The Walrus Bar & Hostel
2-star hostel · Waterloo, London
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 28% of London hotels
- 76% of guest comments are praise
- 90% of guest photos show no damage
How this score is made
- Rated higher than 28% of London hotels. Compared with 5,640 hotels in London. Counts for 50% of the score.
- 76% of guest comments are praise. 424 praise, 134 complain. Counts for 30% of the score.
- 90% of guest photos show no damage. 54 of 60 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.
- From $50 a nightdorm beds for two, before tax
- 3 min walkto the nearest station
- 256 guest reviewsfrom the last 2 years
- 60 guest photostheirs, not the hotel's
At a glance
For
- 11 min walk to Big Ben800 m by road
- A station within walking distanceA station is 209 m away
- Location149 praise · 0 complain
- Staff124 praise · 12 complain
- Breakfast46 praise · 3 complain
Against
- On a main road: Westminster Bridge Road10 m from the building
- Quiet at night55 complain · 5 praise
- Room condition15 complain · 2 praise
- Heating and air conditioningcomplaints falling: 14.8 in 100 a year ago, 7.4 now21 of 256 guests
- Beds10 complain · 7 praise
What guests reported
What guests say
256 reviews from the last 2 years. Most praised: location (149 guests). Weakest: quiet at night, where 55 of the 60 who mention it complain.
Location1490Strength
This place ia perfect for The ones searching for a good localization with a cheap price in a shared Room.
Google, September 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Close to main railway station and local underground station.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Breakfast463Strength
The staff is friendly and the breakfast is a good treat for the price
Booking network, May 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Great staff, great room, great location and free breakfast - I was surprised how much I liked The Walrus.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Which you have to wait in line for 30 minutes to toast.
Google, October 2025, rated 2/5 by this guest
Value403Strength
For those looking for value for money: 10 out of 10!
Google, May 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Amazing price-quality ratio, amazing location.
Booking network, December 2025, rated 10/10 by this guest
One would think that for 100 a night at least you can expect some decent cleaning but it seems here they forgot the meaning of that word.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Staffcomplaints falling: 7.4 in 100 a year ago, 4.4 now12412Strength
The staff members were very friendly and helpful.
Booking network, November 2025, rated 8/10 by this guest
The staff are great, they really care that you have a good stay.
Booking network, March 2026, rated 10/10 by this guest
Stuff is not helpful when they have no profit from it (business is business and only money is important).
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Cleanliness5028Mostly good
The hostel was really clean and also breakfast was satisfying
Booking network, April 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
It was simple and clean, the staff was friendly and the l9cation excellent.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
The wet mat in the bathroom was yucky.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Beds710Split
I just want to say that was difficult to rest with the pillow that was in my bet.
Google, March 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Mattress was hollowed towards middle.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 3/10 by this guest
Regarding the train noise, I didn't even hear it because I was so tired 🤭 only criticism: you could improve the beds, the mattress is very thin and makes your back hurt a little
Tripadvisor, September 2026, rated 4/5 by this guest
Room condition215Weak spot
Whole hostel needs a deep clean and new paint job
Booking network, July 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
I think the whole place looks tired, needs some tlc, and a deep clean.
Booking network, December 2025, rated 4/10 by this guest
Considering it's an older building, the rooms and bathrooms are a bit dated, but everything is very clean.
Google, October 2025, rated 5/5 by this guest
Room size18Weak spot
There was very little space.
Booking network, May 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Room is small and basic but clean.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Room is clean and spacious.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Quiet at night555Weak spot
If you expect high quality sleep, it is next to a major train line and will be loud until 10pm ish at night, but you pay for what you get and I would say it was still so so worth it
Booking network, July 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
At first I was surprised how loud the trains can be but later I got used to it.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Noise from other rooms and outside from trains.
Booking network, November 2025, rated 6/10 by this guest
Too few mentions to judge: food 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 1,440 Google ratings
Problems guests raised
Raised most: heating and air conditioning, in 21 of 256 reviews.
Heating and air conditioningcomplaints falling: 14.8 in 100 a year ago, 7.4 now21 of 2561 in 12 reviews
Room was really hot like 35 degrees no airflow at all not even fans woke up bed soaked with sweat, toilets / showers 3 doors out of the room and awkward to brush teeth or put anything anywhere
Booking network, June 2026, rated 6/10 by this guest
The room was very warm, especially with so many people in one space, and opening windows would make it even noisier so it wasn't really an option
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Problems in the bathroom19 of 2561 in 13 reviews
Half the showers weren't working and there was only a broken off hook on the shower room wall so it was awkward with nowhere to hang a towel.
Booking network, June 2026, rated 8/10 by this guest
Insects or pestscomplaints falling: 7.4 in 100 a year ago, 3.1 now9 of 2561 in 28 reviews
All the money I didn't spend on accommodation was converted into bed bug treatment.
Booking network, August 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
Load trains but it’s to be expected other than that not much, did see a mouse in the bar might be worth getting a pub cat 😅 as well as a pub doggo.
Booking network, July 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Something broken in the room9 of 2561 in 28 reviews
Rooms windows didnt close, which made the train's sounds louder.
Booking network, February 2026, rated 7/10 by this guest
Radiatior was switched on but no heat!
Booking network, February 2026, rated 9/10 by this guest
Feeling unsafecomplaints falling: 7.4 in 100 a year ago, 3.1 now9 of 2561 in 28 reviews
3 drunk and abusive men coming into the dormitory in the early hours of the morning, loud, rude, noisy and horrible, making lone women scared and afraid.
Booking network, December 2025, rated 1/10 by this guest
There's a photo of someone who was burgled on the 2nd floor.
Google, April 2026, rated 2/5 by this guest
Complaints the hotel left unresolvedcomplaints falling: 7.4 in 100 a year ago, 2.6 now8 of 2561 in 32 reviews
I literally begged for bed change but they didn’t do anything
Google, July 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
I asked them to fix it and let me know when it was working, but they never did.
Google, September 2026, rated 1/5 by this guest
Serious reports
10 in 256 reviews, most common first. Shown beside the score, never averaged into it.
Bed bugs or bites7 of 256 reviews
But, it’s a hostel and if I overlook the bathrooms, the worst part about the walrus hostel, was the bed bugs, night after night I was left with bite after bite.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 4/10 by this guest
After further research and a doctor visit we found out it was bed bug bites that we received from those insects.
Booking network, September 2026, rated 5/10 by this guest
Something stolen3 of 256 reviews
Everything was going well until we got robbed in our room by someone who was not staying at the hostel but managed to barge in and steal our stuff WHICH WERE LOCKED!
Booking network, January 2026, rated 1/10 by this guest
They stole my suitcase from the room and not only did they take care of absolutely nothing but they held me responsible for leaving it out of the locker.
Tripadvisor, August 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 60 guest photos we checked show damage or dirt (10%).
Guest photos showing damage or dirt6 of 6010%
Of 60 guest photos, 6 show damage or dirt: dirty surfaces in 2, stains in 2, pests in 2 and rust or limescale in 1, and some photos show more than one. Of the hotel's own 40, 3 do.
What it advertises, against the photos
Guests’ photos confirm: bar (10).
The hotel says it has no swimming pool, spa, gym or hot tub.
Price, place and rooms
Price
Dorm beds for two start at $50 a night, from 300 dates checked in the coming year.
Prices on booking sites, the day we checked
What each seller advertised on the one day we checked.
- Booking.com$91
- bluepillow.co.uk$91
- hostelworld.com$101
- api.cloudbeds.com$101
- skyscanner.net$113
Lowest advertised nightly rate for two adults; taxes and local fees are not included. Shown in US dollars.
Nearby
The nearest station is 209 m away by road, about 3 minutes on foot. There are 10 bars or clubs within 200 metres.
- Nearest main road: Westminster Bridge Road10 m
- Nearest shop: Co-op Food1 min walk27 m by road
- Nearest station3 min walk209 m by road
- Big Ben11 min walk800 m by road
- Buckingham Palace28 min walk2.1 km by road
- The British Museum2.6 km
- Tower Bridge3.2 km
The lines are 5, 10 and 15 minutes on foot.
Distances follow the streets, not straight lines.
Rooms
10 room types, from 6 to 63 m².
- Standard Twin Room6 m²Sleeps 2
- Deluxe Twin Room7 m²Sleeps 2
- Superior Twin Room7 m²Sleeps 2
- Bed in 4-Bed Female Dormitory Room11 m²Sleeps 1
- Bed in 4-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room11 m²Sleeps 1
- Bed in 6-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room14 m²Sleeps 1
The other 4 room types
- Bed in 6-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room (Shared Facilities)14 m²Sleeps 1
- Bed in 6-Bed Female Dormitory Room14 m²Sleeps 1
- Bed in 8-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room18 m²Sleeps 1
- Bed in 26-Bed Mixed Dormitory Room63 m²Sleeps 1
From the hotel's own room descriptions, checked against each room's photos.
How it compares
How it ranks
Guests who booked rate it 7.7 out of 10. 28% of the 5,640 hotels in London are rated lower, and a typical one is rated 8.2.
Every review site, out of 100
More hotels in London
The nearest first, with our score for each.
How we know
256 reviews counted · 100 photos checked · updated 10 October 2026
- We collected this hotel's 896 most recent reviews from Google, Tripadvisor and the Booking network. 256 of them describe a stay in the last 2 years and are the ones counted here; the rest were 60 older, 217 in other languages, 337 with a score but no words and 26 about the restaurant rather than a stay.
- The hotel replied to 84 of its 200 newest Google reviews.
- 7 in every 100 reviews thank a staff member by name.
- 3 reviews mention a free upgrade, a cake or a gift.
- We looked at 100 photos: the first 40 of the hotel's own and the 60 newest from guests.
- Every number on this page is counted, not estimated. Anything in quotation marks is a guest's own words.