Safestay York Hostel Review - The Best Hostels In York

Last Updated on 6th December 2022

AD | This post about Safestay York Hostel contains a press visit review and affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer for more.

Last week Matt and I were very kindly invited to stay at the Safestay York Hostel for the night to check out what they were all about. I’ll be perfectly honest; having spent the best part of a year staying in hostels in Southeast Asia, I didn’t really have incredibly high expectations of the Safestay offering in York as most of the hostels I’ve stayed in have been quite sub-par.

However, I’m so excited to share that our time at Safestay York exceeded my expectations and I was so delighted with our experience that I wanted to share it with you guys!

If you’re looking for an affordable place to stay in the city centre of York, then look no further than the Safestay Hostel!

Book your stay at Safestay York now!

A note on Covid-19 – Safestay York Hostel review

As we were visiting Safestay York during the Covid-19 global pandemic when things were still just starting to open up again, I was a little apprehensive at first about the way things would be handled.

However, I was delighted to find plenty of measures and steps in place to ensure each and every guest and member of staff were well looked after. There were anti-bac stations upon entry to the hostel, as well as dotted around the place too. While no one was required to wear a mask, there were socially distancing measures in place and a screen between the bar where you paid and ordered drinks.

Available rooms

Safestay York has a variety of rooms available including private twin, double and family rooms, as well as dorms suitable for 4-bed and 6-bed mixed and female only, as well as 8-bed, 10-bed and 12-bed mixed dorms, all equipped with en-suite bathrooms.

We didn’t actually get the chance to check out the dorm rooms, but you can find plenty of pictures on the Safestay website.

Safestay York Hostel private room

We stayed in one of the twin rooms at Safestay York which consisted of a single bunk bed; I haven’t stayed in bunk beds since we were in the Philippines so this was quite a nostalgic novelty experience for me!

For a hostel, the room is actually pretty sizeable and there’s ample room to make the place your own, even if you’re travelling as friends and not as a couple. There wasn’t really any storage space, so we just left our bags on the floor and the window seat, but this really wasn’t much of an issue for us.

The window seat is definitely a cool feature of the room and while the view is only to the street of Micklegate below, it makes for a great little reading nook or people-watching place.

One thing in particular that I was thoroughly impressed with was just how comfy the bedding is. Usually in hostels, you can expect to find a plastic sheet or paper-thin duvet cover, but the bedding at Safestay really exceeded my expectations and was very unexpectedly comfortable!

Our twin room was also equipped with an en suite bathroom which is always a welcome addition as I have some horror stories from shared bathrooms while travelling so it’s always nice to have a private one!

The bathroom at Safestay certainly wasn’t the biggest, but it had everything we needed; a hot shower, towels, toilet paper, a sink and soap.

Unfortunately, the toilet seat in our bathroom was broken which was a little uncomfortable and inconvenient, but it’s nothing that can’t easily be fixed!

In our room, we were also provided with a little tea and coffee station, as well as cartons of water (something I’d never seen before!) and a few toiletries.

Upon our arrival at Safestay, we were also given a bag full of PPE equipment such as disposal masks, gloves and anti-bac. Of course, in “normal” circumstances, you wouldn’t expect this, but it was a very nice and thoughtful touch from the staff at Safestay during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additional features of Safestay York

The York Safestay Hostel is also fully kitted out with a bar and pool table area, with comfy seats and sofas, as well as proper tables and chairs too.

You can also order “pub food” in the form of mini pizzas, burgers and lasagne as well as beer, wine and other alcoholic drinks. As we were there while Covid was still very much a thing, the hostel was pretty quiet so there wasn’t actually anyone in the bar while we were there, but I imagine it gets pretty lively and fun in busier peak times.

There’s also a huge dining hall area, with long benches for seating, as well as a fancy coffee machine, toaster, kettle and microwave. Again, this area of the hostel was remarkably quiet when we were there, but I reckon it’s a great place to hang out and make friends usually.

On the morning of our departure from the York Safestay Hostel, we were provided with a breakfast bag of croissants, cereal, an apple, a breakfast bar, plus orange juice, milk and a takeaway cup for tea or coffee.

Usually, Safestay York offers a more traditional breakfast buffet approach, but for the time being, they’re offering “breakfast to go” which makes it safer for everyone.

Pros

Awesome location – right in the city centre of York on Micklegate which is no more than a 5-minute walk to most bars, restaurants, the train station and numerous attractions.
Very friendly staff – the staff of a hotel/hostel can often make or break a stay but the guys at Safestay York were so welcoming, relaxed and helpful.
Comfy bedding – definitely not something I expected from a hostel!
Great hang-out areas such as a pool room, bar area and a huge dining room.
Quirky decor – this definitely brings the place alive and makes it feel much more inviting and enjoyable to stay in.

Cons

Of course, not every accommodation in the world can be 100% perfect and there were a couple of niggly little downsides to the Safestay York branch.

Noisy guests (this is always to be expected in hostels though, so it wasn’t too much of a concern!).
The toilet seat was broken (not the biggest deal and very easily fixable, it was just a tad inconvenient!).
There were a couple of flies in the room when we arrived (again, this really isn’t a big deal and we soon sorted them out; they must have come in through the window which was open to give the room fresh air before we arrived).

Overall, I really can’t recommend Safestay York enough if you’re looking for an affordable, yet somewhat luxurious place to stay right in the centre of York.

It’s in a perfectly ideal location and is fully equipped with all the necessities and home comforts that you’d need for a fun and affordable stay in York!

I’m already looking forward to exploring more branches of Safestay; check them out here!

Book your stay at Safestay York!

Booking.com

Related posts: