Hotel Review: HI NYC Hostel, New York

The hostel enjoys an impressive location on the Upper West Side, putting guests within easy reach of Harlem, Midtown and top Manhattan attractions. Subway options are nearby and Times Square is 20 minutes by subway, Central Park is a few minutes' walk.

By plane: flights from London, Manchester or Edinburgh to New York take 7 hours. A taxi will take one hour from JFK airport. Paid parking available nearby. Book flights to New York.

The design is functional, but with lots of white walls, high ceilings and spacious rooms, there's an upbeat feel throughout.

Facilities are pretty extensive and include a large, well equipped kitchen, a café and several lounge areas and spaces with tables for eating or working. There's a pool table, a printer and computer. A lounge area in the basement doubles as a venue for live events. There are lockers for secure storage, and a spacious brick patio and attractive garden with tables spread around. Staff are friendly and helpful, but there can be queues and the lift is slow at times.

• Café
• Lounge
• Games room
• Terrace
• Garden
• Events
• Family-friendly
• Free Wi-Fi

There are dorms sleeping four, six, eight, ten or 12, which all have shared bathrooms. There are also private rooms that sleep four, with a large double bed and a bunk bed, and some have an en-suite bathroom.

Room types: Standard Dorm, Premium Dorm, Private Quad, Private/Family Room

Key amenities: shared bathroom, towels and bed linens, storage space, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi (based on a dorm)

There is a snack bar/café with a decent range of pastries, sandwiches, salads and soft drinks. Food and drinks are not allowed in rooms and alcohol has to be stored securely (it's not permitted anywhere in the building or in the grounds outside) - something to consider if you like a beer, or even a lemonade, or to have a working lunch in your room.

Café: serving a range of pastries, sandwiches, salads and soft drinks.