Worktowander

I'm looking for safe, cheap lodging recommendations for two young women who plan to head to London in late May.

They will be finishing their freshman year in college and plan to spend about two weeks in London. They need a safe, cheap place to stay with reasonable access to the Tube.

One girl's father is a co-worker and he asked for a recommendation - I'm well beyond that stage of travel, so...

Anyway, I've heard that college dorms are sometimes an option, and I'm wondering if an apartment makes financial sense. Obviously, money is a factor.

So, Fodorites, whatcha got? Any specific suggestions or direction to reliable booking site for this type of travel are welcome. Thanks in advance...

janisj

College accommodations are a great option - but not usually in May. Most colleges are don't offer vacation rentals until July, or even August for some schools.

What is their budget? There are some decent hostels in London but also some dreadful ones and sometimes a normal B&B hotel or a PriceLine bid will be nearly as cheap as a good London hostel.

Sheepie87

Hullo WTW,

I went to London rather last minute in November and stayed at the Clink Hostel. It was very quiet, actually, and it felt quite safe; however, it was a bit out of the way in the northern part of London. Nearest Tube is King's Cross. Clink is owned by the same people who do Ashlee House, also nearby. I would check those both out, otherwise just look for a B&B.

Also, I don't know if this is still true, but Clink didn't have any female-only rooms when I was there. That worried me a bit (it being my first time in a hostel and as a young female traveler too!) but it ended up I had all 3 roommates who were girls.

Hope they have fun!

jent103

I've stayed at two of the Astor hostels, both times in female-only rooms (they have female-only and non-gender-specific rooms). The Victoria location seemed a tiny bit nicer during my short stay, but the Bloomsbury (Museum Inn) location is fantastic (and the hostel is still totally fine). The rooms are small, so after two weeks might feel a bit cramped, but that depends on how much time they plan to be in there!

The main downside to either is the storage lockers - they're metal and under the bunk beds, and tend to creak. A lot. But both places were cleaned daily and had friendly staff. There's 24-hour reception, so always someone there. The Victoria location is between Pimlico and Victoria stations; the Museum Inn location is close to Holborn and Tottenham Court stations, and nearish Russell Square and Goodge Street. They have a few other locations, but I haven't stayed in any of them. Web site is astorhostels.com.

bilboburgler

yha yha.net famously safe and clean