Going back to October 2018, I moved to York. I had no idea what would entail but moving was the best decision that I've ever made. Before I decided on York, I did some research. I called the Tourism Office and asked some important questions like is York a safe area, which are the places to avoid etc... Then I browsed the internet in search of hostels. I had never been to a hostel before so the idea was a little daunting. However I really wanted to go back and live in England so I called Astor. From my bit of research the hostel seemed very nice and not too far from the city centre.
Side note: Astor Hostels are London based hostels with the exception of this one in York.
When I called a friendly lady called Louise answered the phone. I asked her how far away from the centre it was and other questions about hostel living. After the phone call I had a very good impression and after choosing when to go I called her back and booked the room. At that point I didn't know about how long you could stay. So when I got there and was allowed to stay long term it was a lifesaver. So to cut as long story short, I had a very good experience and ended up staying for 7 months.
The hostel is about a 15 minute walk to the centre but depending on how fast you walk it can vary. It's very quick though. I used to go the scenic route (mind you York is every bit scenic) by the city wall entrance by Micklegate but then I found that you could go the train station route. Basically you just cut out Micklegate and end up going past the lavish hotels. Going this way was my favourite because you could see the grandeur of the York Minster as you walked towards the centre.
There's a bus stop outside the hostel which is very handy. If you take the number 1, 5 or 5A it will take you to the centre. There are other buses that pass but those ones are the most frequent ones.
The hostel is large and hosts many rooms. You can either stay in a 4, 6, 8 or 12 bed dorm however if you wish there is the option to stay in one of their private suites. Of course for those you have to pay much more. I recommend booking by phone rather than online. I stayed in a 4 bed mixed dorm, however it was a female dorm for most of my stay. My room number was 22, and it was well lit due to the large window overlooking the main street.
You get a key card for your room but you have to pay a £5 deposit or leave your ID at the reception just in case you break or loose the card. You also leave a deposit to use the hairdryers or padlocks. Don't worry, you get the money back at the end of use/your stay. Cages are provided under the bunkbeds to store luggage that you would want to lock away from others. Due to being in a room with long term stays, we managed to trust each other not to lock the cages. Some people did but of course that's fine.
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| Room 22 are the windows above the door (left: bathroom right: dorm) |
There was always something to do and the hostel would announce it on the board you see in the last photo below. On some occasions there were cool events going on inside the hostel, such as bingo night. When it came to Christmas the hostel was lovely decorated and you felt at home. I actually helped decorate the tree :)
The kitchen as you see here is the new one that was installed several weeks ago. It was modern and fresh. I enjoyed using this one much more than the old one :) Breakfast is included but they ask for a £1 donation to charity, which is a lovely idea. You get to eat cereal, toast or fruit, whichever you prefer. I normally ate the coco pops and sometimes toast. They also provide milk but I used the plant based milks that I bought for myself. Also, you can place your food items in cupboards and the fridge but they were communal. One thing that was a little inconvenient was not having a lot of space to store food. A little tip for you is to not buy a lot but to regularly stock up when needed. This shouldn't be a problem for short term stays though.
The lounge was also spacious and airy. All the natural light came in through the large windows, as you can see below. Only recently did they install a large projector screen for movie nights. I only attended two movie nights in my whole time there but it was nice.
The dining room used to be two rooms (one being the old kitchen and the other being the one you can see below). I much prefer this setting actually, it made more sense.
Next up is the Flamingo Bar. This was set up behind the front desk/reception. This was a popular hang out for people.
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| One of the best aspects of the hostel was the staff! :) |
The garden was lovely and the lights made it so homely. Unfortunately I didn't spend much if any time outside.
That's everything I have to say... thank you to Astor York for their hospitality. I really appreciate everything that they did for me and I'll miss the camaraderie we all shared.
I recommend staying at Astor York and would go back again if I ever needed to. The staff are lovely, reliable, friendly and are happy to assist you with any queries. I made lots of friends and even though they didn't stay as long as me we still had good times and good conversations. I miss that. Some people are still there and I'll try to meet with them when I can.
Thank you for reading today's blog post and if you decide to come to York and need some good affordable accommodation then do give Astor a go! Let me know in the comments section if you've ever stayed there. If you have any questions about hostel living then don't hesitate to ask me in the comments section or by email if you prefer (info in contact me page on blog).
Charlotte x
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