Lee Abbey London

Honest opinion after staying at Lee Abbey London for a year as an Imperial student: Pros: - Convenient location. 14-21 mins walk to Imperial which is excellent as you can avoid the tube chaos. There are supermarkets Sainsbury’s, Tesco and M&S nearby, and it is close to Earl’s Court station which takes you directly into the city centre and Heathrow. It is also close to Hyde Park which is great for hanging out. - Staff and volunteers are warm and welcoming, they would remember all our names as well! The place is also very safe. - Various events are organised over the year, from craft nights, karaoke to BBQs, which are great for knowing each other. - The food has lots of variety and the chefs would usually allow you to get it a second time towards the end of the meal times (although some chefs have their own personalities). Drinking water and a coffee bar are provided as well. - Lots of public study spaces and piano available for practice. Cons: - The only kitchen (in the basement) shared by all students is small. Fridge and freezer spaces are also extremely inadequate, during peak times the freezer would get overflowed and the door would not fully close because of this. - Sunday evening meals are cold sandwiches, and most students do not like them. As a result the kitchen would get overcrowded at these times. - The kitchen has a stove timer that turns off after 11pm. If you have to miss dinner and come back late, this would be inconvenient. - Maintenance or construction works would happen with no or very short notice, which could turn off the electricity supply for example. Although this is very rare I think they could be communicated better. Changes also happen with little notice as well, such as the recent change of breakfast times. Other comments: - Food quality varies. Sometimes they are restaurant quality but sometimes they are too salty / overcooked despite lots of suggestions given. The images are the most common, average type of meals. - There are basement rooms. I heard students would have their sleep schedule disrupted living there. But the basement is also the most comfortable location during a heatwave as the 4/5th floor can get very hot. - Overall I would recommend this place, mainly because the location is excellent.