Review of The Dictionary Hostel, Shoreditch, London

I only stayed at the hostel for three nights, but it was a good stay. I was in room 51 — a four bed room with en suite toilet and a little wash basin. The big highlights of The Dictionary are the beds and the showers; the mattresses are very good, which makes sleeping comfortable and will stop a lot of snoring, and the showers are very powerful and stay warm, though it is fiddly to set a good temperature. Under the bunk beds, there are metal draws on wheels. There are as many drawers as people in the room, and they can be filled with your luggage and then locked shut if you bring your own padlock — there is no need to live directly out of your suitcase. The drawers roll in and out easily, even when filled with very heavy luggage. Floors were wood-effect laminate, with a thoughtful patch of tile around the basin. There were two mirrors — one above the basin, and a three-quarter-length on the wall. It was detachable from the wall, so can be used along with the mirror above the basin to see the back of your hair, which is useful for people with very long hair like mine. The hostel is very clean. Shoreditch is extremely noisy at night. The Dictionary is right on Kingsway/Shoreditch High Street and the area gets wild at nights. This is excellent if you want to go out, and if you're staying in, the street level noise disappears once you get into your room. The hostel was not entirely perfect. A small lamp should be affixed to each bunk so night-owls can read while others sleep, with the main light off. Bring your own if you like to stay up late. In addition, the little kitchen area had no glasses or cups, so I couldn't have a drink of water late at night. Buy a bottle before arriving.