Just a brief report on my recent stay in two London Hostels:

Trip dates: April 2-8, 2003

St. Pancras: three nights stay. Easy access to the underground (4-5
min. walk) Easy to catch a bus near the hostel. Lots of shops nearby
and the British Library is across the street. The average wait time
for a train was about one minute at the St. Pancras station.

Very clean, nice facility, comfortable beds. The hostel itself was
quiet but the streets were not. Lots of traffic including some big
trucks, many police cars, ambulance, and fire trucks (with sirens).
The pub next door did have a band on Saturday night. That may not be
a normal happening...

This is a good place to stay if you can tolerate a little noise. In
fact, it's a great place to stay a night or two just to get immersed
in the hustle and bustle of central London. I found it easy to find
the hostel even though this was my first trip to London.

Holland House: two nights stay. A ten minute walk to the underground
and about a five minute walk to the nearest bus stop. The trains ran
a little less often here so a four minute wait for a train was not
uncommon. Be sure to get a cookie at "Ben's Cookies" at the High
Street Kensington station (the preferred station for Holland House).

The hostel included a lovely old building (part of the original
Holland House), clean but not spotless like St. Pancras. The beds
were not as comfortable but they were okay. This was my favorite
place to stay, it was quiet, loaded with character, and surrounded by
gardens and Holland Park. We woke up to birds and the sounds of
nature outside.

If I had it to do over again, I would still split my time between the
two hostels. Staying at both hostels gives you a much different
perspective of London. It is a little easier and quicker to get
around from St. Pancras plus you are in the middle of all the goings
on. Holland House is quieter and has more character. I slept really
well at Holland House. Breakfast was included and good at both
hostels.

Happy traveling, David

David, it's always useful to have some addresses for overnight stays in
London. BUT...considering the type of accommodation you describe, the most
important item is missing: The Price! In fact, someone tolerating the noise
levels plus relatively off-the-track location needs some other advantage to
book into such a hotel/hostel, and the only one I could think of is
competitive room rates.
Second: telephone number and e-mail address is always helpful, as these
hostels may not be in every agency and tourist office listing.

Well done anyway,

Richard

"David Johnson" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Just a brief report on my recent stay in two London Hostels:
    > Trip dates: April 2-8, 2003
    > St. Pancras: three nights stay. Easy access to the underground (4-5
    > min. walk) Easy to catch a bus near the hostel. Lots of shops nearby
    > and the British Library is across the street. The average wait time
    > for a train was about one minute at the St. Pancras station.
    > Very clean, nice facility, comfortable beds. The hostel itself was
    > quiet but the streets were not. Lots of traffic including some big
    > trucks, many police cars, ambulance, and fire trucks (with sirens).
    > The pub next door did have a band on Saturday night. That may not be
    > a normal happening...
    > This is a good place to stay if you can tolerate a little noise. In
    > fact, it's a great place to stay a night or two just to get immersed
    > in the hustle and bustle of central London. I found it easy to find
    > the hostel even though this was my first trip to London.
    > Holland House: two nights stay. A ten minute walk to the underground
    > and about a five minute walk to the nearest bus stop. The trains ran
    > a little less often here so a four minute wait for a train was not
    > uncommon. Be sure to get a cookie at "Ben's Cookies" at the High
    > Street Kensington station (the preferred station for Holland House).
    > The hostel included a lovely old building (part of the original
    > Holland House), clean but not spotless like St. Pancras. The beds
    > were not as comfortable but they were okay. This was my favorite
    > place to stay, it was quiet, loaded with character, and surrounded by
    > gardens and Holland Park. We woke up to birds and the sounds of
    > nature outside.
    > If I had it to do over again, I would still split my time between the
    > two hostels. Staying at both hostels gives you a much different
    > perspective of London. It is a little easier and quicker to get
    > around from St. Pancras plus you are in the middle of all the goings
    > on. Holland House is quieter and has more character. I slept really
    > well at Holland House. Breakfast was included and good at both
    > hostels.
    > Happy traveling, David

Holland House https://www.yha.org.uk/make_booking/...hostel141.html
St Pancras https://www.yha.org.uk/make_booking/...hostel173.html

PS the base website www.yha.org.uk has all you would want to know about
Hostels in England and Wales (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Eire have
separate organisations.

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