Barnacles Temple Bar House

Me, Lori and Mike stayed at Barnacles in Dublin for 2 nights,Mike booked it via Hostelworld and cost us 21gbp per night. The location is excellent, its so close to all the pubs and bars of the Temple Bar area. The hostel operates an electronic card system, the security there is very good or as Lori said 'they operate a tight ship!', you're not allowed to bring alcohol into the room but that didnt stop us, we couldnt afford Dublins drink prices! The staff are friendly and the common room is very good (tv, internet access, comfy chairs and all very chic decoration) as is the kitchen, they have some great facilities. The beds are all bunk beds and are kind of hard and you only get one pillow and the bathroom is TINY! however i would recommend Barnacles for the budget conscious traveller due to it location in Temple Bar and the friendliness in Dublin. There are many shops and bars all around and is within walking distance of all major attractions and is located about a 10 minute walk from the train station aswell! thoroughly recommended!

Only a few doors down from Dublin's famous Temple Bar, Barnacles Temple Bar House is a great hostel for those who want to be smack in the middle of all the action. All major Dublin sights are within walking distance and the friendly and helpful staff can easily help you plan your day with city attraction suggestions, directions and transportation information. Pick up pamphlets for exciting day trips in the lobby and be sure to grab a free Dublin map on the way out.

At night, the hostel's prime location in the middle of energetic Temple Bar district means you can party all night without having to worry about cab fares, getting lost, or coming in too late for Barnacles is open 24 hours. There's even a kebab shop around the corner for your late night munchies.

As a female solo traveler, my main concerns when choosing a hostel were location, security, and cleanliness. Hostel guests are buzzed into the lobby and must flash their ID and use a keycard to get to the rooms. Visitors are not allowed beyond the lobby. Keycards get you in to your assigned room and upon check-in, you are assigned a bed as well, so there's no fight for a place to sleep. Metal baskets under bunks provide a relatively safe space for you to keep your belongings. If you don't bring your own lock, you can rent some at the front desk. There are also safety deposit boxes available but I never needed one. I felt quite safe and never felt my safety threatened at any point during my stay. All other guests were friendly, wanting to be there just as much as me.

Guests were of all ages and ranged from solo travelers, couples, groups and even families. I stayed in a 10-bed room in a top bunk and despite it being a slightly squeaky metallic frame, I slept like a baby. I recommend bringing EAR PLUGS because the windows were left open all night, overlooking noisy Temple Lane and you can't really escape other snoring guests. I brought ear plugs, didn't hear A THING, and slept through the night.

Overall, the room was clean and the bed comfortable. The ensuite bathroom was always clean, the shower hot and water pressure great. There was a computer with internet access in the Common Room where you will find many guests gathering to watch football games and what-not.

I had a great experience and would definitely recommend this hostel for those wanting to be as close to the sights, live music, and fun company as possible.

I work for an educational travel company called Explorica (www.explorica.com) so I have done my fair share of country hopping! This summer, I took my first trip to Ireland and I loved it! While there, I stayed at Barnacle's in the Temple Bar area. Although a lot of guidebooks said that it would be noisy, the rumblings from the night life below didn't reach our third floor room. The entire place was immaculately clean, which is always my chief concern when backpacking. All in all, I would highly recommend this hostel to anyone who wanted to have a great time in Dublin!

Barnacles is a pretty decent hostel.... a lot better than some of the other dives I've stayed in in Dublin. The rooms are clean, the showers are hot, there's a full kitchen where you can cook and get free breakfast, and there is underbed storage. Everything you'd expect from a hostel, basically.

It's located right in the heart of Temple Bar though, so depending on the purpose of your trip to Dublin, that could totally be hit or miss. If you're there for the nightlife, then you couldn't ask for a more ideal location. If you're not though, it can get *really* loud at night. We had a wonderful guy outside our window who serenaded us for hours with his guitar and songs about peeing in the streets. If you're lucky enough to get one of the rooms that doesn't face the street it may not be so bad, but who knows.

Really good otherwise. I'd definitely stay at Barnacles again if I had too... I especially like their Galway location as well!

This is a small hostel located just up the block from the famous Temple Bar on Temple Lane in Dublin.  The location is great for both day time exploring, and nightlife.  It has 24 hour reception and keycard entry.  I paid about 29€ a night which, considering the location, I felt wasn't that bad.  There are three floors and no elevators so be ready for a bit of a walk.  Every room is "ensuite" (with a bathroom in them) with rooms contaning however many beds. In addition to the 4 or 6 person mixed dorms they also offer doubles and twin rooms. The hostel has two computers in a common room where smoking is permitted, as well as a kitchen and dinning area where a free breakfast is served daily.  They do not permit alcohol or smoking in the bedrooms.  It is cleaned daily, and like a hotel they make you bed, something most hostels do not do. 

Laundry services is 7€ and it is done overnight.  Check out is a bit early, 1030am but as the sun comes out so early in Ireland I never had trouble being up that early anyway. 

 

I spent 3 nights in total in the Barnacles.

Everything was excellent - the location was easy to find, very clean facilities, en suite bathrooms, comfortable bunker beds (each bunker bed had it's own mini light), safes, electronic card keys for added security both at the entrance as well as your room.

Most importantly, and contrary to what others may think - despite this hostel being next to *THE* legendary Temple Bar in Dublin and the heart of all activity on weekends, you don't hear any noise inside the hostel rooms. It's perfect in that, you get to stay in Dublin's trendiest area and yet you can sleep like a log if you wish! (And note - the 3 nights I spent were 2 Friday's and 1 Saturday. Could there be any busier or noisier nights?!)

The kitchen is well maintained, breakfast is like any other backpacker hostel - bread and coffee. The area and neighbourhood is very safe. Despite people thinking that Temple Bar can get a bit tipsy during nights and all, most drunks I met were pretty much to themselves, no one would bother me or anything.

It has easy connections to major bus stops as well as the Hop On/Hop Off buses, and is a hop, skip and jump away from both River Liffy (O'Connell Street) and Grafton Street.

If I could be nitpicky and complain about anything, I can find only 2 things -
1. Most receptionists I spoke to were rude. Not rude, but not as willing to help as I've seen in other hostels. It's like, any question I asked them, they'd immediately spit out a "I don't know" in a flash. It's almost like they just didn't want to help. I can understand if I asked them a tough question, but asking them questions on location of the nearest Post Office isn't such a tough 'un, is it?!

2. Too many stairs! Like St.Christopher's Inn, Edinburgh and YHAs in London, the Barnacles team ought to consider having lifts in their hostels. Climbing to the 3rd floor was like hiking up Mt.Everest for me!

But overall thumbs up. I'd love to return here. alongside London's YHA St.pancras, this has to be one of the better hostels I've stayed in, in Europe.