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No. 21 York: a Lovely Guest House in York

On our recent visit to York this past July, we stayed at No. 21 York Bed & Breakfast (B&B) Guest House, which had been recommended on this Forum.

No. 21 is run by affable Simon and hard-working Andrea, who live on the premises. It is located just outside the city walls, an easy walk from the train station (taking Simon’s advice about a shortcut.) It’s small, with only 6 guest rooms, but clean and comfortable. The guest rooms are all upstairs, and there is no elevator. We paid €135 per weeknight; weekend nights were €150.

We had room 2, on the first floor up. The room was small, but spotless and thoughtfully laid out. A comfy bed, two nightstands with three drawers each, a wicker chair, a wardrobe with plenty of hangers, and a small table filled the small room. Slippers and robes were tucked into the wardrobe, as was an umbrella. There was a tiny fridge under the table, and on the table were a coffee maker, a kettle, tea and coffee fixings, and homemade cookies! The en suite bathroom had a shower, toiletries, washcloths, plenty of towels, and a heated towel rack.

In our pre-stay correspondence, Simon had asked about any dietary needs or requests. I mentioned that I didn’t eat sugar, but that at least one of the breads offered at breakfast would suit me. He offered to change one of his recipes, but I assured him the regular sourdough was fine. Much to my surprise, he modified both his other breads to leave out the sugar! And – here’s the one that won my heart – the homemade cookies on the coffee tray? One jar of them were sugar free! Now, that’s taking care of your guests.

The breakfasts were delicious; everything was homemade (included the baked beans and all the breads) and locally sourced. Since breakfast was made to order, we submitted our requests the evening before, choosing from a wide array of cereals, baked goods, yoghurt, fruits, meats, eggs, and the all the makings of a “full Yorkshire breakfast.” Everthing was excellent. (The free range organic eggs were incredible. I seldom eat eggs for breakfast, but I did here!)

Simon gave us great advice; among other things he recommended we take the locally run free tour of York. The tour was great, far better than the tour of York that had been included in our Best of Englad tour the previous week. Simon’s restaurant recommendations were also spot on, resulting in some of the best meals we had in England.

In short, we had a lovely stay, and would gladly stay there again. Highly recommended. He made cookies for me. https://no21york.co.uk/

Posted by
10236 posts

Well, this is an immediate bookmark ! It sounds like a truly wonderful place thanks to Simon's (and Andrea's) good care. Thank you, Jane, for writing this up.

Posted by
2090 posts

We too had a terrific experience some years ago. Great hosts. The breakfast was really exceptional . Passed through a beautiful park each time coming and going.

Posted by
6536 posts

Denny, I think your review was one I read before I booked.

Kim, you won't be sorry. Should we ever return to York, that's where we're staying. I'm going to try to post a trip report of our stay in York tomorrow, if I have time. If life gets less ... ummm .... "interesting." Lol

Posted by
144 posts

Jane, this looks wonderful. We’ve been talking about going to York the next time we visit England, and this looks perfect. Thank you for posting it. I’m looking forward to reading your trip report!

Posted by
165 posts

Jane! I've been doing an endless back and forth with where I'm going to stay in York for a solo trip next April, and thanks to your glowing recommendation (followed by seeing its ideal location, good price point, and absolutely endless stellar reviews), I just booked here! I'm feeling SO good about it. Thank you!!

Posted by
6536 posts

Oh, Hannah, I'm so glad. We've learned of some great places to stay from folks on the Forum, so I'm delighted to pass it on.

Samatudd, should you decide to go to York, check this place out. We loved it.

Posted by
37 posts

Thanks for the glowing review! Looking forward to our 3-night stay there in August. Simon has already been so helpful in pre-trip planning.

Posted by
7825 posts

In case that one is fully booked, we really liked the small Galtres Lodge Hotel near The Shambles. I reserved their room with a large non-working fireplace last year. The door to the bathroom is an old metal safe door! The bathroom had both a shower & a clawfoot tub. Their home-cooked breakfasts were amazing and the staff were very hospitable! York was one of our favorite locations!

Posted by
3872 posts

Wow, this could be my new favorite place to stay in York! Looks great, great hosts. I love the helpful links they've given about where to eat and the walking tours. The breakfast sounds excellent, too.
Jane, thanks for posting this review.

Posted by
6536 posts

Jean, thanks for the recommendation. Should we ever need another place to stay, we'll check this out.

Helenturner, you're in for a treat. Rebecca and Tammy, thanks for your comments. I'm glad to spread the word about this great place and the lovely people who run it.

Posted by
628 posts

Definitely bookmarking Jane. You haven’t steered us wrong yet! Thank you

Posted by
2766 posts

Yes, thanks for sharing -- but I have to add one tongue-in-cheek
;-P

'-- What is it with English holiday lodging and wicker furniture? It seems like wicker somehow means vacation time in their minds,
just like the French seem to like plastic chairs with metal legs. Why continues with overgeneralizations and broad-brushing ....

Posted by
8056 posts

Jane, that place looks lovely! I will definitely keep it in mind for my next trip. Thanks!

Posted by
170 posts

I wholeheartedly agree with your review, Jane!! We were up in room 4 in late June, and were so impressed by our hosts’ hospitality and how Simon’s catered to our vegan needs. The Prosecco for our anniversary was a lovely touch. The ceiling fan in the room was a welcome surprise.

That wicker chair held one of our suitcases LOL, and the other was in the armoire. Room was compact but so very comfortable. (2 flights up). And QUIET. Amazing given how close we were to town.

A huge plus was the “shortcut” when walking from the train station (walk along platforms toward the short stay car park) to the bridge and cross the river.

Enjoy your stay! You’ll want to savor Simon’s breakfasts and Andrea’s energy :)

Posted by
6536 posts

Thanks for your continued comments. I love hearing other people's experiences and plans.

Posted by
2 posts

Good morning all

Thank you so much for your lovely review Jane, and for all the lovely comments from everyone. We have Helen staying with us this weekend and look forward to meeing everyone else in the not too smdistant future, Hannah, we'll see you in April.

Equally tongue in cheek... The word “wicker” is of Scandinavian descent and originates from the words wika which means “to bend” and vikker which means “willow.” The United Kingdom - and York in particular - have a long history of Vikings, so we are maintaining the history by having wicker chairs in our rooms ;-P

Simon & Andrea

Posted by
2 posts

Hi Jane

I have seen your trip report, wonderful detail for everyone to learn from your experiences.

Simon

Posted by
37 posts

YES to everything Jane said!!

We were there for three nights and truly enjoyed our stay. The ease in walking from the train station to No. 21 via Simon's shortcut even with luggage, the accommodations, the breakfasts (especially the amazing fresh fruit salad and the homemade baked beans) and just the overall welcome and support Simon and Andrea provide. I've posted a much longer review on tripadvisor under my TA name "Loves2TravelandRead."

We stayed in #3 which is a larger room that includes two high-back chairs facing a fireplace with a little electric fire inset. It gave us room to spread out and was so comfortable. It was midway through our trip, and we were even able to arrange with Andrea and Simon to do a load of washing for us. Just a tip-top accommodation.

Posted by
6536 posts

Helen, I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay. Stan just asked yesterday if we can go back to England next year, and I suspect York is on his mind!

Posted by
979 posts

Jane, this sounds lovely! I also bookmarked!

Now to find places like this in Rome, Tuscany, Venice …