This was my first visit to Astor Kensington Hostel. I stayed at Palmers Lodge last time I was here and while it wasn't the Ritz, it was manageable. This hostel? Awful! I will say the service was exceptional and the person who checked me in was standout, went above and beyond. However, that 24 hr laundry? Eh no. 1 washer and 1 dryer and a Que to use it. Bought on of the laundry soaps from the desk and it turned my white socks purple. I had a 4 person, female dorm and around 11:35pm, after being in my bed for over an hour, I started coughing probably because I was sweating, and couldn't sleep. My roommates kept the light on and kept chatting well after 11pm. It was awful. Ended up walking down the street to the Comfort Inn. read more

Charming though basic room, helpful staff. Just be warned that you might be on the fifth floor with no lift--so a bit of exercise with heavy suitcases. Breakfast (cereal, juice, coffee/tea, toast) available for 3.50. Would definitely stay here again. read more

The location of the hostel is right by everything, and you can easily hop the tube to get around London quickly. There is a decent selection of food right outside the steps if you hungry and don't want to go far. The dorm rooms are quite comfortable and safe, and the only complaint where the flat pillows & the bathrooms smelling like old cats... but the shower room was fine. I stayed in a 6 female dorm room, and everyone is very friendly. I love the fact its not for families and only ages 18-35. You get to meet other young travelers and make new international friends. read more

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The Astor Queensway is a good hostel with a nice location. Situated two blocks from Kensington Gardens, it's a good walk to the museums nearby (science, natural history and Victoria & Albert) and a longer walk (but manageable) to Victoria station. Buckingham palace isn't too far away either and most other attractions are easily reached by bus or tube. I stayed in a mixed four-bed dorm which was plenty spacious and quite clean. There are lockers underneath the bed for securing your belongings while out and about (bring your own lock and pay a deposit to rent one). Towels are provided by the staff, and there is generally one bathroom/shower per floor, so if the one closest to you is occupied you can usually ascend a story or two to find one that's unoccupied. The free breakfast they provide is light and simple, often consisting of cereal/muesli, toast/pastries, and coffee/tea/juice. You serve yourself and wash your own dishes. The kitchen has plenty of space to make your own meals and there are cabinets and cupboards to store your provisions, along with a refrigerator. Labels are provided to ensure that your food is not consumed by anyone else. The staff is friendly, charming and more than willing to answer any questions regarding the hostel itself, London, transportation, etc. I enjoyed my stay here, and I found the rates to be quite reasonable as well. Recommended for the budget traveler looking to meet interesting people and stay in a part of the city with a good history. read more

Astor Kensington - Front of the building - Hostels Near Me - London, XGL

I booked a room with ten other girls but I got a room with five other girls. That was fine but the room was very tiny. There was just enough room to store suitcase and sleep. Not enough to sit on the floor if all five of us was in there at the same time. I didn't care because I was never in the dorm. I only went home to sleep at night. I think the experience mingling with people from other countries is more than what I paid for alone. Just know what you are getting when you book a hostel. The room was clean and thats all I really could ask for. The bathroom/shower was also very small just letting you know. The receptionist was super nice and friendly! They have a good social schedule if you stay here. I didn't use it because I had my own schedule to follow. read more

Astor Kensington - View from my room - Hostels Near Me - London, XGL

The location is right by Hyde Park, super close to the Bayswater and Queensway tube stations (so Central, Circle and District lines). I had no trouble getting there or finding it, coming from London City Airport, and every day I was there I had no trouble getting around to where I needed to go. I like the feel of this hostel... kind of what you'd traditionally imagine a hostel to be like, maybe in some American comedy about backpacking through Europe. While cramped, their living room area is probably the best part of the hostel because it's where everyone congregates. They've got computers you can pay to use, and a TV full of movies and shows to watch. There seemed to be a lot of people who were living here temporarily, working in the area and paying by week or month instead of by day. That gave it kind of an everybody-knows-everybody-except-for-you vibe, but everyone was so nice there that I couldn't see you not finding someone to hang out with if you were looking for new single-serving friends. Especially 'cause they limit guests to the 18-35 age range... makes everybody sort of like-minded. You either leave the front your passport or a deposit of I believe 10 pounds for a towel and key. Bathrooms were small and individual; at least on my floor there was one room with a toilet and one room with a shower. I was impressed by breakfast: unlimited bread, jam, tea, cereal, etc. I think they limited you to one piece of cheese and ham so everybody could get some. The room I stayed in was a six-female bedroom, along with some partying Austrians who I never saw until they stumbled in the morning of checkout, and a Spaniard looking for an apartment so she could live there and practice her English (i.e., nice mix of people). Linens were clean, and I especially dug the under-bed cage drawers where you could lock your stuff while you were out. read more

I had an overall nice stay at this hostel despite some cons. It is located in nice and quiet area of London and also near 2 train stations so it is easy to get around. The beds are nice, but there is not much privacy. However, I did really enjoy having a shower and bathroom in the room we were staying in. One big con was that we were staying on the 4th floor and the wifi was so bad up there, sometimes it would even stop working. I do believe this is a nice place to meet people, they have a kitchen lounge area downstairs and even a lounge/comfy area when you walk in where you can chill and hang out with other people. They also have events planned every day for their guests (ex. movie night, ice skating at the museum, bar hopping). read more

My experience was great here. The second hostel I've ever stayed at! It definitely best my first one in Rome. Although it was missing some basics necessities for travelers, mostly related to the amount and location of their outlets, the staff more than made up for that. They were kind and helpful and very interested in us. I was actually able to use one of the girls phones to call an uber, nothing she was obligated to do. I would defiantly stay here again. Another positive of this experience was their communication. I emailed with someone at Astor many times before booking. They replied quickly and with useful information. They were also able to wave my late cancelation fee such I was very thankful for. During my visit I noticed a lot of their staff members going above and beyond. I especially noticed the workers from Brazil as being extra engaged and helpful. Only down side: no elevator , a big downside with someone with huge heavy luggage, but I think that's a common thing in old hostels. Also they had a guy bring the luggage up for us. read more

The hostel is in a good location, it's located next to two major subway lines. The people there were cool, no issues. For breakfest they have ceral and toast. The best draw to the place is the price. If I'm ever in london again I would probably go back. read more

I've stayed at another Astor in London (Astor Museum). The Quest wasn't a bad place to stay. It's a 5 story building. They had clean linens and clean rooms. The room that I stayed at was the 8 bed-room and it had its own bathroom. The only thing i would complain about is the bathroom in there was never cleaned the whole time I stayed in the room. Other than that it was a cool place to stay. The staff was nice and easy to get along. Breakfast was free every morning so that was cool even though not too many people took advantage of it... read more

Yeah! so glad to read these great reviews of this hostel. I stayed here - well, *ahem* some time ago and I had an awesome time here. I stayed actually for a few weeks when I first came to London and then moved into a flat in Shepard's Bush. You know, it was great then and from what I am reading it is still just the same. So glad to see that it has maintained it's good reputation. I actually stayed here because a friend had stayed and she had loved it, so world of mouth is everything. I would stay here again when I come back to London, except now I am over 35 ! But really, a solid reputation is built on good service and prices. It was an excellent place to start from and get to know the city. read more

Definitely a decent place to say if you are a backpacker on a budget. From an american perspective, this place is not bad, not great. I had a pretty good time there however. The only thing i didnt like was the top floor room which is what I had, it was about 6 flights of stairs or so to get up there. The bathrooms are kind of small, but hey this is a hostel, i couldnt ask for much. The smell also had a hint of oldness/cat pee in the bathroom. If you're a backpacker, you can get over that easily. The breakfast they provide to you for free is mediocre but sufficient. I would stay here again for sure. The common room was nice, with pay as you go internet and just a nice place to hang out for a big, comfy lounge'ish area with pillows, books and dvds to watch. read more

Amazing hostel in the city centre close to Hyde park and all other amenities! Clean, welcoming and lovely staff. Such a good atmosphere and you'll always meet people either down at the kitchen or in the common room. They do really good breakfast as well for only £1 which goes to charity. Highly recommend this hostel! read more

chill, fun hostel. the staff is hip and attentive to your needs, the place is clean, and it's pretty central. only thing is that you must be 18-35 to stay, so no families. read more

Love this hostel so much, I stayed at it twice. The staff there seems to almost be exclusively Australian, but as we know, Australians are EVERYWHERE when you travel. They were all awesome, and a lot of nights we would end up drinking with the staff once they got off work. One of the cheapest hostels I could find in London that was in a decent area near a tube stations, (Bayswater, Queensway) were only a block away. I had a great time, met a lot of great friends there and would definitely come back. The rooms are decent, bathrooms are small, but that's like that everywhere I suppose. The common TV room is nice as they have a large collection of movies on hard drive that you can watch, and there's usually people on there... Only thing I wish was that internet was free, and there was a bar or some place that served booze in the bar, but that said, the off licenses were rather close by. read more