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Reviews of YHA South Downs - Hostel

4 out of 5
YHA South Downs - Hostel
Itford Farm, Beddingham, Lewes, England

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 32 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 21 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 64 reviews" "

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.8/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Alexey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Right on the South Downs trail, close to a train station or by car. Staff was friendly and nice, and the food was great. I really liked their morning English breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024
Response from Marco on 15 Apr 2024
Thanks for your review Alexey

10/10 Excellent

Yanping

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Steven

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Michelle on 22 Nov 2023
Thankyou for leaving us a rating.

6/10 Okay

Alan

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location, could be improved with better mgmt
Beautiful location with lovely views from the garden. Very convenient for Newhaven ferry and for walking on the South Downs. Welcome at check in was not great. Two staff members ignored us whilst taking their time to finish their conversation first. Lack of attention to detail. Light fittings had dozens of dead flies. Not cleaned for months. One ceiling light in our private room did not work. Also one of the bedside lamps didn't work. Bath screen allowed the shower to leak all over the floor and corridor carpet. Bathroom floor was dirty. Kitchen had a faulty cooker. Several spiders in the bathroom and bedroom. We had dinner at restaurant and food was excellent. Such a shame that 3 staff members were chatting with each other and loudly berating previous clients while we were eating. Not a nice atmosphere, unfortunately.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Hostel Manager on 22 Nov 2023
Thankyou for leaving us a review. We are sorry that your stay was not up to our usual high standards. I have taken all of your comments on board and will look to rectify.We hope we can welcome you again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Chris

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Friendly people, lovely room, great cafe, breakfast and supper, will definitely stay again. Thank you
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from YHA South Downs on 1 Jul 2023
Hi Chris,Thank you for your 5 star review. We are so glad that you enjoyed your stay with us and we hope to see you again soon :)

6/10 Okay

CLAIRE

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
Convenient but overpriced
Stayed here whilst walking the south downs way. Food was very good both evening and breakfast. Beds very uncomfortable, plastic matress makes you very hot. Quite noisy as near main road and unmanned railway station next to it means trains use their horns everytime the pass. Charge 4* hotel prices for private room with a bunkbed.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Michelle on 2 Jun 2023
Thankyou for your review. We are pleased you enjoyed our food offer, we are sorry that you found the beds uncomfortable - we do regularly replace our mattresses. Our prices are usually competitive with similar locations in the area. We hope we can welcome you back to the YHA again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Jo

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Really convinient location for South downs way walk, very helpful staff, safe, clean and comfortable. Lovely setting and property.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Michelle on 2 Jun 2023
Thankyou for taking the time to review us; we are pleased you enjoyed your stay, and agree our location is great and we hope to welcome you back again soon.

6/10 Okay

Anthony

Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jorge Manuel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very well located and very comfortable rooms.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Stephanie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It is absolutely unique in its proximity to Southease railway station on the line between Seaford and Lewes/Brighton and its access to the South Downs Way voa the pedestrian footbridge over the A25.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Amazing
A beautiful place to stay, the staff were friendly and the rooms were clean. It was really useful that there is a very nearby train station. I enjoyed exploring the incredible nature surrounding the hostel, but a trip into the city was made easy too. I definitely reccomend and i'll be back next time i'm in the area
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

8/10 Good

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay for the price
The stay was very good overall for the price. Staff were friendly, the hot full english breakfast was really good, the room was ok all be it a bit on the small side and is just a bumk bed with nothing else, a little table or a stool would have been uswful. The sheets were clean and the beds comfy, only thing was its right next to the road and the cars going by are loud however they did put a pair of ear plugs in the room although this was more for if people snored.
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Antony

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Rafal

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

Sue

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Worth the stay
Staff very helpful as arriving very late. Beautiful position. Very clean. Plenty of amenities. Mattress a little hard
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022

10/10 Excellent

Bernadette

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Dr M J

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very clean and friendly accomodation.
Comfortable,spotlessly clean room. Nice firm matress. Cheerful andvery helpful staff. I slept very well but my wife was disturbed by traffic noise from the road to Newhaven. Amazing value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Super spot, good communication, staff very welcoming..shame I couldn’t stay longer ..will be back!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Steve

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lara

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff, great location (close to South Downs Way), and well maintained facilities.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2021
Response from YHA Southdowns on 25 Nov 2021
Hi Lara, Thanks so much for leaving us this lovely review. Its great to hear that you had a lovely time.

10/10 Excellent

Zoe

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay no complaints at all. Friendly helpful staff, clean, organised and accessible.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021
Response from YHA Southdowns on 25 Nov 2021
Hi Zoe, Thanks for taking the time to leave this lovely review. We are delighted.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very Helpful staff
Great stay, very friendly staff who were very helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

2/10 Terrible

Shirley

Not suitable for wheelchair user
We didn't get to stay as the disabled room that was booked was on the first floor with no lift. Impossible to get to with wheelchair. Were shown a ground floor room but this had no private bathroom and the shared bathroom had a step into it and no room for a wheelchair to fit in if we could get up the step. We were left with nowhere to stay at 5.30pm
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

lucy

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stay at youth hostel.
Lovely friendly staff.. so helpful. Nice cafe and outside a small garden with views of surrounding hills. Lots of birds in the garden. Wish there were bird feeders so i could see even more! The rooms were clean and basic like you expect a hostel to be. Havent slept in a bunk bed 4 years but overall it was just a lovely stay and again.. all the team were just lovely.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great staff
Really helpful and friendly staff, great location right on the South Downs Way and good cafe and pretty garden
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2021
Response from Suzie on 19 Jun 2021
Hello, Thanks so much for leaving us this lovely review. We are really happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay. Come back and visit us again soon

10/10 Excellent

Androulla

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very comfortable stay
The hostel was easy to find and very close to rail station so you could explore the area. Room very comfortable and warm. Food a little basic but good. Communal area was relaxing but cold and wifi a little intermittent. Staff really friendly and helpful. Would definitely stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

martin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really cheap and great for an overnight
It was a Youth Hostel but you don't need to be a member. I did stay in a dorm but there were only two of us in it and it took me back to when I was a student. Very clean, very friendly, very good full English breakfast in the café on site. Really good repurposing of what I assume was once a large farm. I was only staying overnight as I was on my way to the Newhaven ferry (just a few miles down the road). I would be happy to stay here a few days, nice area, and I'll probably come back with my wife at a later date.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Our group stayed at YHA Southdowns prior to our ferry for France the next morning. Was surprised at how nice it was and felt is was great value. Excellent full English breaky!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from YHA South Downs on 22 Nov 2019
Thanks for the review! Pleased you enjoyed the brekkie. See you soon.

8/10 Good

Lynn

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Old farm buildings close to the seaport of Newhaven.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Right on South Downs Way
First youth hostel stay in many years and what a lovely surprise. I was walking the south downs way so this was the obvious choice. (To show my age) They provide the sheets and you no longer have to do a job that always held you up in the morning. The cafe served meals and alcohol up until 8 which I arrived too late for. The breakfast, which I ate at 7.30, was as good as the others I had in the pubs and b&b I stayed in on the walk. The room was clean and comfortable. But it is still a youth hostel, I shared a bathroom with a couple of other rooms, which was only a minor inconvenience and there's an 11pm noise curfew. It backs directly onto an A road but there was little traffic noise between 11 and 6 on the Friday that I stayed.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

10/10 Excellent

judith

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very comfortable
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from Team Member YHA South Downs on 4 May 2019
Glad you found the hostel comfortable. Hope to welcome you again soon.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019

8/10 Good

Frank

Arrived by rail at Southease Station well after sunset. Fortunately I did have a flashlight with me. You need one! Although the walk from the station to the hostel is a short one (5 - 7 minutes) there's no lighting along the dirt road. The hostel itself was a welcomed quiet retreat. I was there to attend a 2 day first aid course and unfortunately didn't have an opportunity to explore the South Downs. The hostel staff and facilities surpassed my expectations.The staff was very friendly and the catering facilities were better than expected. The cooked breakfasts were excellent and good value. The private room that I was in was clean and comfortable. Wi-fi was not available in the rooms but was available in public areas. Altogether a good experience and good value for money.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2018

10/10 Excellent

Juliet

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable mattress at this yha . Also good to find paper towels in bathroom .
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from Team member on 20 Jun 2018
Great to hear you had a comfortable stay with us and we hope to see you soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a great stay except the WiFi was pretty bad.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2018
Response from YHA South downs on 15 Jun 2018
Thank you for your comments, unfortunately because of our location the Wi-Fi can be temperamental - we hope this didn't effect your stay too much

10/10 Excellent

Iwona

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
picturesque views and friendly staff
Lovely place to walk and enjoy the countryside. My daughter and I stayed in a lovely cosy attic room. The staff is very friendly and warm. We enjoyed the experience a lot.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from YHA South downs on 15 Jun 2018
Such lovely comments about the team here thank you. We are pleased to hear you had a good stay with us

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

The accommodation is what you would expect from a hostel. The room was very basic but clean and beds were made. Staff were pleasant and made you fell welcome. the location was ideal for us. We ate in the small cafe in the evening and the meal was well priced and satisfying...home cooked.
Stayed 1 night in May 2018
Response from YHA South downs on 15 Jun 2018
Thank you for your comments, we are glad to hear you had a nice stay with us and that you enjoyed the meals in the café too, we look forward to welcoming you again soon

10/10 Excellent

Keith

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A defo must stat
Fab place, relaxing, friendly and beautiful countryside
Response from Hostel Manager on 4 Apr 2018
Thank you for the great review! We are pleased you had such a great time and we hope to see you again.

6/10 Okay

charlotte

Noisey no wifi but good location
Great location for South Downs but beware the road traffic noise as all rooms seem to have it super loud. No wifi...
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017
Thanks for your comments. As we have mentioned in previous responses we are situated on the A26 so some rooms do unfortunately suffer from the noise from the road especially at night where the noise is more noticeable. We hope this didn't effect your stay too much. We have Wifi in the café and in the Farmhouse lounge, as we are so remote the signal can be temperamental but does work in these areas.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Room comfort
Gets the job done- clean. Noise from traffic though be warned, no wifi in rooms
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017
Thank you for your comments, we are glad you had a good stay. We are situated next to the A26 so unfortunately some of our rooms do suffer from road noise, we hope this didn't effect your stay

8/10 Good

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fresh and modern YHA, will be staying again.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017
Response from Hotel Management on 4 Jan 2018
Thank you for your comments

10/10 Excellent

john

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice place
very clean professional hostel
Stayed 3 nights in May 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Not that cheap, not that cheerful
Plastic mattress, shower that wouldn't stay the same temperature for more than three seconds, blandest food I have ever tasted (and the chef, though very nice, didn't know what wheat gluten is), lots of noise throughout the night (traffic, machinery, people). After walking on the South Downs Way, to wake in your own sweat after an incredibly uncomfortable night, with the constant strobe light effect of the emergency lighting filling the room, is not what I call restful. Never again.

10/10 Excellent

Mike, Brighton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent value for money
Peaceful and quiet location. Good night sleep on a strong (but small) bunk bed.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort