I’m pretty sure my nights of sleeping in hostels are finished, but if I had to stay in one in London, I’d be pretty happy to stay in the new Staysafe in Elephant & Castle.
I was invited to check it out for the launch along with a tour of the area (photos from that tomorrow). The hostel itself is in the old Labour party headquarters.
Elephant & Castle doesn’t have the greatest reputation so I was intrigued about the name of this place – Staysafe. Why so sure?
The explanation was that all of the doors, including within the hallways, require a touch card. There will be locked lockers under the beds a suitcase can fit into as well. And it actually did feel quite safe.
In fact it felt a bit like no other hostel I’ve been in before.
My most memorable hostel experience would probably be a toss up between a campsite hostel hut in Venice where we drank at the bar at 9am or the one in Athens that turned into a raving club and didn’t have any toilet paper.
This one has a totally calm vibe. You walk in to cushy carpets, bright colours, a relaxing mix of high and low lighting.
There’s Banksy prints on the walls and so far the bathrooms are pretty pristine.
The breakfast room is huge. There’s a pool table, a bar, and my favourite part – a lovely sculpted garden.
The staff were friendly and inviting.
And the rates for the rooms start at £18 a night if you want to share with 4-8 people.
You can also book a private room for 1-3 from £58.
All the rooms are en-suite with separate toilet and shower – a wet room.
The private rooms include tea and coffee and a TV. All rooms include breakfast.
Not bad for a hostel, eh?
Website: Staysafe Hostel, Elephant & Castle
Really beautiful decor!!!!
Wow, this place looks far nicer than many of the hostels I’ve stayed in in my time…and some of the hotels come to that! Good luck to the Staysafe…
That looks beautiful.
The prices you mention are absolutely OK for London, especially given E&C’s good transport links to everywhere. (And with E&C being London’s most depressing area, you want to get away quickly.)
Wow. I’ve never seen a hostel like that!