Located just down the way from the Natural History Museum in the area of Hyde Park, this newest Astor hostel, opened mid-2008, is quite impressive. Built in one of the older buildings along Queens Gate, no expense has been spared to restore the original details, including numerous stained glass windows, woodwork and even the molded ceilings (which had to be hand molded to recreate the intricate design). The closest tube station is Gloucester Road and there are numerous busses to all areas of London.
Facilities include inexpensive laundry, free breakfast, a chill out lounge with a huge TV near the common kitchen and dining room, a front room with a pool table, internet and even a movie projector. Most rooms are en-suite and the twin and double rooms all come with flat screen TVs, tea and coffee. With 150 beds, there is enough space to offer weekly rates to those who require it. Dorms size varies from 4-6 beds to 15-22 beds in the largest dorms. Private rooms are usually hidden away up little staircases increasing the sense of privacy, just be sure to remember which floor you are on as all the hideaways looks very similar.
My visit was during the final stages of construction, so things were a bit hectic, but the small staff seemed friendly and helpful even if they were run off their feet with check-ins and clean up.
Well the bigger size of this Astor allows many more amenities, it does limit the community feel compared to the Astor Kensington, Astor Museum and Astor Quest. Also, if you have the luck to be on one of the upper floors, this means a lot of stair walking as there is no elevator.
Astor Hyde Park
191 Queens Gate
Westminster, London SW7, UK
More Astor Hyde Park photos below the map
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Brilliant! Astor Hyde Hostel looks like it would be a great hostel to stay at when I go back to London. The bonus is that it’s close to a museum.