The York diaries with Travelodge...

The historic city of York is somewhere I have enjoyed visiting many times over the years, so when Travelodge* asked me to review one of their hotels, I had no hesitation in where to choose. I took my Mum along with me for a getaway filled with food, fun and sightseeing. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by Florin on reception who was so friendly and helpful, giving us maps as well as tips on where to eat during our stay.

We were pleased to find that the hotel was centrally located, just a short walk from the many attractions in the city. I had reserved a family room so that we would have plenty of space during our stay.

We took the lift up to the second floor, and we were impressed when we saw our room. There was a comfortable king size Dreamer bed, with a duvet and four plump pillows, as well as two additional single beds. There was plenty of light from the large window which gave us a beautiful view of the River Ouse as well as The Castle Museum and the top of Clifford’s Tower. There was WiFi available too which was handy as I was able to work. 

I was pleased to find there was a large desk area, tea and coffee making facilities and a flat screen television. The desk area was the perfect spot to for me to catch up on a little work during our stay and it doubled nicely as a dressing table thanks to the large mirror. We settled in and made a drink as we unpacked, hanging our clothes in the spacious wardrobe which also had several shelves. 

There were bedside tables and individual night lights above each bed too for convenience. 

The bathroom was spacious and well-appointed with minimal white and blue décor as well as a bath and shower, sink and vanity area.

We headed out in to the city armed with our maps, but I already had only one destination in mind. Our long journey meant we had skipped lunch, so I was determined to head straight out for dinner. I have eaten at Drakes many times in the past and I could not wait to go there for some of their famous fish & chips.

I went for the large cod and chips with mushy peas. The chips were chunky and the fish was perfectly flaky beneath its golden and crispy batter. We enjoyed every bite and we sipped a pot of Yorkshire tea with the meal, which is always the best companion to fish & chips. 

After that it was time for some sightseeing and we visited York Minster where I took lots of photographs as usual, before we ambled along the historic street of The Shambles. We also stopped in to a bar called Pavement Vaults for a Gin and Tonic, it was a welcoming bar with real ales and an extensive food menu too.

Back at the hotel, we relaxed with glasses of Cava and watched a movie before we both drifted off to sleep. I let my Mum have the double bed and it certainly got her hallmark of approval as she had a sound sleep. I was equally comfortable on my single bed and woke up feeling refreshed. I popped down to reception to pick up the Good Morning breakfast boxes which were included in our stay.

The breakfast boxes consisted of cereal and milk, a muffin, cereal bar and orange juice and they were the ideal light breakfast to give us energy for a morning of sightseeing. We enjoyed our second day in York and of course we managed to find the time for some shopping as well as visiting historic landmarks. 

The view from our room was so striking and I enjoyed looking out over the river during our stay whilst I had my morning coffee.

On the second day we went to Nandos for a quick lunch and then we walked around the historic streets and got some amazing Gelato in the Shambles, I had Bounty flavour and my Mum had strawberry. 

We popped in to Carluccio's for some cakes too, there was a good selection as you can see. Later, we arrived back to the room to find the beds were freshly made up and extra towels, tea and coffee had been provided. We had another relaxing night at the hotel and on our final morning we were able to leave our luggage in secure storage for a few hours so that we could enjoy some last minute sightseeing before departure. This was a huge added convenience, as walking around the city with our luggage would have been difficult. We popped to the Minster again then we had pizza for lunch and did a little more shopping before going back to the hotel to retrieve our bags, the reception team were happy to order us a taxi to the station too which was a great convenience. 

All too soon it was time to head home. We boarded the train feeling sorry to leave behind the lovely city of York and happy that we had enjoyed such a fun break. I would recommend Travelodge to anybody who wants an affordable hotel stay in contemporary and spacious accommodation. The room was well equipped with every amenity and the reception team were on hand for any information or help we needed. The choice of over 500 Travelodge locations across the UK means that you are never far away from one of their hotels. They now have over 150 hotels which feature a restaurant and bar, serving dinner from 5-10pm as well as their new unlimited breakfast with Lavazza coffee, which is available at all Travelodge hotels with a restaurant and bar. We had such a great time and staying at Travelodge enabled us to be right in the city centre where we could enjoy everything York has to offer.

Travelodge York Central 

90 Piccadilly, 

York, 

North Yorkshire 

YO1 9NX

www.travelodge.co.uk

What do you all think, do you like the idea of a stay at Travelodge and which city would you recommend for a city break? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille 

xo 

*I was a guest of Travelodge, my stay was complimentary for review purposes. Opinions stated herein are my own and honest.