Dublin International Hostel

I have been thinking about writing about this hostel for a while, and I do think it deserves a review.



I gave it four stars on the condition that it IS a hostel. Not a hotel.
Of course it's not the prime conditions in which to stay somewhere, but
if you're trying to travel cheaply (which, let's face it, most of us on
here are), 15 euro a night ain't bad.



LOCATION: The directions on the website on how to get there were less
than helpful, as I had no idea which bus stops were which. I got lost
trying to walk there from the bus stop as well. So, that part about it
wasn't great.... kind of an awkward location for someone who's never
been to Dublin. However, once I did get a sense of where I was, I found
the hostel to be a very good walking distance from the center of the
city. About two anda  half blocks, I'd say, from where O'Connell
Street starts to get busy.



SLEEPING: There's eight beds to a room in the usual creaky metal bunk
beds, BUT, and maybe this was just luck, during the time I was there,
they didn't have anyone sleeping on the top of any of the beds, which
was VERY nice. The beds were actually pretty comfortable, and, my
FAVORITE part-- they gave us real sheets instead of those sleep-sack
things. In Glasgow they gave me a sleep sack thing, and I couldn't fit
in it (and I'm tiny!) and ended up ripping part of it slightly....
DON'T TELL. But it was super awkward and I didn't sleep very well there
as a result. This was like a real bed though. It was awesome.



BATHING: Most definitely my favorite aspect of this hostel: HOT WATER.
Hot water in the shower. Ok, the shower is a little gross, and you have
to keep pressing this button about once a minute to make water come
out, but I didn't even care because at least I was warm. Best thing
ever.



FOOD: Ok, wait, maybe this was my favorite part... FREE
breakfast!!!!!!!! Yeah, yeah, the free "breakfast" consists of
cardboard toast with jam, cereal, and "orange juice," but it was so
great to fill up on all that stuff before going out and then be able to
save myself some money. If you're willing to spend more than me, for
4.50 euro, I think, you can upgrade to a "traditional Irish breakfast."
Also, their dining area is in the hall of an old church, so it's a big,
long, open room, and was pretty neat to sit and enjoy the morning in,
and listen to everyone around you speaking a different language.



STAFF: The people who worked here were nice and helpful. I was having
problems with my key, and they were always really nice about it. There
is also a cute Irish guy who was working at the front desk. I don't
know, that might be an incentive for you. Also, for whatever reason, I
felt really safe staying here, which is also important.



Also, on the website, it says a luggage room isn't available, but it
is. It just costs 1.25 euro. And if you're interested in all the silly
extra things that hostels have to offer, like a "tv room" or whatever,
it has that stuff too. I don't really get why they have that stuff,
because usually if you're staying in a hostel, you're trying to be OUT
of the hostel as much as possible trying to explore the area, because
all you're really paying for is a bed to come back to while you're
inbetween exploring. Oh well.



Maybe I have really low expectations, or am surprisingly low
maintenence, but if you're looking for somewhere to stay in Dublin with
just the necessities, I would recommend staying here.