This is a dual review for the pub and the hotel.
Mason's Arms is a cozy little pub just outside of the medieval wall and backing the canal. We arrived with all of our crap to the main room of the pub. This is where you check in for the hotel. The guys behind the bar were really friendly and helpful. We were shown right to our room out in the courtyard/parking area in the rear of the pub. The rooms have been recently renovated so everything is nice and new from the paint to the tv to the flooring. The room was just big enough for two people and over 100lbs of luggage. They provide towels and hand soap, but you would do well to bring some shampoo and conditioner. The bed was nice and comfy. The bathroom had a towel heater, standing shower, and small sink. We could not figure out how to turn off the towel heater (stupid americans) so we were dying from the heat all night. There is a small closet to hang up stuff as well as a dresser for additional clothing. Heated flooring is an additional bonus, and would've been used had it not been 80 degrees. They provided Yorkshire tea, biscuits, and a kettle which was a lovely treat. I don't think there is wifi but you can get wifi through a city scheme where you pay by the hour, day, and so on. Check out was 10:30 and they were able to hold our luggage until we left York later in the day. They were also nice enough to call us a cab.
The pub itself says on the sign that it is a Black Sheep pub but this appears to no longer be true as when people ordered Black Sheep, they did not have any at all. They did, however, have a great selection of local beers and imports, to include a craft beer from Denver, CO. The food menu is small, but the portions are huge. I got the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding (bc when in Rome) and my fiancée got the gigantic fish and chips. Both meals left us full and happy. The beer and meals are all quite reasonably priced. There is a little beer garden out in the back by the canal that has a nice, relaxing vibe to it.
Overall, this was a great little find on hotels.com. We had a really nice stay here. I loved how it was close to everything but just off the beaten path enough to not be in the hustle and bustle of the York tourist and nightlife scene. Would definitely stay and drink here again! read more