Online booking is not offered for this Hostel. Contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed below).
Please see Ardara for other available Ardara hostels and accommodations.
Please see Ardara for other available Ardara hostels and accommodations.
The Hostelz.com Review
A brief look at the visitors' book in Drumbaron Hostel is example enough that this is a unique place. People return again and again to this homey hostel run by a very friendly aged mother and her daughter. Once you step inside you take a step or two back in time and you understand why they don't take email bookings or have a website.
The Location
Ardara is not a very well serviced town in terms of public transport so you'll need to organise ahead of time, but it is well worth the effort. Ardara (pronounced Ardrah) is a hive of activity in County Donegal. No matter when you arrive there will be a festival starting or finishing. Regardless, there are so many quirky, cosy pubs with live music you hardly need extra entertainment!
The hostel is on the main street of the town, you can't miss it -- a tall house with "hostel" in large bold writing on the front. There is street parking beside and in front of the hostel but beware of the commonplace double parking that can block you in for hours! The town has more pubs than anything else but is well equipped with all other basic needs too. Bus timetables are posted on the heritage centre if you are looking to go further afield, and taxis are easy to book.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are on two floors, accessible by a narrow carpeted staircase complete with carved wooden banisters. The windows are beautifully decorated with fresh and dried flowers, an indication of the age and generation of the hostel owner. The dorm rooms are clean, and not overcrowded. The double rooms are cosy rooms at the top of the house. Watch your head as the staircase narrows and the ceiling slopes! The bedroom doors don't lock but you are given a key to the house itself and in a place like Ardara leaving keys in house and car doors is commonplace so you don't feel worried. There is a view over the town from all the rooms as they are on the front of the house.
The bathrooms are clean, spacious, and there is a shower in both. There is plenty of room to change, a mat for the shower, free shower gel, and the shower is delightful. Oh and the slope to the floor just adds character, it's an old house!
Common Spaces
The common areas are the kitchen and the living room. The kitchen is clean, quite small, but cosy and extremely well kitted out. There are cereals, bread, and jams laid out for breakfast for everyone, and even filter coffee on offer! You do need to ask the hostel owner across the road if you want the gas turned on though as it's locked outside the building for safety! The living room is attached to the kitchen and is given character by the two, floor-to-ceiling, colourful paintings. There are plenty of antique chairs, a huge knick knack shelving unit, books, and an old TV. It's a spacious room and a place where hostelers meet and chat.
Summary
In summary, this is a peaceful hostel, in a way like moving in to your granny's house for a few days. The owners live across the street so remember to keep their phone number to hand so you can call them to let you in when you arrive! The location is perfect and Ardara is a place you will certainly return to again and again.
The Location
Ardara is not a very well serviced town in terms of public transport so you'll need to organise ahead of time, but it is well worth the effort. Ardara (pronounced Ardrah) is a hive of activity in County Donegal. No matter when you arrive there will be a festival starting or finishing. Regardless, there are so many quirky, cosy pubs with live music you hardly need extra entertainment!
The hostel is on the main street of the town, you can't miss it -- a tall house with "hostel" in large bold writing on the front. There is street parking beside and in front of the hostel but beware of the commonplace double parking that can block you in for hours! The town has more pubs than anything else but is well equipped with all other basic needs too. Bus timetables are posted on the heritage centre if you are looking to go further afield, and taxis are easy to book.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are on two floors, accessible by a narrow carpeted staircase complete with carved wooden banisters. The windows are beautifully decorated with fresh and dried flowers, an indication of the age and generation of the hostel owner. The dorm rooms are clean, and not overcrowded. The double rooms are cosy rooms at the top of the house. Watch your head as the staircase narrows and the ceiling slopes! The bedroom doors don't lock but you are given a key to the house itself and in a place like Ardara leaving keys in house and car doors is commonplace so you don't feel worried. There is a view over the town from all the rooms as they are on the front of the house.
The bathrooms are clean, spacious, and there is a shower in both. There is plenty of room to change, a mat for the shower, free shower gel, and the shower is delightful. Oh and the slope to the floor just adds character, it's an old house!
Common Spaces
The common areas are the kitchen and the living room. The kitchen is clean, quite small, but cosy and extremely well kitted out. There are cereals, bread, and jams laid out for breakfast for everyone, and even filter coffee on offer! You do need to ask the hostel owner across the road if you want the gas turned on though as it's locked outside the building for safety! The living room is attached to the kitchen and is given character by the two, floor-to-ceiling, colourful paintings. There are plenty of antique chairs, a huge knick knack shelving unit, books, and an old TV. It's a spacious room and a place where hostelers meet and chat.
Summary
In summary, this is a peaceful hostel, in a way like moving in to your granny's house for a few days. The owners live across the street so remember to keep their phone number to hand so you can call them to let you in when you arrive! The location is perfect and Ardara is a place you will certainly return to again and again.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2009
Drumbaron Hostel Details
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(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Location/Contact| Address | The Diamond, Ardara, County Donegal, Ireland |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| jfeeneyardara@eircom.net | |
| Telephone | 074-9541200 |
How is Drumbaron Hostel rated on other websites?
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Very comfortable, nice atmosphere, good town location. After a week long tour of Donegal, this place seemed the nicest of a total of 3 hostels we stayed in despite not being the most modern or anything like that. It was by far the most comfortable nights sleep and the most atmospheric, feeling like a relaxed family home. There are little touches around the place that give a great sense of hospitality. I would recommend it and would happily return. Oh, and good value for money too. — Matt Gardner , Ireland (2011-06-18)