12/16/2018: Augh~I'm washing and drying my clothes my last day at Safestay: £3.50 for washing and £1.50 for drying . . . Using the washer, dryer, iron, ironing board: ESSENTIAL necessities. It took about two hours completing my laundry task. I go to my ensuite . . . Strange~The sink inside the ensuite toilet began festering, bubbling gunk-YUCK! I went downstairs to the Concierge alerting the plumbing issue . . . A couple hours later, Safestay's Maintenance Personnel unclogs the sink and cleans both toilet and shower ensuites. Recapitulating: I checked in on December 3, 2018, slept off and on in a zombie state two days in a row . . . Jet lag really tweaked my circadian rhythm into an overdrive, survival mode . . . IT'S MANDATORY TAKING A PIC OF THE ELEPHANT & CASTLE'S STATUE, i.e., LANDMARK or you'll find yourself at London Road & the Newington Causeway's Elephant & Castle's Tube Station which IS 1/2-mile away from Walworth Road heading towards Safestay, and my gratuitous bumbling around London leaving vital information how to get around riding the Red Double-Decker Buses from Safestay to all points throughout. Please read my review of London FYI. Regarding Safestay's conveniently reliable transportation, the Buses are to the right and left of the Safestay's location which is far more convenient THAN RIDING the Tube: I find it an egregious hassle paying for one Tube station then, paying AGAIN tranferring to another station . . . Hop on and hop off the bus, traveling directly to your destination without being subjected climbing a PLETHORA of staircases, i.e., Elephant & Castle's PLETHORA OF STAIRCASES with NO escalators or "lifts" via attempting arriving at a Tube's platform exiting the station! TIP: Leaving Heathrow Airport-ride the Heathrow Express Train to Paddington-buy R/T ticket=Less expensive, Find the Bus # 205-Paddington heading towards Primrose Street, hop on the BUS # 35 heading towards Clapham Junction, get off Bus #35 at Larcom Street, cross street, Safestay is directly to your right of the traffic crosswalk. Returning to Heathrow Airport, hop on the Bus #35 to SHORDITCH transfer to the Bus #205 to Paddington via Primrose Street: BUY YOUR MEALS ACROSS THE STREET AT SPITALFIELDS MARKET-Get coffee and buy two meals, get off Bus at Paddington, go to Heathrow Express Train to Heathrow Airport. Safestay amenities: Reserve the ensuite four-beds-it's worth EVERY penny spent; sadly, there's no kitchen, no refrigerator, no kitchen sink, no stove usage-period=Disappointing but, definitely not a deal breaker. Room was relatively quiet with the exception of the occasional Emergency Vehicles blaring and roommates slinking into their bunks. Dining area/bar: EXPENSIVE, i.e., egregiously charging £1.50 for a can of soda while at Aobaba charges £.90; breakfast costs £5.00 filling up on possibly a hard-boiled egg and bland starches: Better go to Amore Cafe down the street, i.e., substantially serving a FAR more satisfying, filling breakfast for £5.80 includes, freshly-made, cafe mocha coffee! General Manager, Jose Huet is a very cool Dude, indeed . . . Provide Jose suggestions improving Safestay . . . Suggestion to Jose Huet: I know you need a seller's permit selling more than what's available at the Concierge . . . Still, it would be nice if, at least, have inside via Safestay's Concierge Foyer Lobby area where people may use a hot water kettle: Where Safestay would supply 24-hours of hot coffee, tea, cup of Ramen Noodles, chips, candy, snacks, and fruit selling at competitive price-points to the comparable businesses selling the same products around Walworth Road and especially, when the dining/bar area closes for the night. Furthermore and since, there are no kitchen/no refrigerator access, and especially, people are not allowed eating inside the dining area with food purchased outside of Safestay and can't eat inside the ensuite rooms are considerably, incorrigibly, disappointing rules: Where are people supposed to eat their meals or leftover meals? Overall, the room where I stayed with the ensuites toilet & shower are cleaned daily, garbage bins emptied, ensuite bed linens are changed as soon as the person checks out, floors are swept, mopped, and vacuumed; however, no towels, laundry detergent, and toiletries are supplied. Despite the fact, I folded over three dozen Safestay's purple towels left in the dryers, I wonder why there are no Safestay towels located in the ensuite four-bed rentals for usage? Regardless, IMHO, Safestay's property is number one for room reservations + low costs, transportation, cleanliness, Safestay's Staff are awesomely congenial, and location, location, location, i.e., close to awesome restaurants, Barclays Bank, beauty salons, nail salons, tailors, dry cleaners, grocery stores, etc.! read more

See all

Loved my stay here and would highly recommend again! Of the hostels and hotels that I have stayed in London, I would certainly consider this to be one of the best for those on a budget in terms of quality, value, and comfort. I booked our stay on Hostelworld for a great deal and was glad that they had check-in as early as 2:00pm with luggage storage should you happen to arrive earlier than when the room is prepared. Check out is, however, an hour earlier than most at 10:00 am so just be wary of that. Getting to the hostel is fairly simple and the closest metro stop will definitely be Elephant & Castle but you can also try off at Kensington depending on where you're coming from. It is about a 5 minute walk from the metro stop so if you have a bit of luggage with you just be prepared to walk under a few bridges and through a bit of the city. Now anyone looking to get the full experience of backpacking in Europe will tell you to book a room with other travelers in a shared suite but I DO NOT recommend that whatsoever. In all of my experiences traveling, you will always be able to meet people in the common area and lobby but there is nothing quite like having your own privacy so definitely book a private room. My boyfriend and I opted for the twin-size bunk bed room with an en-suite bathroom and were fortunate enough to have a room at the end of the hallway and in the corner for lots of privacy. This ran us at $96 on a Saturday night which is still cheaper than most places, so the value is definitely there! Despite how old the city is, Safestay seems to be modern and updated so it doesn't look dilapidated like most of your budget hostels, which I definitely appreciate. The front desk is also super friendly which is always nice and there are a lot of tour recommendations you can ask them for as well. There are a few things you can rent like towels, chargers, etc. if you need it but WiFi is included both in the common area and in your own room. Overall, this is definitely a great contender for those looking for a great night's sleep. Just keep in mind that it is a little off the beaten path so if you want something more centrally located then this may not be the place for you. (16/100 -- 2019) read more

This is my fourth trip to London and my first time staying with the Safestay brand of hostels (though I've stayed in many hostels before). I stayed for 3 nights in room 321, which is a 4 bed mixed dorm, with an en suite bathroom. I paid £48 for three night stay (during the week). - Location is fantastic. There's lots of restaurants and shops nearby. The Elephant and Castle Train station and Tube Station is a short walk away. Bus stop right with several bus routes, including night and 24 hour routes. - The beds were quite nice for hostel beds. Pretty comfortable. The privacy curtains around the beds, were a great touch. Each bed also has a reading lamp. - The shower is in a separate room from the toilet/sink, which is great. If someone needs to use the toilet and someone else needs the shower then there's no waiting. The lights for both rooms are motion sensor, which means no fumbling to find a light switch in the dark. - One thing I don't understand. There's a soap/shampoo dispenser in the shower room. That's great...totally appreciate that. But there's no soap dispenser in the toilet, by the sink. There's also no hand dryer or towel rack (to hang your hand towel) by the sink either. - They have those sliding cages under the bed for locker storage. - There's free Wifi, but it can be a bit spotty. There are plugs in the room, but they're on the ground level. If you're in top bunk you'll have to climb down to plug in your devices. - Free luggage storage. - There's a computer room. They also have a dining room with breakfast and lunch and dinner options (as well as drinks). I didn't make use of these, but it's nice to have. - Some of the staff seemed pretty indifferent. All in all it was a nice hostel. If you want to be in a good location for a decent price this is a nice option. read more

Do not stay here if you want to sleep. There were groups of teenagers (middle school) running around and screaming into all hours of the night and early in the morning. I got zero sleep while here. I will say the hotel is clean and the shower is quite nice. However, the WiFi doesn't reach many of the rooms in the corners of the building. read more

It's a hostel, so you get what you pay for. The staff is friendly enough, but the beds are rather uncomfortable. The constant stream of obnoxious music is what most bothered me about my stay. Also, don't get the breakfast. It's over priced and not very good. Go just down the block to Cafe House and get a better meal for less money! read more

A hostel that's like a hotel, with strict house rules. Great for groups, solo travellers, and those in need of a short term place to stay. I stayed in two different types of room, a six bunk dormitory with shared bathroom, and an eight bunk dormitory with ensuite. Rooms are spacious, and generally well maintained. Bunk beds had privacy curtains and purple bedding (the main colours in all rooms). The shared toilet and shower facilities on the second floor have a quirk where the light turns off automatically by sensor. Plunging you into darkness on the loo, or mid shower. Leaving you flapping your hands towards the door to turn them back on. Toilets & Shower rooms where generally clean, and felt looked after. When issues like showers needing cleaned or running out of toilet roll happened, I found staff slow to respond despite being informed. The lobby includes an Internet cafe & library area (very few books, but lots of local visitors info) also a high desk area great for working, with a power point at each seat. The lower ground floor consists of laundry room (coin operated) & a public lounge with lisensed bar. The lounge has ample space and a terrace that will be great in summer. The hostel does not allow external food or beverages in the lounge at any time. Breakfast is a cheap £4.00 continental offering available from 7am to 9am daily. Over the course of a few weeks I found the quality varied greatly. (Frozen croissants one morning, no unsweetened cereals or yogurts on another.). The service team where rather unhelpful, and reserved. The hostel staff are led by a very calm and responsive manager. He was very helpful. The diverse team are generally happy to help, though I found conflicting information offered by team, depending on who you spoke to. This includes prices quoted for rooms, promotions, and room allocations. Despite advertising and marketing materials onsite and staff promises you'll often find cheaper prices at Booking.com or similar than the hostel website. There's a strict 10am checkout time. Luggage storage available for free. There are no external food or drinks permitted in the hostel, and no self catering facilities. I will be returning to Safestay in near future, it's still my hostel of choice due to its location. To earn those those two missing review stars the team need to be proactive and offer a genuinely warm welcome at all times. Respond to requests promptly, taking ownership of the issues. Breakfast quality needs to be improved, ensuring the selection available is fresh, well stocked, and consistent. Tip: bring your own towel or have £7 cash available on check in for one. (£5 deposit and £2.00 return) or nip across the road to the 99p store where there's usually some in stock. read more

We only stayed for one night. The place itself is very cute and colorful. The room we got was spacious and all purple. They offer wifi and food, as well as games and a cool lounge. Given that we only stayed one night, maybe it could have turned better if we stayed another. Unfortunately we did not since we left London the following day. My stay was very unpleasant. My friend took a shower first and the toilet lights would shut off automatically and so she had to call me to turn the sensor back on. When I showered, the sensor shut the light off, leaving me in the darkness, which I hate. It happened to me twice and the sensor shut off before it hit ONE MINUTE. Who even takes a one minute shower? Especially when one has to wash their hair. Our toilet also did not have soap for the sink. The sink also was clogged when we first arrived so before we left on our excursions, we notified the front desk. When we got back the soap box was still empty and sink was NOT fixed at all so we notified again and a lady followed us to our rooms to try to open the sink which was a struggle!! They were not super friendly about wanting to solve our toile issues. They were sassy about it. Unsure if I'd make a return to this safestay, but I might because of its location. Improvements would help a lot for better service. read more

This is a brilliant hostel, and I say this as a person who is objectively too old for hostels. It is incredibly clean and the rooms are really well-designed: each bed has curtains around it (to block out light when you go to bed) as well as an outlet and a reading lamp. Unlike other Safestays, this one is quite large with lots of common space. Two downsides are that the location is a little out of the way and the wifi only works in the basement. Also, it seems popular with school trips, so prepare for throngs of teenagers. If you're looking to stay in London for more than a couple days and don't plan to spend much time in your room, this is a great option to save some money. read more

This was the first of many hostel stays I'd visited (January 2013) throughout Europe and it was a wonderful introduction to that backpacking travel style. The décor is simply beautiful and everything's very clean, which is something that's always a toss up with hostels. I loved that there were numerous private bathrooms and curtains that covered each bed. That little bit of privacy made a tremendous difference! At just about a 5 minute walk from the metro stop, Elephant & Castle, transporting wherever you'd like is so convenient. Though this is a relatively short walk, I wouldn't suggest walking to and from the hostel by yourself at nighttime as it can feel somewhat sketchy. My friend and I came across a livid man who was punching anything that came in his path as he was having a heated debate with his girlfriend. Something like this most likely won't happen all that often, but there are spooky alleys along the way. On the flip side, the hostel also has some cool nearby restaurants and grocery stores. I loved the Vietnamese grocery shop for late night snacks and the Indian restaurant down the street towards the metro station. I also appreciated the complimentary breakfast at the already low hostel price. There's decent juice, milk, coffee, cereal, croissants, etc. If you want to experience the London nightlife with some of the other guests, there's an event guy (mine was an Italian man who was just the sweetest guy ever) for the hostel who leads a pub crawl - entrance to 3 pubs and complimentary drinks throughout the bustling city for £10. You'll ride on the big red bus that stops right in front of the Safestay. It's a nice change of scenery from the metro ride because you'll be able to see things like the London Eye and Big Ben with the nighttime perspective! I absolutely adored that! Like other stated reviews, the WiFi only works in the basement, but that can be a good thing because it encourages you to meet other travelers down there. Overall, I'd highly recommend this place and would come back in a heartbeat! read more

Pros: -Good location. It's not right next to the sites but it's a short walk to everything and there are a lot of buses and trains. -Friendly staff for the most part. Some of them cannot be bothered and have an attitude when you ask them anything but the majority are friendly and accommodating. -Very clean. It's probably the cleanest hostel I have ever stayed in. -Privacy, I love love love how each bed is surrounded by curtains. This really made a huge difference. -Good for all ages. This was the first hostel I've been too that really was accommodating to all ages. Usually hostels are geared toward a younger, more party crazy crowd, however there were groups, families, and older couples that stayed there (age range I saw from about 10-60 years old). And it wasn't crazy loud. -The bar is great, especially the 20% off happy hour. London can be pretty pricey but you can grab a quick bite or drink at the bar for way cheaper. They also have many TVs available and a game area. Cons: -Their WiFi is AWFUL! Oh my lord the WiFi was so bad, even when sitting in the lobby it would randomly log me off and have me re-enter the password. The connection was worse in my room, the one place I want to use it the most. Trying to get a simple message to send was infuriating. You'd think with the amount of people they hold they would have lightening speed connection. -It is kind of confusing to find. That's not so much their fault, the roads can be a bit confusing to navigate at first. It's also kind of far from the airports, which is also not their fault but it would be nice if they offered a shuttle for an added fee. All in all, despite a few minor flaws I would definitely recommend this hostel. It's more like a quality low budget hotel, especially if you go in a group and book an entire room. Staying in London can be very pricey but this one was top notch for the price. read more

Wonderful hostel! Missing a star because there is no air conditioning. It got hot early so I gave up trying to blow dry my hair or wear makeup during my stay. However after a cool shower and settling into bed I had no problem with the heat. We opened the windows at night and it got quite cool. Overall I loved my stay here. The beds and rooms are comfortable enough and clean. I felt very safe here because you need to have a key card to get inside the hostel and then again to get in the wing of rooms you're staying in, and then again to get in your room, so that's three layers of security. Also, I loved the breakfast offered. Before staying here I was in Paris and sick and tired of croissants (is that even possible??) anyway, I was seriously missing protein, specifically eggs for breakfast and Safestay offered hard boiled eggs along with croissants and fresh fruit. Also, this place is easy to find, about a block or two from the Elephant & Castle Tube station. I can't wait to come back to London and would love to stay here again. read more

See all

My son and I stayed here, and it was horrible. The hostel had no AC and they put us in a room near their heating equipment. It was nearly 90 degrees in the room and you couldn't even open the window more than a few inches. Horrible stay. read more

This is a nice place, very modern inside and kinda funky. I wouldn't come here to meet fellow young people though, the lounge room is pretty much empty excepting a few families, groups of (very noisy) tweens, and older adults. Not many people around 18-25. The breakfast is over priced and the beds are incredibly squeaky, so you are easily awakened by anyone else in your room moving just slightly. I wouldn't really recommend this place but I haven't had any huge issues so I'll keep it at 3 stars. I just really wanted a more social hostel as I'm a solo traveler and want to meet new people. read more

place is really nice, but the floor layout is really odd and you will get lost. there is no Air Conditioning so prepare yourself for a really hot room. The wifi is only applicable in the basement level, and its open till 10 or 11pm. people that stay here bring a really good vibe, even employees. read more