| Hotel Rating: |   | | Satisfaction: |    | | Reviews: 20 | Photos: 16 | | 12 Sherwood Street Piccadilly Circus |
 | London Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel Reviews | 1 - 10 of 20 |  |
 |
|
 |
 | Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel: Dirty - Not Secure - Greedy and Rude - Stay Away!
|  |
 |
|
 |
I've stayed in Generator Hostel twice in London and, although dodgy and not particularly clean or quiet, it was miles better than this rat hole.
I book two nights, check-in early, the room has 4 beds, is a complete mess stuff thrown all over, there is nobody there, I go to sleep. In the middle of the night a bunch of guys, drunk and loud enter the room, switch on the light and one of them is making a fuss about me sleeping in his bed. He realises I'm a girl, he claims this is a guys room and I can hear his friends in the background suggesting that he should sleep with me (not in these nice words). But my key was working. And his too. The guy kindly leaves me in peace and goes to the reception, I go back to sleep. Next day the reception, different guys than the ones in the night shift, have no record of anybody complaining about double-booking a bed. They say to me "we don't double-book beds here", right, if you say so... What about the security check downstairs, everyone should either present their keys or provide a reference to a valid reservation, in your site you claim this is a secure place (see FAQ, I've actually checked it before going). "This is not our responsibility, this is why we have 24hours reception to report any problems anytime", yeah, after they happen, there is 24hours police to report thank you very much. Well, whatever, I want to check-out and I want a refund for the second night. We argue for 10 minutes, people is waiting patiently in the long queue, because the reception guy refuses to pay me back my lousy 18 pounds for a night I won't occupy the room, after the horrible incident the hostel _is_ responsible for. I don't get my money back and I leave furious.
I've stayed in lots of strange places, I've spent nights outdoors fearing for what might happen to me, but paying not to stay and to be treated like sh** it's my first. I'm not suggesting that anybody who goes there will have my experience. Consider thought the possibility, and how you want to be treated if...
|
 | |  |
|
|
|
| Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel: Worlds worst. Period.
| |
|
|
|
I will not even describe my embarasing eperience with staying at this place; the cleanliness(not) and politeness(neither) of its stuff and management. It is simply so bad that if I start writing negative comments the list will be so long that I will probably earn them sympathy points and I'll lose credibility and will no be believed... yes, so bad and so many of them.
Just two words my friends: STAY AWAY. The worst place I ever stayed in and the worst treatment and service I received.
There are so many more choices in London, including as mentioned in this site, that are classes up from this disaster of a place to stay. And money saved can't buy the bad aftertaste having stayed there, I listened to others that traded quality for its location and I much regret it now. I would have been better off staying the end of the tube line in a decent place, although I am pretty sure there are bargains around including in other central locations. You have been warned...
Ideal place for masochists that want to catch a disease, have cold showers, being awaken at random intervals at night for wrong reasons or without any, getting robbed, enjoy being treated badly, etc.
|
| | |
|
|
|
| Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel: definitely bitter sweet.
| |
|
|
|
I think that the location of this hostel is spectacular! Definitely easy to find when getting off the underground from the airport or wherever.. and close to some great shopping. I thought that the front desk people were incredibly friendly, and certainly happy to help as best they could.. but there were certainly some downfalls. We were on the seventh floor, and the "lift" was broken.. yay. and then our sink was plugged the whole time.. so we couldnt even use it, and it started to smell. the beds were soooo uncomfortable, the room was hot, and the window wouldnt open! there was no hot water.. they said there wouldnt be any between 8 and 10, so we tried various times of the day and night, and there was never any luck. the showers were pretty nasty as well.. mostly due to people not cleaning up after themselves. the breakfast was okay, but the juice was nasty! on our last day there, the lift was suddenly fixed.. so we tried it, and i swear we almost died. definitely one of the scariest experiences of my life. the second we got to our floor, we ran off and never tried it again. the exercise on the stairs was well worth avoiding that death trap. the internet cafe was also down, so we had to head a few blocks away to get online. not so bad, but it was inconvenient. all in all, i thought the people were nice, but the place kind of sucked. i think i'd do it again if i wanted some crazy adventure.. and i was less bitter at the time because i had just been in Africa.. but for a nice holiday, i wouldnt pick piccadilly backpackers.
|
| | |
|
|
|
| Piccadilly Backpackers Hostel: Is location worth shoddy accomodation?
| |
|
|
|
Is location worth shoddy accommodation? That's the question I asked myself after my week-long stay at Piccadilly Backpackers.
I arrived in London with classmates on a study trip with about half of the student group also staying at this hostel. We found it easily; the directions are crystal-clear. Usually, when you hear "centrally located" or the place takes the namesake of an area, it's an exaggeration; however, this was the real deal. This hostel is literally located just steps from Piccadilly Circus.
Booking is a hassle here. It was difficult getting rooms with or near my classmates. I recommend booking early if you want a group discount, or booking reservations together if you are too late for that.
The place is generally dirty. Most rooms are quite shabby and not so comfortable. The only really positive thing about the rooms I stayed in was that there was a sink in each one.
The staff is generally very nice and helpful. There were a handful (maybe four or five) people on the staff who seemed generally concerned about the guests and did everything they could to help.
Regarding the Internet café: not a great deal. It's cheaper than most places, but the computers are not well-regulated and thus unreliable. There were more than two occasions in which I had to go to the desk and request a replacement card for the computer freezing up.
That's another thing about the Internet usage here: the cards. They mark what time they sell you the card on the back, so if you wait until later to use it and then it doesn't work, going back and trying to get it replaced can be dependent upon who you're talking to. It costs 80 pence for 20 minutes (not really that bad, under 2 USD) or Ł1.50 for an hour. You can't log off and save time if you don't use all the time; you have to use it continuously. I would suggest instead checking mail at an Apple Store instead!
Shower late at night; there is no warm water in the mornings, and they warn you that there might not be from 8:00-10:00 in the morning. They're right.
You are literally steps from Piccadilly Circus if you stay at this hostel. It's got a great location and there are some great Indian and Chinese restaurants just around the corner towards Soho. Theme: HostelPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averagePhone: +44 (0)207 434 9009Directions: From the underground: take exit 1 onto Glasshouse Street. You'll find yourself at a Burger King. Go left and past the (expensive) donut place (not worth eating there, by the way), and continue along that street, past a theatre, and you're there.Website: http://www.piccadillybackpackers.com Other Contact: Skype: piccadillybackpackers
|
| | |
 | 1 | 2 |  |
|
|
