I stayed at the YHA in Whitby, after being invited to the seaside resort for a wedding reception. When planning the trip, and adding up all the costs (petrol, wedding gift, new outfit, spending money for the weekend) I decided that it would be far too expensive to stay at a 3/4* b&b or hotel. My partner had stayed at a YHA before, but I was somewhat skeptical. I didn't want to share a room with strangers! However, we found that they offered rooms that had one single bunk bed, and some that even had proper beds (although they were fully booked!).

The price was excellent - £40 for a Saturday night for two of us. When we got there the car park was slightly small, but the guy on reception helped to jiggle a few cars around that were leaving. We were right next to Whitby Abbey and even got free entry while we were there (saving us about £15 each!) and there were spectacular views from the room. The room was clean, basic, and warm. We had to make our own beds up but this was quick and I was surprised at how clean all the linen was. My other fear - sharing a bathroom - turned out to be fine also. There was a WC and wash basin in one room, and a full bathroom in another room, so plenty of facilities for the few bedrooms that were sharing. Again, very clean.

There was a great cafe/restaurant in the YHA that did lovely big portions of homemade food for very low prices. I had the beef stew with a big doorstop of bread, and my partner had the pizza and a sponge pudding with custard.

Another good feature was that we were very close to the shops,bars and restaurants. To get to the wedding reception, which was a few miles away, we needed a taxi and the reception staff sorted this out for us.

All in all, a great cheap stay, very comfortable and the staff were very friendly. Perfect if you want a handy and cheap base to explore, and don't mind sleeping in bunk beds!!