LSE High Holborn Residence

Tous les ans je passé quelques jours à Londres en solo. Hyper dur de trouver de quoi se loger dans ces conditions et avec un budget limité (comprenez, sans affecter mon budget fringues, sorties, resto…). Sauf que les résidences étudiantes, c’est LE bon plan à connaître (il y a en a plein, cherchez «student hall for visitors» ou quelque chose du genre), et celle-​ci est particulièrement cool.
Ça marche uniquement pendant les périodes de vacances scolaires et c’est de bon rapport qualité prix pour un groupe ou un voyageur solo (45 € la nuit ici mais d’autres moins centrales sont moins chères). Pour un couple, on trouve plus confortable et pas beaucoup plus cher avec AirBnB je trouve.
LSE Holborn a la particularité d’être ultra bien placée. À 5min à pied de Covent Garden, à 10min à pied de Oxford Circus, difficile de faire mieux. La réception est sympa et efficace lors du check-​in ou en cas de problème. L’accès est bien sécurisé avec un «bip» et un gardien présent toute la nuit.
J’avais une chambre standard (pas encore rénovée) qui était basique mais propre. J’ai noté une literie confortable (couette bien chaude, matelas pas défoncé) mais j’ai eu des difficultés à fermer la fenêtre correctement, sur une artère aussi fréquentée, le bruit était assez présent. J’ai par contre pas du tout entendu mes voisins.
Les douches sont communes à 5 chambres. Propres (nettoyées tous les matins) et avec une bonne pression. Ça reste un peu à la mode Formule1, j’ai regretté de pas avoir pensé à prendre des tongs. Il y a aussi une cuisine commune qui doit être bien pratique en cas de budget ultra serré.
Donc né vous attendez pas à quelque chose de charmant ou luxueux mais pour le prix, c’est imbattable, je recommande.

I stayed here for 2 – 3 days before study at Warwick U. It was a wonderful experience. Only bad thing is that there is no wifi!
It was clean and the service at the reception were always helpful. It is located so conveniently! Probably one of the cheapest accommodations you’ll find in London !

This place was incredible! I stayed here during my study abroad orientation for Queen Mary.
Pros:
— the rooms are clean, bright, open and pleasant
— each flat has its own large kitchen, shower, and separate w.c.
— towels are provided
— great location, very close to Camden
— the complimentary breakfast was astonishing! fresh fruit, croissants, lots of options, all of it balanced and delicious! great for malnourished travellers
— has great common areas with free wifi, tv, bar, couches
— laundry facility
— has elevators! (a rarity in some British buildings)
— luggage room downstairs for storage of
Cons:
— you might have to share a room (two to each room) though I didn’t
–the rooms are a tad small; i had trouble opening the door completely
All in all, great place! It was quite a reprieve to stay here!

Cleanliness: The room and building are very clean.
Room: Of course you should note that this is not a hotel room. It’s a college dorm room that LSE rents out during university holidays but a pretty nice, relatively large one (at least my corner room was). Rooms are in flats so you share a full kitchen and bathroom with 4 other people (no common area in the flat although the building does have a pub and other common areas).
Location: Excellent location. It is centrally located on High Holborn and equidistant from the Holborn and Covent Garden tube stations. The British Museum is maybe 5 blocks away.
Safety: I felt completely safe at all times.
Service: You get what you pay for so you should expect that everything is basically self-​service although they do clean the common area.
CONCLUSION: A great option for those in the moderate price range of Central London lodging (above a hostel but not quite a hotel). Location is unbeatable and you have access to really great nightlife in Covent Garden. Try to get a corner room if possible.

At these prices, for this location, this is virtually a no-​brainer.
I paid $ 64 a night (!!!) to stay in the heart of London — just a short walk from Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, the British Museum, Oxford Street shopping, and Theatreland. And that, mind you, included an all-​you-​can-​eat breakfast. The food on offer was extensive, though not fancy; maybe eight kinds of fruit, two kinds of meat, four or five kinds of bread/​toast, five kinds of cereal, three kinds of yogurt, three kinds of cheese, two kinds of juice, and, of course, coffee, tea and milk. After eating a big breakfast, I needed only one more meal later in the day. That alone saved me a fortune.
Of course, at these prices, the rooms are Spartan. I shared a kitchen, a toilet and a shower with four other rooms. I had my own sink, but the water from it wasn’t drinkable; only the kitchen water was drinkable. The shower was very annoying, as I couldn’t change the temperature; also, it was activated by a motion sensor, so I could never be quite sure when the stream would go on or off. Towels are changed every three days; bed linen is changed once a week.
There’s no wifi in the rooms, but there is wifi downstairs in the cafeteria. There’s no TV (aside from one big one in the lounge). And there’s no wastebasket in the room; you have to save up your bottle caps, used dental floss, etc., then carry it out to the kitchen trash can.
There’s no air conditioner, and there’s heating only from October through March. I didn’t find this to be a problem, however; the room stayed at a constant, comfortable temperature, and you can always open the window if you want a breeze.
There’s someone at the front desk 24 hours a day. I found the staff to be very helpful and pleasant.
The building isn’t particularly close to any one Tube station. However, it is roughly equidistant from the Holborn, Covent Garden and Tottenham Court Road stations.
Bottom line: I can stand doing without a wastebasket when I’m saving easily $ 150 – 250 a night.

I’ve used LSE’s High Holborn residence as more than a hotel — I’ve LIVED here for the duration of my Masters and while the rooms are small and the residence isn’t the most esthetically appealing, it’s extremely well located. It’s 5 minutes walking from three different tube stations and sits at the top of Covent Garden. You’re a short distance from the British Museum, Oxford Street, Trafalgar Square and loads of other London sights! For a short stay, it would be perfect for exploring Central London for anyone on a budget!