Saint James Backpackers

There is an atmosphere of community as people gather in the common areas, and I appreciated the free common breakfast. The price was competitive and the location comfortable. Cleanings in the bathrooms where not sufficient. Also, the moquette on the stairs was quite stinky. I had an unpleasant experience with people working at the reception. I forgot my document there and they were not collaborative at all with helping me having them back. It really seemed they did not care at all.

Garden, common area, kitchen are all wonderful. Staff is chilled and very friendly and helpful. Please lablel the plug/outlet the fridge is plugged in so people do not unplug it.

In a great location very close to Earls Court Tube station, shops, restaurants and grocery stores, St James Backpackers is easy to reach and a great base for exploring London. The breakfast is great and breakfast staff friendly and helpful: each guest gets one freshly cooked egg, some beans, toast, coffee, tea and juice. The workout area in the back courtyard has free weights and a pull-up bar which is great in most types of non-rainy weather. It was a heat wave when I was at St James, but I still managed to do some pull-ups and bench presses. They also had a friendly old kitty cat I spent some time petting. Ugh, that sudden Key Deposit that requires Pounds Sterling CASH ONLY. Why? The main guy at the Reception was a miserable jobsworth who seemed deliberately unhelpful. He was training a friendly young guy the night I checked in and overruled every friendly or helpful word and suggestion his trainee uttered. That main guy insisted I go to an ATM (it was after 11:30 pm when I arrived to check in) and get him British Pounds for the Key Deposit. Why? they are just going to give it back to me. It could be any currency. He also would not store my fresh liter of milk, saying the kitchen was locked because my pointless trip to the ATM made me late to lock my milk in the fridge. But there is another fridge right there where he sits, where he could have let me store my labeled liter of milk. He refused, saying the morning staff would not want to deal with it. Just then, as I pleaded with him, two resident women who work as morning staff arrived, and I asked them, is it ok to store my milk in that fridge right there, since the kitchen is locked til 6am? They said, sure, and the bossy jobsworth guy overruled them. I have stayed in hostels for 30 years and I have NEVER been so offended and poorly treated by a check-in guy. He even dragged out the old "if i store your milk for you, I could lose my job!" and "if I do it for you, I have to do it for everyone." What 'everyone'? i was the last one to check in, and only missed the kitchen fridge because he insisted he couldn't take 20 Euros or 20 dollars for a deposit just for one night. ? I hope he doesn't work there anymore, because the facility and ALL other staff members are very nice, helpful and accommodating. Oh, and St James needs to buy some electric fans. My room was way up in the roof, and it was burning hot in there with no way to keep the window open (i had to prop the sash up with the dust broom from the hallway). The front desk people have a fan, but no rooms have one.

Very poor

The central location and ease for tubes and amenities The staff were exceptionally friendly Beds were uncomfortable but I did sleep well

Loved the location. Loved that they had a female only bathroom. The other participants were also lovely. The room was clean and had a tv as well. The breakfast was also okay The venue advertised all you can eat pancakes, but they’re limited to 2 per person - no problem with it, but the venue should update this so as to not mislead people.

Location. Too many levels and narrow stairs. The bathrooms are not in the same level as the bedrooms. Staff, including volunteers not as helpful. Building needs some renovations.

Pleasant

Location Toxic, dirty environment. Cleaners are volunteers who live for free! Staffed by volunteers and staff who have nowhere else to live. Tosh is rude and discriminatory. The workers smoke weed all day. Disgraceful. The owner just takes the money and drives his Porsche around like a prince.

Cheaper than many hostels in central London Dirty bedsheets, no curtains on bed, dirt toilets, gross roommates who seem to live there. Way to hot no fans or aircon

Location Breakfast could have been better organized.

The bathroom was always dirty, zero privacy, uncomfortable, the price is to high for what they offer

Good

Exceptional

The hostel had a little improvised library that you could borrow books from. The reception was open 24 hours. During my one week stay I had several problems, all including some kind of mistake with the computer. First my reservation wasn't in their programme eventhough I booked and paid through Booking. Then they moved me from the all female room because of some renovation works to a mixed room. Then 2 days later told me it was the wrong room and moved me again to another room but moved my stuff while I was away. There was a quiet time after 11 but the doors don't have knobs so everytime someone entered or left the doors would slam. The breakfast was advertised as buffet but the only buffet thing are cereals while the cooked food (sunny side up egg, beans, sausage and pancakes) are served by the staff and there was a rule of one egg per person. The bathrooms were wet all the time and the soap dispenser and hand dryers were broken. The facilities in the rooms were sometimes ok, and sometimes not. Some rooms had shelf, other not. The safes had holes. The power outlets were broken or not strong enough, my charger couldn't charge my phone during the night. The garden furniture is outdated. So, if you're staying one or two days it's fine. But for a longer stay pick some other hostel because this one is not comfortable at all.

Exceptional

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at this hostel. It is conveniently located near the underground, and there are shops nearby. The room was clean, and my roommates were quiet and polite. The only thing missing in the room was individual lighting for each bed. There is only one main light for the entire room, which is quite inconvenient - especially during late-night check-ins, as it disturbs other guests who are already sleeping.

Location, building, common places girls from the reception were super cute. Specially the girl from Sicilia There were so many volunteers, the hostel was like a “Big brother tv show” everyone living in the hotel made the guest feel like un-welcomed. They were not super clean as well, that was a bit weird.

Staff are Approachable No Ceiling fan inside the Rooms .

Passable