Dover Castle Hostel
2-star hostel · London, London
Long Weekend score
Mixed2 serious reports in 255 reviews: harassment or discrimination (2)
Guests rate nearly every hotel highly: half the hotels in London are rated 8.2 out of 10 or more. So our score shows how a hotel compares with the rest, not how luxurious it is.
- Rated higher than 23% of London hotels
- 72% of guest comments are praise
- 83% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 23% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 72% of guest comments are praise. 316 praise, 124 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 83% of guest photos show no damage. 30 of 36 photos. Counts for 20% of the score.
- Serious reports are never counted in. They are flagged beside the score, because one matters even when everything else is good.
- 1 min walkto Borough station
- 255 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 36 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- A station within walking distanceBorough is 106 m away
- Location123 praise · 0 complain
- Value38 praise · 5 complain
- Beds11 praise · 1 complain
Against
- On a main road: Great Dover Street16 m from the building
- Guest photos show wear and dirt6 of the 36 photos guests took, and 0 of the hotel's 9
- Quiet at night39 complain · 3 praise
- Room conditioncomplaints rising: 1.6 in 100 a year ago, 5.8 now12 complain · 0 praise
- Problems in the bathroom22 of 255 guests
What guests reported
What guests say
255 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (123 guests). Weakest: quiet at night, where 39 of the 42 who mention it complain.
Location1230Strength
The best available accommodation on a budget in central London nearest to the landmark places/sights
Booking network, August 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
It was a beautiful place in a great location.
Google, January 2026, rated 5/5 by this guest
Beds111Strength
Great location, close to the tube, comfortable beds and room was close to the bathroom.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
great location, clean beds, mostly comfortable, well equipped kitchen, good lockers and working keys and door codes
Booking network, March 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Bed was pretty terrible too.
Google, June 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Value385Strength
For the price it has everything you need.
Booking network, April 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
The staff were friendly and helpful, and the hostel was good value for money.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Even though it is centrally located, £30 for how messy and unclean it was, combined with the attitude of the reception staff, is not worth it.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
Staffcomplaints rising: 3.1 in 100 a year ago, 8.4 now8718Mostly good
The reception was friendly
Booking network, July 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
Fantastic staff!Great location and transport network!Great place to learn from others and connecting!
Booking network, April 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
We then received a rude phone call for using the wrong numbered bed!
Booking network, March 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Cleanlinesscomplaints rising: 6.2 in 100 a year ago, 19.9 now5142Split
Very dirty,rats,rats shit.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
A stench permeates all the corridors and rooms, the bathrooms are filthy, they make you want to vomit.
Google, December 2025, rated 1/5 by this guest
My bed linens were dirty, with human hair.
Google, November 2025, rated 2/5 by this guest
Room size37Weak spot
The room l stayed was very small to accommodate so many beds and the people staying there were all different sorts.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Putting both males and females in one room,
Booking network, April 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
The four-person room was a bit cramped, but it's fine for a few nights.
Google, October 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
Quiet at night339Weak spot
And the bar downstairs has become insane and made it impossible to sleep, as a Google local guide can't currently in good consciousness recommend this to anyone.
Google, March 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
There was little to no sound proofing, even with provided ear plugs I could hear the pub/bar playing extremely loud music (too much to allow sleep) until 02:00 on a Wednesday night/ Thursday morning.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 2/10 by this guest
I'm only not giving it 5 stars because it's very noisy at night; if the windows had soundproofing it would be perfect.
Google, October 2025, rated 4/5 by this guest
Room conditioncomplaints rising: 1.6 in 100 a year ago, 5.8 now012Weak spot
The maintenance of de building is poor and is soo old and the cleaning is not good in the showers
Booking network, September 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Noise from the bar underneath, not very clean, old facilities (bathroom, kitchen...)
Booking network, June 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Needs a refresh in communal area
Booking network, August 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: food, breakfast and views.
Who stays, and their score out of 10
From every review of the last two years that gives a score and says who travelled, including those with no words.
All 1,011 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: problems in the bathroom, in 22 of 255 reviews.
Problems in the bathroom22 of 2551 in 12 reviews
It's not very clean, the showers are cold, and there's no hot water.
Google, September 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Banheiro de tomar banho sem trancar.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Heating and air conditioning18 of 2551 in 14 reviews
The place is good for a one-day stay, but I didn't like it because the cleanliness was poor, the prices were high, the building needs maintenance, and the rooms were hot during the summer months.
Google, July 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
it was 34C and there was no relief to be found, every tap and shower ran hot.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
Unexpected charges and refunds13 of 2551 in 20 reviews
The concept of service can be interpreted in many ways; the staff are very polite and courteous, but the fact that towels are extra and there are no wardrobes in the rooms is ridiculous.
Google, October 2025, rated 3/5 by this guest
They take 10 £ from me for key.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
Feeling unsafecomplaints rising: 3.1 in 100 a year ago, 5.2 now12 of 2551 in 21 reviews
Bothered by a resident who lied about his identity and attempted a crime.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
My sunglasses was stolen.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
The lift10 of 2551 in 26 reviews
The building needs a lift
Booking network, August 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
No luggage storage in rooms, and steep stairs with no elevator
Google, June 2025, rated 3/5 by this guest
Not as shown or booked8 of 2551 in 32 reviews
However, the room was shared by 8 people.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
Also, the room I booked wasn’t even the same as the one they gave me.
Booking network, March 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
Serious reports
2 in 255 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
Harassment or discrimination2 of 255 reviews
One of the Algerian guys who works there accused me of being a thief and said racist things to me when I came back to the hostel late at night.
Google, October 2025, rated 1/5 by this guest
These are guests' own accounts from their reviews. We have not verified them, and the hotel may dispute them. A report is counted only when the guest says it happened at the hotel and holds the hotel responsible.
Photos, checked
6 of the 36 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (17%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt6 of 3617%
Of 36 guest photos, 6 show damage or dirt: dirty surfaces in 2, litter or dirty water in 2, dirty linen in 1 and crowding in 1, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 9, 0 do.
What it advertises, against the photos
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa, gym or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Nearby
Borough station is 106 m away by road, about 1 minute on foot. There are 4 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Great Dover Street16 m
- Nearest shop: Supersave Express1 min walk94 m by road
- Nearest station: Borough1 min walk106 m by road
- Tower Bridge24 min walk1.8 km by road
- Big Ben2.5 km
- Buckingham Palace3.8 km
- The British Museum3.8 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
5 room types, from 8 to 24 m².
- Bed in 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room8 m²
- Bed in 6-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room14 m²
- Bed in 8-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room18 m²
- Bed in 10-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room20 m²
- Bed in 12-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room24 m²
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 7.5 out of 10. Only 23% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
16 Google reviewers ticked "Quiet", yet 39 guests complain about noise, and Great Dover Street runs 16 m away.
If room condition matters to you
Here, 12 of the 12 guests who mention room condition complain. These nearby hotels do better on it.
More hotels in London
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
255 reviews counted · 45 photos checked · updated 12 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 795 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 255 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 18 older, 120 in other languages, 399 with a score but no words and 3 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 0 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 5 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- We looked at 45 photos: 9 of the hotel's own and 36 from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.