St. Athans Hotel

Situated in historic Bloomsbury, the family-run St. Athans Hotel offers simple one-star rooms (with shared or private bathrooms) at rock-bottom rates. Most of the hotel’s 45 guest rooms share facilities and feature a sink and no other in-room amenities. A few rooms are equipped with private facilities, as well as a TV.

The basics

• Excellent value. Rates at the St. Athans Hotel are quite affordable for London, especially given the hotel's cleanliness, high level of service and location. 

• Small and simple, clean but dated, rooms. Guest rooms are compact and very basic (no TV or other amenities). Some guests note that they are dated, but a majority rave that the place is immaculate.

• Friendly, family vibe. The St. Athans has been under the competent and cheerful management of the Geyer family since 1964, and guests often praise the friendly staff and efficient, helpful service.

• Quirky historic charm (and no elevator). As is common in London, the hotel occupies several combined Georgian townhouses, which translates to both additional character and also potentially inconvenient attributes like narrow winding staircases, slanted floors and few outlets.

• Shared bathrooms may sometimes be far from the rooms, but guests report that they are quite clean and that there is rarely an issue with wait times.

• Green hotel. The St. Athans takes a number of steps, from devoted recycling to creative “re-use” practices, to ensure that the hotel operates as sustainably as possible.

• Free Wi-Fi is available in the public areas.

Location

Bloomsbury is a leafy retreat with a storied history as the haunt of London’s literary elite, from Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf. Lush gardens, including Tavistock Square and Russell Square are within steps of the hotel, and the British Library, British Museum, and King’s Cross station are all within a 20-minute walk.

• Tube: The St. Athan’s Hotel is just a few blocks away from the Russell Square Tube stop on the Piccadilly line. Euston Station, Serviced by the Northern line and the Victoria line, is also within a five-minute walk of the hotel.