Cramming an impressive 600 beds onto four colorful floors in the heart of the London's theater district is not an easy task, but the Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel pulls it off, and how!
It's so big you can almost always show up without a reservation (though we never recommend it) and still score a bunk. It's loud, it's fun and it's center stage. Party on!
It's a little tough to find despite being centrally located one block up Sherman Street from the Piccadilly Circus. Regardless, once we got there we found a reception packed with students and 20-somethings, fresh off the train. The vibe was an international mish-mash of eagerness, anticipation and, in some cases, overt flirtation. (We witnessed a Swedish guest getting an invitation from a staff member to stop by the hostel's Midas Touch bar later that night. Priceless.)
The hostel is mostly composed of bare dorms, which hold up to 10 bunks, along with cupboards, sinks, and private lockers (for which you have to bring your own lock). Single and double rooms are also available.
The best features Piccadilly offers are the 24-hour security, Internet cafe, TV and movie lounge, and guest kitchen. And if you want immediate photo downloading ability, Piccadilly even offers a digital photo machine. Rock out!
The location was excellent, only the cleanliness could be better, especially in the bathroom and toilets, but all in all it wasn't that bad; London itself is quite a dirty city (compared to other European cities). From 8.00 to 10.00 AM sometimes you could only shower with tepid water.
But the sheets were clean and the room was acceptable. Only the bed was very uncomfortable, you could feel every spring of the mattress. And you couldn't open the window. But I didn't find it loud in the hostel, maybe because my room was rather in the back.
The hostel is non-smoking, which is a big benefit and you can only enter the building by showing the key card.
We thought the location would be a great fit for all of the things we wanted to see while in London. That was about all you can say for it. For the three nights we were there, we never got sheets!! The rooms were freezing, and the showers were awful! We had gone all through Greece, London, Italy, Ireland, and Amsterdam and this is by far the absolute worst quality hostel I have ever seen. Way understaffed and way overpriced for the quality of the experience. book elsewhere!
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