London: Smart Hyde Park View | Hangin’ with @HostelBookers.

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Over the last year Beth and I have discovered that we are no longer hostel dorm people.

Smart Hyde Park View shares the entrance with Craven Gardens Hotel.

While a lot of it has to do with our nomadic lifestyle of trying to balance work with travel, we’ve also realized that we like having our own privacy and space. At first I kind of felt guilty, like I’m some bourgeois backpacker who’s no longer keeping it real. But then, as I spoke to other travelers, especially couples, I discovered we weren’t alone.

No doubt, there’s a little piece of me that feels I’m missing out on certain connections, like the friendship we made with our dear friend Jasmine in Oaxaca, Mexico, during Dia de los Muertos in a 6-person dorm room. (Later, we connected Jasmine with bloggers Erica and Shaun of Over Yonderlust and she helped them out with a place to stay in Mexico and Cuba.) With that said, the obnoxious snorer, all-night partier and early morning bag crinklers are more than enough reason for me to choose privacy over possible friendship.

In Europe and England, private hostel rooms are a great alternative to budget hotels, because the value to cost is usually better. From our experience the rooms have been just as nice, if not nicer, than comparable two/three star hotels in the area for a fraction of the price. Plus, most hostels have a social element, so if you want to hangout with other people then you have that option. A great example of a stellar deal is the Hyde Park View in London, where we recently stayed with HostelBookers while attending the World Travel Market (WTM).

This is the view directly across from the entrance. An easy spot for grabbing some food and drinks quickly! Another much more active street is a couple blocks away.

Located less than a 10 minute walk from the Queensway Tube Station, where restaurants, pubs, a bowling alley and ice skating rink coexist on the active street. Hyde Park View is in a quiet section of Bayswater, which is considered one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in London. Around the hostel, you can find a few local restaurants, pubs and markets as well as some of the grandest row of houses I have seen since living in San Francisco. Better yet, Hyde Park is only 50 meters from the hostel.

Because Hyde Park View is a partially converted three-star hotel, the atmosphere was more quiet and laid back than a conventional hostel, which I really enjoyed. The common room next to the reception felt more like a coffee shop, providing a great place to check emails, plan out the next day or just relax with a good pint from the bar. It is also where the complimentary continental breakfast is served each morning.

The common areas of the hotel are shown above and the bar probably serves some of the most inexpensive drinks in all of London!

Our room at the Hyde Park View was small, but nothing out of the ordinary for a hotel in a classic, listed building. The queen size bed was comfortable, the flat screen TV was a nice treat after a long day of conference meetings and the bathroom was just the way I like my bathrooms… clean and ensuite. Additionally, the hostel also has dorm rooms (4-9 beds) with each featuring its own bathroom.

Our room and bathroom – clean & comfortable.

The view out of our room window on a rainy afternoon and a couple classic London phone booths are just around the corner!

Overall, our room as well as the hostel on a whole were clean and well kept up, and the staff was polite and helpful. My only complaint was that Hyde Park View did not have a guest kitchen. While it’s definitely not a deal breaker, especially for short holidays, cooking your own meals is a great way to keep your travel cost down and one of the reasons we prefer private rooms at hostels to hotel rooms. With that said, Hyde Park View is still easy to recommend with it’s great location and clean, relaxing atmosphere.

Here are a couple more photos from the Underground in London!

*While we were hosted by HostelBookers, our thoughts and opinions are entirely our own.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!