YHA York - Hostel

We stayed in a private room with five beds. It was very clean, comfortable, and affordable, and the hostel is great for families. We had dinner in the cafe, where the food was good quality and good value. Breakfast was good value too.

The hostel itself was clean and welcoming, with clean bathrooms and bedding, and we were happy with the larger bunk room we were given after booking a double. We were told it was an upgrade because school groups had booked the upper floors. The trouble was that one of the groups was in the room opposite ours. There was shouting and noise all night, and whenever we needed to get to our room, we had to walk through a crowd of schoolchildren. Breakfast was awkward too. We’d already paid, but were told the groups were using the breakfast area and that we could join them. School staff seemed confused about why we were there, and we felt uncomfortable in the shared spaces because of the noise and poor behaviour, as well as the oddness of being surrounded by children. The hostel didn’t seem to manage having the public and several groups staying at once very well. Working around the groups wasn’t comfortable for us, and I imagine sharing the facilities wasn’t pleasant for the schools either.

I visit the cafe regularly. The food is good value, and it’s a relaxing place to spend time. The staff are always helpful and polite. It’s a busy youth hostel near the river, with riverside walks into town, cycle paths close by, and easy access to public transport.

I just dropped in to meet friends and have a nice pot of tea. The service was great and parking was no problem, though there isn’t much space. It looked busy with holiday lets. Don’t forget to book your reg in.