We went inside Camden’s fanciest student rooms and now our own lives seem grim
Oh how the other half live
Like many students, we’ve encountered the classic housing problems – broken heating, landlords who are apparently allergic to answering the phone, and damp so bad that half our clothes have grown fur.
So, we decided to torture ourselves and take a tour of what might be London’s swankiest student housing, The Stay Club in Camden. We chatted to our tour guides, Ellie, Carlota and Kaan about what it’s like to be living the absolute dream:
What made you want to live at The Stay Club?
Ellie: I’d visited uni accommodation before, and the thing that struck me most about The Stay Club was how warm, clean and friendly it was in comparison. It felt like home.
Kaan: I watched all the videos tours on YouTube – it looked so much better than uni halls. On top of having a garden and a café in the building, we’ve each got our own kitchen and bathroom. It’s so nice not having to share with a lot of people – I never have to deal with stacks of other people’s greasy washing up or housemates stealing my food.
Why would you recommend The Stay Club?
Ellie: It has everything, no matter your personality – whether you’re into going out, shopping, chilling or eating, it’s all right there.
Carlota: More than just the amazing facilities and rooms, I’d say come for the people; I’ve made a lot of friends. Even the staff are amazing – they live here so if you ever need anything, they’re there.
Kaan: For me, it’s about the people and the social aspect. I also love Camden – everyone here is so different. I’m always going out and having fun; Camden has great transport links, so the location is perfect, and great people come with it.
Ellie: It’s just amazing! I’ve met the best people, I’m having the time of my life here, and it makes me not want to go home. Mum and Dad who?
What do your friends think about where you live?
Ellie: I have friends living in other accommodation, and it’s pretty grim. It’s cold, it’s not sociable, and the areas they live in aren’t great because it’s so expensive. We get so much more for our money here; the best staff, all the facilities and the fact we live in such a nice place. When my friends walk in they all say, “Oh my gosh this is so amazing”.
What’s your favourite thing about The Stay Club?
Carlota: Everyone I’ve met here is so different, but they’re all so friendly. I arrived in January, so everyone already knew each other, but it was easy to make friends. People actually make an effort.
Kaan: Whenever I leave my room there are people around to chat to. I never get bored – if ever I’m feeling a bit lonely I can come downstairs and there’s always someone to hang out with.
Is it sociable?
Ellie: It really is – The Stay Club run an events programme, where every week there’s a gamezone, a movie night, and a sports afternoon. Living in studio flats, it would be easy to stay in our rooms because everything we need is there, so it’s great that they encourage people to socialise.
Kaan: I really like that people from all different London unis live here – if I were to stay in uni accommodation I would have had a much more boring time. I’ve met people from all over the place and there’s so much more of a network.
Carlota: We’re constantly surrounded by people, although it sometimes means I leave my work until the last minute. There’s always someone going out or doing something fun, it’s hard to say no!
What’s the best party that’s happened here?
Carlota: Halloween was so fun, The Stay Club brought in a DJ and everyone from the building came downstairs to party. I loved it.
Kaan: Yeah it was crazy. Everybody had costumes and there was a huge event. They transformed the space and there were all these mad decorations.
Ellie: Halloween was really, really good but the Christmas party was also amazing. I chatted to people living here who I’d never met before, so I made even more friends. There was live music and drinks, and then we all went to the club – Proud – across the road.
Has The Stay Club met your expectations?
Carlota: Definitely! Even though my room is really nice, I only really go in there to sleep. We hang out in the lobby because it’s so much more sociable.
Ellie: 100 per cent, yes. I can’t fault it. I’m having the best time.
Kaan: In every way. I moved in four years ago and never looked back.
The Stay Club have three amazing sites – take the video tour of their Colindale accommodation here
You can also check out their Willesden site – room rates for 2018-2019 are available now