The Hostelz.com Review
Derry City Independent Hostel - Steve's Backpackers has been in this location for four years but used to be known as Steve's Backpacker's Hostel. It has a very relaxed, indie backpacker style. It is very clean and the guests seem very laid back. The owners are extremely friendly and helpful in booking tours, leading pub crawls, and helping guests in any way that that can. Breakfast and linens are included with the nightly charge but you have to rent a towel if you don't have one. There is a left luggage available.
The Location
The location is excellent. It is a couple of minutes walk to the center of town, the bus station, and the Derry City Walls tourist attraction. It is very easy to find.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are six- and ten-bed dorms with shared bathrooms. The rooms and bathrooms are clean and there is adequate hot water and space to move around. There are no lockers.
Common Spaces
The common areas are very nice. Once lounge has a TV and DVD and the other has free internet. There is a book exchange. The owners are backpackers and they have decorated the common areas in a Thai, Indian, and Moroccan sort of style that is very fun and funky. Everything is bright and cheerful. There is a kitchen for self-catering. There is no laundry available.
Summary
This hostel has car parking and safety deposit available and takes credit cards. The owners are extremely helpful to guests, giving lots of recommendations for things to see and do. It is a good value since it also includes breakfast. It is a great place to meet people and socialize.
Review by S. Topf
The Location
The location is excellent. It is a couple of minutes walk to the center of town, the bus station, and the Derry City Walls tourist attraction. It is very easy to find.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are six- and ten-bed dorms with shared bathrooms. The rooms and bathrooms are clean and there is adequate hot water and space to move around. There are no lockers.
Common Spaces
The common areas are very nice. Once lounge has a TV and DVD and the other has free internet. There is a book exchange. The owners are backpackers and they have decorated the common areas in a Thai, Indian, and Moroccan sort of style that is very fun and funky. Everything is bright and cheerful. There is a kitchen for self-catering. There is no laundry available.
Summary
This hostel has car parking and safety deposit available and takes credit cards. The owners are extremely helpful to guests, giving lots of recommendations for things to see and do. It is a good value since it also includes breakfast. It is a great place to meet people and socialize.
Review by S. Topf
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2008
Their Description
Derry City Independent Hostel - Steve's Backpackers Details
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Derry City Independent Hostel - Steve's Backpackers Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Derry City Independent Hostel We booked this hostel on the basis of past visits, and once again we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Kylie gave us her usual cheery welcome. Our room was warm and comfortable despite the cold weather, and there was always plenty of hot water. The atmosphere was superb, and with a great pub just across the road, it is really quite the best hostel in Ireland. — John , United Kingdom (2012-05-09) Would definitely stay here again! We loved our stay here at the Derry City Independent Hostel. Our host Kylie was super helpful, friendly, an experienced traveller and quite professional -- all qualities that echo throughout this hostel. Kylie and her husband have thought of many things other hostels overlook, obviously a result of their travel backpacker-backgrounds. We stayed at their location aimed at couples around the corner from the main hostel. The interior was clean, well-kept, stylishly decorated and felt like home away from home. The location was brilliant and the tips about our surroundings from Kylie were greatly appreciated. We noticed that there were just about no posters or obvious suggestions for tours/pubs that you see at other hostels, which made us feel that her tips were genuine with little if any biases. Was so great to have a continental breakfast included (tea/coffee/yummy bread/cereal/jams/milk). We would happily stay here again and will definitely recommend it to others. — Tina , Canada (2012-03-06) Hostel had an atmosphere in heaps this small hostel really stands out from the crowd. the staff are uber friendly and the owners travel souvenirs like the buddha statues, indian wall hangings, and hand painted tables are the sort of things that more hostels should have. they really added to the sense that you were traveling and not just staying in a travelodge sort of place that you could find 2 miles from home. definitely stay here if spending a night in derry. — Anonymous , new zealand (2010-12-05) Best hostel in Europe Great hostel, super friendly staff, lots of character, very clean, and hot showers. Without a doubt the best hostel I've stayed in in Europe, it would rank right up there with some of the best from Australia and the South Pacific which are the best that I've seen. — Ben , USA (2007-06-02) This was a very friendly and relaxed hostel. Steve and Kylie who run the hostel are also travelers as attested by various souvenirs from all around the world hung up on the walls. Because of this it had the feel of a place set up by travelers for travelers. For example you get breakfast and internet included, which is better than most other places for a similar price. Steve was also good fun and came out with us for dinner after recommending a good place to eat and a good pub to go. Also a relaxing place to meet other travelers and share day-trips. — Roger (Australia) March 2007 (2007-03-25) wow, what a hostel! the help is absolutely amazing! they definitely leave a mark on your trip there! nothing like sitting in front of the hostel in the wonderful irish sun watching the carking! — Thomas VanWart (2006-10-12) The staff were awesome and helpful. Upon my arrival I got tea, a map and an explanation of what to see in town and how to get there. The rooms were very clean — someone was vacuuming when I went in to put down my stuff! There's free Internet, a great atmosphere, and lots of friendly people. The hostel is very close to the Bloody Sunday monument and the murals. It has comfy beds and a hot shower, though the water pressure is bad. It's a great place to stay! — Anonymous (2004-12-11) Best hostel I ever stayed at, anywhere in the world. That's tops out of about 30 hostels. Rocking place. — Morgue (2004-11-17) The plan was that I was going to be here for only three weeks, and I lasted five weeks. Steve was great fun (for a Scot) and he has a wonderful fetish for Tin-Tin. Kylie (the Kiwi) was just as good at making people feel at home here in Derry City Independent Hostel and at Steve's Backpackers. I loved it, and thank you for making my time no doubt the best time I had in Ireland. Derry is one of the places to go in Ireland and Steve's and/or the Derry Independent Hostel are the places to stay. — Kelly honess (2004-10-17) I loved this hostel. I stayed in it for one night while on a backpacking tour of Northern Ireland. I thought the staff was super nice and the facilities were great. The rooms were nice and quiet and the bathrooms were okay. The free internet was nice and there's a nice TV room, with DVD and videos. The dining room was a little creepy. It was Asian-styled so you sat on the floor with this scary hemp snake staring at you. The kitchen was nice. We stayed at the one down hill, it was pretty nicely located. — erin (2004-05-19) I stayed at this hostel when it was called Steve's Backpackers in 1998. It's a VERY friendly place and I was made to feel welcome. It's a bit of a walk from the bus station but as a backpacker I'm used to that. The hostel is at the top of Asylum road on the left and it is really pretty quiet. Smoking is outside but I'm used to that as well. The staff were very helpful in telling me where to go and handed out city maps that were easy to follow. I recommend this nice hostel to everybody, young, and old. — Steve Cavanagh (2004-01-20)