5D/4N Backpacking London Without A Tour – Free & Easy (Part 4) : Bunk Beds in the 8-Bed Female Dormitory Room with En-Suite at The Dictionary Hostel, London (Part 2)

One of the reasons why we chose to stay at The Dictionary Hostel in London is for its cool facilities: a self catering kitchen, roof terrace, courtyard, launderette, and even a luggage room. So, after my sister and I checked-in to our 8-bed female dormitory room with en-suite at The Dictionary Hostel in the hip and trendy district of Shoreditch, East London, we went exploring in the hostel. 😀

To read my review of The Dictionary Hostel (Part 1), click here.

Of Roof Terrace, Courtyard & Table Football

The first thing we did was to check out The Dictionary Hostel’s roof terrace. It is open from 8am to 8pm every day. Getting to the roof terrace was easy. We followed the signboards and made our way towards Room U. From there, we went up a flight of stairs and found the entrance to the roof terrace. To reach the top, we needed to climb up another flight of stairs, this time a vertical climb that was kind of physically demanding, but fun nonetheless. 😛

On the roof terrace, there was a hammock and several chairs for the hostel guests to chill and soak up the sunlight. We were treated to an interesting view of London rooftops and chimney pots set against the cloudy sky. My sister and I wanted to chill at the roof terrace, but the chilling cold prevented us from doing so. Brr…..

We then decided to hang out at the courtyard located on the ground floor, somewhere near the hostel’s reception area. The courtyard is open from 8am to 11pm every day. Unlike the roof terrace, the courtyard was spacious and kept warm. There is even a vending machine and table football for the hostel guests to help themselves. Brilliant!

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-14 — The unique decor of The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-15 — The courtyard of The Dictionary Hostel, London as seen from above

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-16 — Exploring the labyrinth of walkways and dormitory rooms to get to the roof terrace at The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-17 — The metal staircase to the roof terrace of The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-18 — The entrance to the roof terrace of The Dictionary Hostel, London is planted and decorated with green leafy vines

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-19 — To get to the top of the roof terrace at The Dictionary Hostel, London, we need to climb up a vertical metal staircase

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-20 — A hammock and some chairs for the hostel guests to laze in the sun at The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-21 — Of London’s rooftops and chimney pots – the interesting view the hostel guests get to enjoy at the roof terrace of The Dictionary Hostel, London

A Self Catering Kitchen, Laundrette & Luggage Room

There is a functional self catering kitchen at The Dictionary Hostel where hostel guests can do their cooking and enjoy their food comfortably. This is a handy feature for us because we can opt to cook our meals to save cost should we decided not to eat out in London, United Kingdom. 😀

The kitchen is open from 7am to 3am every day. Hostel guests are advised to store their food in the kitchen and not in the rooms. Free breakfast (from 8am to 10am), coffee and tea are served daily in the kitchen. For breakfast, we were offered a choice of toast with butter and jams, cereals with fresh milk, fruit juice, fruit cocktail, coffee and tea.

For those who wish to do their laundry, the launderette is located just by the bar, facing the street. A wash and dry costs £4.50, payable only in coins. Another thing we love about The Dictionary Hostel is their free luggage storage service on the day we check in or out that is really convenient and much appreciated.

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-27 — The spacious and warm courtyard at The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-28 — There is a vending machine and table football for the hostel guests to play in the courtyard of The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-25 — The spacious and functional self catering kitchen at The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-26 — We found an intereting quote plastered on the wall in the kitchen area of The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-23 — Hostel guests can cook, dine and socialise freely in the kitchen of The Dictionary Hostel, London

ErikaEvaTohTravels-The-Dictionary-Hostel-Shoreditch-East-London-24 — The free breakfast at The Dictionary Hostel, London consist of a choice of toast with butter and jams, cereals with fresh milk, fruit juice, fruit cocktail, coffee and tea

In a Nutshell

It was a pleasant and enjoyable 2 night’s stay at The Dictionary Hostel in Shoreditch, East London. We love our bunk beds in the 8-bed female dormitory room with en-suite. Thankfully, unlike the horrid time where I encountered dorm mates from hell during my stay in Uluru a.k.a Ayers Rock, Australia, my sister and I had friendly and considerate dorm mates that made our stay rather enjoyable. 🙂

Not only are the beds clean, comfy and cheap, the location of the hostel being close to a variety of shops, train stations and double-decker bus stations has helped us to save a significant amount of money too. In addition, the free breakfast and WiFi was good.

Lastly, the friendly and helpful reception and the staff of The Dictionary Hostel ultimately made our stay better. We were given free maps to use and wonderful suggestions on how to make our stay in Shoreditch, East London memorable. My sister and I will not hesitate to stay again at The Dictionary Hostel the next time we visit London, United Kingdom again.