YMCA Vanderbilt Hostel

I love animals, especially rodents, so imagine how pleased I was when I stepped out of my room at the Y and was confronted by a rat the size of a German Shepard. It was walking towards me with eyes like steel ball-bearings and I swear it had a smirk on its face. Anyway, great place for animal lovers.

I stayed at the YMCA Vanderbilt and saw a rat in my room on the first night! The hotel in shabby and outdated and is worse than a student dorm. There are also large groups of students that stay in the hotel having late night parties. The staff were friendly at the reception and there is a gym but even this is very shabby and outdated for english standards. The showers and toilets offer no privacy at all and there are only two toilets on each floor for either sex. Although this is in a good location I wouldn't recommend this hotel. I usually... more

Just want to say one thing to all who visit New York. This Youth Hostel is about 15 blocks away from everything and for the money this is a great deal, especially as you get your own clean private room. This is by far one of the best youth hostels within mid-town without having to go up to Harlem. Do not complain about this place, if you do, its obviously you are used to stayin in 5 star hotels, so you should just stick to them. oh another pointer. Don't ever try to book rooms for the Vanderbilt online during te high season cause... more

Just arrived back from the Vanderbilt,5 minutes from Grand Central Station,use the air train from JFK and subway to get there for 7 dollars! 2 Dollars from La Guardia on easy bus and subway!We were greeted by super staff and allocated our room, yes the room is small,yes it is bunk beds(but thick,wide and clean mattrresses). There is heating,TV and Air con and clean towels and clean communal showers etc.Totally safe very clean and in a super position for everything.We will definitely stop here again and for $85 there is no tax (a charity) a... more

I've stayed at the Vanderbilt Y 4 times in the past decade. It's the place I first discovered NYC as a wide eyed 20 year old. As a student and then a debt ridden 20 something the Y was the perfect option for New York, cheap and safe, superb location, with fantastic pool, friendly staff and a real community buzz. The cafe when open, is cheap and tasty. The showers and toilets are of the hostel type it's true but as long as you realise that before you book you won't be disappointed. It was terribly noisy this time round - i shared... more

My boyfreind and i stayed in NY for half a week. We stayed one night at the YMCA and it was aweful! We didn't sleep at all! The heating pipes made a very loud noise. The rooms were VERY small. We booked online thinking we were getting a double room-we got bunk beds. We had a lovely view of a wall. The staff came into our room in the morning 3 times before 9am they also talked in the hall right outside our door! We slept about two hours total. Maybe it is better in the summer.The front desk staff were nice, though. But we payed only $20... more

My first impressions of the hostel was that it was horrible! I was very suprised about the size of the room, i had trouble fitting my suitcase in! But during my short stay at the hostel i grew more fond of the place and didnt mind it soo much in the end. I realised the hostel had good facilities and was great value. Also if you are a tourist visiting new york, you will probally find out that you are spending much more time around the city rather in the hostel room. I found the bed really comfy and had a relatively good sleep. The bathrooms... more

We stayed for 7 nights, from 25 December until 1 January. We could only afford a hostel due to the rise in prices for the New Year's period. The location was great and we walked most places. Had breakfast at the cafe opposite most mornings (except it's closed on weekends) and there are lots of places to eat dinner nearby. The hostel itself was ok - clean, and our sheets were changed daily and had new towels. Not noisy at all. The room had bunk beds and was tiny. My friend opened the door and laughed, it was so small. But we managed... more

decided against the whole 5th ave thing and stayed in this YMCA. i was well surprised as to how much it had to offer. the room was great, big TV, shower etc etc. The rooms were clean and cleaned daily, safe and had just what we wanted. Breakfast was good and had all the facilities you could think of. Great location for walking to Times Sq, and there is a great Mexican round the corner. have recommended to loads of people and will be going back.

After checking and even cancelling one hotelroom reservation due to horrible reviews, my friend and I decided to stay at the YMCA Vanderbildt. The people at the desk were friendly and helpful. We were on the third floor. Our first surprise was how small the room was! There wasn't enough room for our suitcases, we both had one big suitcase. But we were creative and put the tv on the chair in a corner and the two suitcases on the desk. Who needs a tv anyway. After a long intercontinental flight we went to bed and found that the sheets were... more