We stayed here for 2 nights in August. Vicky is a wonderful hostess, friendly and welcoming. Our rooom was well furnished and comfortable, very clean and well equipped. It was on the front of the house and the only drawback is traffic noise (we had our window open due to the warm weather but this is a busy road).
Breakfast is more than adequate with sufficient choice.
Price is at the top end for a b&b, but given that this was the high season and the fact that there is parking on site makes it acceptable. (parking in Canterbury is a nightmare and if you want anywhere within reasonable walking distance of the city centre you need on site parking).
Should I visit Canterbury again this will be my first choice.

We received a warm and friendly welcome from the proprietress. The room was large and beautifully decorated with a four poster bed. What more can I say it was perfect.

My husband and I stayed at Yorke Lodge in early June. Our stay was delightful. Our room was large, very clean, and comfortable. We felt that we were living in a lovely home with an excellent host. Vicki O’Shea is amazing. She is warm, friendly, and yet professional. She takes great pride in her property. Breakfast was served in a quiet conservatory and it was delicious. Yorke Lodge is a 10 minute walk to the center of Canterbury. We will definitely seek out the Yorke Lodge when we return to Canterbury.

Vicky O’Shea has managed the Yorke Lodge Guest House since 2002. A pharmacist originally occupied this Victorian villa. He employed a butler and a maid, and Mrs O’Shea offers a similar service and attention to detail. We arrived by car, and found the hotel with little difficulty. Yorke Lodge is 15 minutes’ walk from the city centre, which makes the restaurants and attractions easily accessible. We paid a small supplement for the use of a ‘superior’ double room. The room had been redecorated and upgraded four months previously. It was furnished with a four-post, king-size bed supplemented with scatter cushions to allow easy viewing of the wall-mounted, LCD television. Unlike another reviewer, we had no difficulty sleeping – despite being at the front of the house, there was no outside noise, and the mattress was extremely comfortable. Capacious pine furniture provided ample storage for our belongings alongside the fan heater, electric fan and hair drier provided for our comfort. The high ceilings were complemented by soft, tasteful decoration throughout. Mrs O’Shea has retained the period dado rail, picture rail and ceiling mouldings: the result was to make us feel as if we were staying in an upmarket version of our own home, rather than being the latest visitor to a hotel. Period prints and display cases with antique toys and cameras achieve the right balance between clutter and empty walls. Finally, we agree with the reviewer who described the guest house as “immaculately clean” – we have never stayed anywhere so clean.

Breakfast was sourced locally and cooked to order. Okay, you could pay extra to stay in an anonymous hotel chain, and eat more from an all-you-can-eat buffet, but that is just greedy. There is a selection of cereals, dried fruit, fresh fruit and yoghurt, followed by Continental or English breakfast with toast. My companions switched to the Continental breakfast on our second day because they had insufficient room for the English option. Mrs O’Shea talks to the guests while serving breakfast, offering advice and local knowledge for our forthcoming day. We had similar, pleasant conversations upon returning in the evening.

Canterbury is, of course, a beautiful city. We enjoyed our tour of the cathedral and walking around the period streets. There is interesting architecture and history throughout the area within the ring road. The large number of visitors and the high student population means that there is a wide variety of restaurants (no McDonald’s or KFC!), and a young, vibrant buzz. It is best experienced before the coach parties arrive or in the evening. We also walked along the cliffs east of Dover and explored the beautiful town of Sandwich. All in all, it was an extremely pleasant stay, and we identified many other places to visit on our next trip.