Chris Pearrow
Budget hotel in South London
The Hampton Court Palace is either a great budget hotel or a seedy dump, depending on your standards and what you’re looking for I suppose. Personally, if you’re looking for a cheap place to stay in downtown London and all of the more modern hostels are full (as was my case), it’s actually a pretty good option. It’s located less than a five minute walk from the Elephant & Castle Shopping Center and tube stop which, let’s be fair, is not an pretty or even interesting neighborhood. It is, however, quiet and only a 5-minute tube ride from all the major tourist attractions in downtown.
The building used to be a pub with a quaint hotel on top, but only the hotel remains open today. As you arrive, you begin preparing for the worst. A sullen man gives you your keys and you head up a creaky staircase down shabby-carpeted halls bathed in fluorescent lights. But, when you open the door, you find a clean, well-lit and pleasant, if old-fashioned, room with a comfy bed, impeccably clean linens and towels, a small television, and a bathroom with a large shower and tub. Again, it’s far from luxury but if you’re just looking for a place to shower and sleep, it’s pretty recommendable. It runs about 60£/night which is dirt cheap by London standards.
Again, you could probably find a youth-oriented hostel with good vibes in downtown for around the same price, but if not, you always have the trusty Hampton Court Palace to fall back on.
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