St Paul’s YHA

Maybe coming from the United States has made me accustoned to decent customer service and adequate facilities, but regardless there should never be any disrespect nor negligence on the part of the host. That being said, this is the absolutely worst hostel I have ever stayed in. To start things off, I was unable to take a shower on my level because the light had gone out. I asked the staff and instead of simply changing the light bulb he told me to go upstairs. Going upstairs, my key card did not work and I returned to the lobby to gain access. He ‘programmed’ my card by typing some things into the computer and when I went back upstairs, my key card still did not work. I gave up on taking a shower. Breakfast was decent except for the horrendous service of the staff who gave me an attitude when I asked for a third round of food. I said good morning, thank you, please, and all sorts of customary politeness to which the African server only grunted (he got angry when I asked his name and yelled at me in front of all the guests in the kitchen). I asked to use the internet and paid to use the computer. Being adept in computer devices, I tried 3 browsers and could not access the basics of Facebook, Google Drive, etc. When I asked the staff for assistance they only said to try another computer, to which I proceeded to attempt the same thing with 3 other computers. The reason none of them worked is because the staff had failed to update the software. Checkout time is 10am which is completely ridiculous.
Find a hotel or a better hostel, this place makes no effort

Pro:
–Close to station of both Central and District Lines in Zone 1.
–Very friendly staff.
–Clean with TV in dining area
–cheap
Con:
–No WiFi inside the rooms.
–Hallway smells like pesticides :(
–Dorm rooms are pretty dated, it needs a renovation.
–the 3 bed bunk design is new/​strange but it works I guess…
–strange shower room…
Overall, for the price. It was acceptable.

Booked a stay for my last night in London after exploring the neighborhood around St. Paul’s. The exterior of this place is gorgeous on a sunny afternoon. A cool guy from India working the desk at night told me that the building originally housed the St. Paul’s boys choir. Although the place could have used some renovations and updates, it’s not the worst place to stay. However, there was a rat or mouse in the room tempted by some sweets a girl in the dorm left out. With that, and some rude fellow bunkmates, I did not get much sleep.

Okay, I know friends who refuse to stay in any sort of hostel after watching the movie (you know who you are…) but seriously, YHA St. Paul’s MADE my visit back in 2006… so much so that I had to move here two years later!
I’ve stayed in some shite hostels before, but this is by far the best. It has a beatiful double staircase going up to the bedrooms, it’s a clean very well decorated hostel… friendly without being scruffy, classy without being snobby. The hostel staff is also quite nice, as we arrived at about 3 am and were on American time, and so sat up with the dorrman and drank a beer :)
As far as the rooms, I was in the single-​gender dorm with 5 beds and met some really nice and cool people. Honourable mention goes to the Australian triathalon winner and the Italian girls who used me to work on their english and grill me about America (Don’t worry, I assured them that we hated our President at the time too :) Breakfast was free everyday, and you could get a lot of it! My friend and I ate a huge breakfast, grabbed extra fruit, yogurt and croissants, wrapped them up and had lunch cheap :)
The bathrooms weren’t great, but they weren’t the worst I’ve ever seen. They were clean, they were functional, they served their purpose. And the sink in each room helped, I never had to wait for a bathroom.
You really can’t get a better location for this… listening to the bells of the cathedral and strolling to Millenium bridge every morning just made me fall head over heels in love with London. It’s a safe area, and it’s quiet for when you’ve exhausted yourself from walking from the tower to pimlico and back. If you want a crazy party hostel, this won’t be for you, but for those wanting a clean, safe and quiet place to stay in the heart of London, I’m betting you’ll love this place as much as I did!

Cozy YHA in a nice location. Right by St. Paul’s Cathedral and across the Thames from the Tate Modern.
Convenient to the tube and many restaurants.
Seems like a very safe area as well at night.
Breakfast is included here, kind of like cafeteria style, but still a good deal.
Some of their beds are interesting, in these wooden frames up off the ground that you can put things in, like books you are reading, glasses, etc.
Would definitely stay here again… great price for cool location!