Safestay London Elephant & Castle - Hostel

Let's start with the good things. Reception staff friendly, checked in early and was allowed to leave luggage in the hotel while we went to the city The station is very close and also buses will take you into the city. The beds all had privacy curtains in our 4 bed dorm just across from the bathrooms and good showers. WiFi is free and was good. Lockers under the bed are big and was able to buy a lock at reception. The rooms were warm during our stay. The English girl with the glasses at reception was very helpful the next morning, Thank You :) The tall blonde french guy at breakfast on the other hand was not. He was arrogant towards the staff and was very disorganised. Running out of croissants, cheese and orange juice several times and having to wait up to 10 minutes for more. There was good choice at the breakfast and it was tasty, but the attitude from the Blonde manager guy just made me angry. It's not fair to rate down Safestay just because of one ignorant staff member as I was still very happy overall with my stay.

Stayed here for two nights. Basic WiFi was free but didn’t work. You could pay to upgrade for “faster/better speed.” Bunks had nice curtains for privacy and the room my friends and I were in had an ensuite bathroom. Shower rooms were weird because there were no hooks and no curtain (private room though) with a sink in the room as well. Just no place to have your clothes and towel in the shower room without them getting splashed. Cages under some of the bunks could not be utilized due to columns in the middle of the room and there were no assigned cages so my friends and I were left with either cages under someone else’s bed or none at all. Continental breakfast was £4 if bought in advance and was decent. Good happy hour specials at the bar but the bartenders didn’t understand local currency, so make sure you count your change. Able to store luggage after checking out (free) and laundry facilities on site (paid). Only a 5 min walk to the tube. Also, overheard some overbooking errors while we waited in line to get our keys reset since they stopped working halfway through our stay and course in the middle of the night. Overall, it was okay but not my favorite hostel stay by far.

I showed up a day late because I didn't realize it would be the next day by the time I arrived. They shuffled things around a bit and found a room for me. All the beds had privacy curtains around them. Each bed came with a roll-away cage with more than enough room for my bag. (Bring your own lock, though; or you can buy one for fairly cheap.) The staff was always friendly and courteous. The lounge downstairs was nice, although the continental breakfast was mostly baked goods and cereal, whereas I was hoping for some sausages and/or bacon and some eggs. Still, I would definitely stay there again. The price was pretty reasonable, too.

Comfortable 4 bed dorm just across the hall from the bathrooms which were clean with a good shower. I really liked the privacy curtains and reading light, nice extra touch. The guy on the reception was very friendly when I was checking in. I didn't have breakfast but the bar area was cool in the evening.

I stayed in this hostel only for one night in an 8-person room. It was really great to have a bit of privacy with the bunk curtains, also the ensuite toilet and shower were nice. Everything was clean as well. Unfortunately the shower did not have any kind of curtain on its own, so anything brought to the bathroom got wet, which is quite impractical. Also there were only a few power outlets, unreachable from the upper bunks. However, given the price, it is tolerable. The hostel's location is very good, right in front of a bus stop, and a couple of minutes away walking from the underground station. I also had a pre-ordered lunch at the hostel, since I traveled with a large group. All I can say is "DONT". The food didn't have any taste, and the desserts were obviously freshly defrosten / still frozen. I did not expect too much for the price but it was still disappointing to be served cheesecake from a small plastic cup. On the other hand, the breakfast was very good, with a large variety of options. The staff was also very nice and friendly, although there were some things that were lost in translation, as some of them weren't really proficient in English, which lead to miscommunication. Overall, it is a good place to stay for a night or two, and to have breakfast at.

Stayed in an 8 person room, our roommates STUNK and we had a very rude old lady (which made for great stories telling friends at home), not the greatest stay, liked how the beds had curtains to cover you from other people, fantastic that the rooms had a shower and bathroom conjoined in it. Elevator was broken so we had to lug our suitcases up flights of stairs which we weren't a fan of. The lounge on the main floor had a weird variety of people, seemed like a hangout spot for local londoners? Satisfying experience, but probably wouldn't stay here again. Rooms weren't spacious at all and showers were extremely small.

Last stayed here 6 months again and decided to stay again after my fantastic stay the last time. This time I managed to get a 6 bed dorm with an ensuite bathroom. Once again, everything clean. The dorm room, the bathroom, the separate toilet, the lounge area, the reception, the hotel, everything is clean. Each bed comes with a locker and you'll need a padlock. I think the reception also sells padlocks along with toiletries. The beds are really sturdy and I was never woken by my room/bunk mates despite the dorm being full for the 3 nights I stayed. The laundry room contain several washing machines and dryers and I never had to wait to use it. Again the WiFi is strangely always slow at night. Otherwise works perfectly well at other times of the day. During this stayed I did have the breakfast which is £4 if purchased in advance or £5 if purchased on the day. Reasonable value for money considering there's tea/coffee/juice, parties, yogurt and toast available, and all you can eat as far I could tell. Keep up the high standards!

London is expensive, we get it! My friend and I were lucky enough to stay in a decently priced place very close to transportation, food, and pubs. It's close to the underground and overground stops at Elephant and Castle. We stayed in a 4-bed co-ed and we got lucky with the people who stayed there with us. They have rolling cages under the bed for valuables, you can bring your own lock or buy one at the hostel for pretty cheap! There is a basement area for hanging out, we got breakfast for three days and it was great for the price! The people at the front were extremely nice and knowledgable! I would stay here again!

Was forced to stay for 4 nights due to the bad weather and flight cancellations. When making the reservation on the fly was blind sighted in assuming this is a real hostel. Pros: - Beds are clean and comfortable. - 2 bed bunks with sturdy metal construction and thick curtains that provide privacy. - Shout out to Rose in the breakfast area, the black gentleman who helps Rose in the breakfast area and also takes care of housekeeping and Sam at the front desk. The only staff with hope in an otherwise very poorly run organization. Cons: - NO FOOD allowed in the entire facility. Only exception is the paid breakfast served in the basement. That's right. You can only sleep and shower. No fridge, no microwaves, no common kitchen, not allowed to bring takeout food to relax and eat after work. NO FOOD PERIOD! - No hand soap in the toilets in the room. That's right! Not sure if there is any health code/inspection in London but this is the reality. - Tiny shower and a tiny toilet exists in each room of 6 to 8 beds. The shower is super tight with no room to change in the shower. You cannot even hang your clothes on the tiny hanger as the shower is directly in front and will drench all your clothes and towel. No lock in the shower. - Door to the room was broken meaning anyone could enter and leave anytime. Despite several requests as this was a mixed room with a young woman in the room, the door was not fixed or even inspected during the 4-day stay. - All toilets and showers including the common ones outside the room are cleaned only once every 24 hours. After a few hours the common toilets get so disgustingly dirty that you cannot even enter leave along use them. - Housekeeping staff will only change the bed linen and sheets when people check out. Given the bad weather even when the floor was stained due to dirty footwear they would not even mob the floor even once during the entire 4-day stay. - One extremely rude lady works at the front desk. She will not even smile or look at you. Sits with a nasty unwelcoming and mean look. You will literally need to look the other way when entering and leaving to avoid your day from being ruined! - Staff at the front desk are clueless! That is the most pleasant way of putting it. Most unhelpful and completely lost with no ability to either communicate clearly or be effective. - Do not make the mistake of ordering the 1/2 English breakfast 24-hours in advance. You will not be served the next day when you show up. If you represent your disappointment they will flatly indicate that it will be a 45 minute wait! - While just 5 mins walk to the Elephant and Castle tube station this is probably one of the worst run down and depressing areas in Central London. Lot of gentrification ongoing but currently in a bad state with very small run down establishments with no decent restaurants around (except for the Dragon Castle 2 mins from the property). Overall if you are looking for a place only to sleep in with no food or shower then go ahead. Else consider other options!