Dover Castle Hostel

The property's only real but significant strength is its location. A one-minute walk (two for those who take it easy) takes you to Borough tube station, in a city whose tube network is considered among the largest and densest in the world. Therefore, you can easily reach any area of London in a relatively short time. If it weren't for this quality, however, the overall rating would have been one star (just because half a star can't be awarded). We arrived to drop off our small bags in the morning, and beyond the unpleasant and intense smell that permeates the claustrophobic entrance, spreads throughout the reception area (located on level -1), and then recurs on every floor in every room (the windows can't be opened), we had to leave them in a small room without any lockers to hold them (because they were too small and had no locks). Upon check-in, we were directed to Room 7 on the top floor (very narrow stairs, NO ELEVATOR) and found the beds assigned to us still unmade and dirty (snack wrappers, other people's clothes, used and blood-stained sheets), not to mention the stale, suffocating odor, mitigated only by the presence of a fan, which you must arrange to turn on with your roommates. The shared kitchen on the first floor (or second, I don't remember) is barely airtight and smells worse than anything I've described so far. The only positive note, besides the location, was the helpfulness of the staff, who, to apologize for the inconvenience of checking in, offered us free underwear (no, they're not free) and ensured constant surveillance of the miserable luggage room. All this aside, there are no bathrooms with windows; they're also claustrophobic (though, after all, you can't expect a palace at this price in a hostel near central London). The "new" sheets provided by the hostel were stained and dusty, which caused minor irritations for one of my companions. I returned from London with a sore throat, and another friend with diarrhea. We're certain this was due to the poor hygiene at Dover Castle Hostel. Anyway, what can I say? I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it again. London is a stunning, gigantic city, with excellent infrastructure and efficient transportation, breathtaking views... spending so little for two nights was undoubtedly a bargain (especially considering the city is very expensive). I believe, however, that if we had stayed even just four or five nights, we would have returned from London with some serious illness or infection. Final rating: 2 stars, earned solely for the location.

Accessible and attentive staff 24 hours a day

Nice place for the money, although we had to wait for like 20 minutes until someone showed up and the pub down will make heavy noise until 2am