwatching
nearby, too. There's a café- bar, a nd no self-catering. Rooms
are clean and quiet. Dorms £25
Oxford Street 14 Noel St, W1 T 0845 371 9133,
E [e-mail]; ! Oxford Circus or Tottenham
Court Road; map p.97. The Soho location and modest size
(just 93 beds) mean this hostel tends to be full year-round,
and the atmosphere is more party central than

23

INDEPENDENT HOSTELS
Astor hostels Astor Quest, 45 Queensborough Terrace,
W2, map p.240; Astor Hyde Park, 191 Queen's Gate,
SW7, map p.252; Astor Victoria, 71 Belgrave Rd, SW1,
map p.36; Astor Museum Inn, 27 Montague St, WC1,
map p.120; W astorhostels.co.uk. They only take guests
aged between 18 and 35, so there's quite a party
atmosphere at these four central hostels. All except the
Museum Inn have en-suite dorms, and all except the Hyde
Park have female dorms available. There are private rooms
at all four; only those at the Hyde Park are en suite. Free
continental breakfast includ ed, p lus use of kitc hens and
free wi-fi. Dorms (4-12 bed) £20 , twins/doubles £80
Clink 261 Hostel 261-265 Gray's Inn Rd, WC1 T 020
7833 9400, W clinkhostels.com; ! King's Cross;