"Extra-ordinary - YHA National Forest is great value..... This was no ordinary back-packing stop over. Leather sofas, a restaurant which attracts non-residents and a fully stocked bar, including fine French wine and Champagne, exceeded expectation." Stuart White, Reading Evening Post

"While YHA hasn't abandoned it's principles of dorm bedrooms, bunk beds, a kitchen, and long tables for communal dining; it's the internet cafe and bar that's now the hub of the hostel, not the stove and the kitchen sink .... for backpackers or families who want a safe and clean base from which to explore the city, you can't go wrong with this value-for-money hostel." Ginny McGrath on YHA London Central for Times Online

"Hostels may conjure up images of spartan, single-sex dorms and hardy backpackers, but at many properties this view is well out of date. Around two-thirds of the Youth Hostel Association's 200 hostels in England and Wales offer private family rooms and about 50 have family rooms with ensuite bathrooms." Fred Mawer, Telegraph

"It's menu [YHA National Forest restaurant] is stuffed with imaginative, locally sourced food (think Derbyshire oatcakes stuffed with wild mushrooms and pan-fried chicken with stilton cream). And with mains around £6, and starters and puddings around £3, there surely can't be a more delicious culinary bargain in Britain. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything of this value at a restaurant in, say, a Center Parcs forest." The Guardian

"Coppermines Youth Hostel has an exemplary position: from the bench against the south wall I sat and watched mist rising off Coniston Water, cloud softening the summit of the Old Man, sheep running down the infant slopes of Wetherlam. It was a cross between a James Herriot novel and Narnia. As I sat, I felt my head clearing, my mind sharpening and my mood shifting from amber-lit indoor to clear-skied outdoor." Simon Ingram, Trail

"Mountains, music, good people, log fire...why don't we do this every week? There's nothing better than getting a mountain hideaway to yourself and packing it full of people of all different levels. It's the recipe for a fantastic hill trip." Jeremy Ashcroft, Trail

"To wake up to a sunrise over Coniston, knowing you're already in the fells, was bliss. Being together meant we spent our evenings planning routes and then reliving the day's adventures. Simon picked a great walk with fabulous views over to Windermere, Bowfell and Dow Crag - a great day out in perfect conditions. Real skies, real rocks, real hills, real people...any YHA jobs going?" Louise Parker, Trail

"Light is fading fast on a mid-November evening and there isn’t a soul in sight. The Abbey stands alone on its cliff above the North Sea, forming a striking silhouette; empty window frames standing out in the last, luminous light. It almost seems as if the monks have returned and are settling in for the night.

"Is this the best room with a view I’ve ever had? Quite possibly – it’s certainly the best value for money.

"The Youth Hostel Association’s Whitby hostel opened this year after a £3 million refit of Abbey House, a listed building dating back 500 years. Its rooms have spectacular views of the Abbey and Whitby harbour." Tom Chesshyre, The Times

"We couldn't leave out one of the best bargains around. Forget images of prison-style beds, scratchy blankets and funny smells; the modern youth hostel has come a long way, and many properties look and feel like a cottage you'd be happy to rent. Stunning St Briavel's Castle, near the Wye Valley, built as a hunting lodge in 1205 by King John, now contains a youth hostel, probably the only one with a moat." Gemma Bowes, The Observer

"There surely isn't a better location in Whitby than beside the haunting medieval abbey high above the harbour. But unless you like sleeping in churchyards (and believe me quite a few Whitby visitors do) it’s been a case of camping along the coast or vying for a hotel or B&B down the famous 199 steps. That is, of course, until the YHA opened its new £3m flagship hostel in Whitby. Not only has Abbey House got the best location in town, its historic gardens, fine restaurant and sea views are first class." Jane Cartledge, Sheffield Star

"The light, spacious restaurant, with its apple green walls and parquet floor must, I believe, have one of the best views in Whitby - across the harbour and out towards Sandsend on one side, and up the yacht-speckled River Esk on the other. After our meal we checked out the games room, where pool and table football can be played. There is also a meeting room, a common room with internet access, a laundry and drying room and luggage store.

"The kids watched Dr Who in the TV lounge, a fabulous room with polished wooden floorboards and views across the garden - itself a masterpiece, restored to the 17th century design incorporating native species and medicinal herbs originally used at Whitby Abbey. We all slept well in our comfortable beds - bedding is provided but towels are not - and enjoyed a hearty breakfast before heading down the 199 steps to saunter around Whitby before heading home.

"Can we go again?" asked the children on the way back. We all agreed we'd had a great break. And I've definitely changed my mind about youth hostelling."

Helen Mead, Bradford Telegrpah and Argus

"If location was all that mattered, the best hotel in Britain might very well be Whitby Youth Hostel. The hostel - it opened a few weeks ago - sits on one of the most magnificent headlands in the country. Below it, the pastel-hued rooftops of the town are spread out, while the North Sea crashes impressively beyond the harbour wall. It's a view that could hardly be bettered. And yet it is bettered...by the view from the back." The Guardian

"This [YHA Whitby] is an elegant property perched on the cliffs near the Abbey. There are en suite rooms, links to the internet, conference facilities - you can even get married here. And they will have a fully licenced restaurant and tea-rooms open by the summer.

"Could be the 'old' YHA is worth another look." Peter Lugg, BBC Look North

“You may find this hard to believe, but there exists in the UK a hotel chain dedicated to offering comfortable, en-suite, family rooms in interesting, often stunning and historic locations, both urban and rural, for as little as £32.50 a night. The hotel chain in question has just brought out its 2007/08 brochure and - unsurprisingly enough, given how family oriented it is - it features a picture of a mother and baby on the cover. Only the logo in the corner gives away its identity - because the chain in question is none other than the good old Youth Hostel Association.” Joanna Moorhead, The Guardian

“Often sited amid the country’s best scenery, hostels make up in value what they lack in luxury.” – The Guardian

“Apparently the YHA is being dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century. In a bid to compete against budget breaks abroad, the UK’s Youth Hostels have ditched dorms and dreary dinners in favour of en suites and fine dining. Ramblers, needless to say, are up in arms, but we’re planning our hols.” – Daily Mail

“Youth Hostels have come on a lot since I last stayed in one. They serve food from local farms and even alcohol.” – Bernard Ingham, Daily Express

“It’s safe to say that hostelling now is a world away from grumpy wardens, lights out rules and breakfast chores. But, thankfully, the beautiful locations remain.” – Deborah Stone, Daily Mail

“YHA is transmogrifying itself from a “Famous Five” crash pad into a no-frills Easyjet-style chain of hostelries for the new-era bum-bag and aluminium pole fraternity.” – Adam Edwards, Daily Telegraph

“Gone are the coal-tar soap bars, starched sheets and outside toilet blocks. In their place are smart new purpose-built holiday centres complete with underfloor heating, Sky TV, licensed bars and fresh, healthy (often organic) food, cooked by an on-site chef, that could rival what you could eat in a Jamie Oliver restaurant.” – Eileen Condon, Woman’s Weekly

“There are few more beautiful places to spend the night than the tiny shepherd's bothy at Black Sail in Ennerdale, which is the most remote youth hostel in England,” - The Guardian

“Character oozes out of every stone and beam [of YHA Black Sail]. Even when you are cold and wet it stirs the blood. Yes. It’s a legend all right.” - Ross Brewster, News and Star, Cumbria

“To get the same level of freedom – and stunning location [as YHA Coverack] – you would have to upgrade to the three-figure sum per night of the seaside chic hotels of the Cornish coast. And how many of us can afford those?” – Sarah Pitt, Western Morning News

“It’s our kids I’m worried about as YHA goes all gourmet food and en-suite in an effort to appeal to modern families. Grown-ups of course are entitled to the centrally-heated, soft pillowed, alcohol-fuelled delights of the new-look hostels.” – Rob Campbell, Western Daily Press