The Hostelz.com Review
Staying at City Manor Hostel is certainly an experience. However, it not necessarily one I would want to repeat.
The Location
This hostel, like most in Dublin, is located in a safe and easily located area on Lower Gardiner Street, close to Dublin city centre, the DART rail station, Bus Aerus terminal and only a short walk to the Temple Bar area.
This hostel is situated on Lower Gardiner Street, close to Dublin city centre, the DART rail station, Bus Aerus terminal and only a short walk to the Temple Bar area. There are a lot of hostels are in this area so if it is full try there are lots of others nearby.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm style rooms are located downstairs. Make sure you ask to see your bed before you pay, because once you hand over the money it is impossible to get a refund (trust me, we tried). The mattresses, which appear old and rather suspicious, turned out to be quite comfortable. However, that is where the positivity ends. The room we stayed in was poorly secured (with a broken lock to the hallway and a smoking entrance next to the beds), cramped, and is heated via a space heater attached to one of the bunk beds. The bedding is raggedy and mismatched, and we had to make our own beds. There are no lockers and the bathroom is probably the worst you'll ever see. Picture a bathroom in a fraternity house and, well, you get the idea.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is by far the best aspect of this hostel. It is large with several appliances and, compared to the rest of the building, surprisingly clean. It is attached to a common room with two comfortable couches, a television, and a shelf of brochures. However it is near the front door, which makes it drafty in the winter. For most of our stay, there was at least one person passed out in this room.
Summary
Overall, this hostel has an odd vibe. Many of the people staying here appear to also be somewhat employed by the facility and living in the dorm rooms. Several were extremely friendly, offered suggestions on sightseeing in Dublin, and had rather interesting background and life stories. However, the hostel is also the sketchiest place we ever stayed on our trip. It is not overly social, clean, or fun. Since several other hostels along the street are priced similarly, only stay at the City Manor as a last resort.
The Location
This hostel, like most in Dublin, is located in a safe and easily located area on Lower Gardiner Street, close to Dublin city centre, the DART rail station, Bus Aerus terminal and only a short walk to the Temple Bar area.
This hostel is situated on Lower Gardiner Street, close to Dublin city centre, the DART rail station, Bus Aerus terminal and only a short walk to the Temple Bar area. There are a lot of hostels are in this area so if it is full try there are lots of others nearby.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm style rooms are located downstairs. Make sure you ask to see your bed before you pay, because once you hand over the money it is impossible to get a refund (trust me, we tried). The mattresses, which appear old and rather suspicious, turned out to be quite comfortable. However, that is where the positivity ends. The room we stayed in was poorly secured (with a broken lock to the hallway and a smoking entrance next to the beds), cramped, and is heated via a space heater attached to one of the bunk beds. The bedding is raggedy and mismatched, and we had to make our own beds. There are no lockers and the bathroom is probably the worst you'll ever see. Picture a bathroom in a fraternity house and, well, you get the idea.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is by far the best aspect of this hostel. It is large with several appliances and, compared to the rest of the building, surprisingly clean. It is attached to a common room with two comfortable couches, a television, and a shelf of brochures. However it is near the front door, which makes it drafty in the winter. For most of our stay, there was at least one person passed out in this room.
Summary
Overall, this hostel has an odd vibe. Many of the people staying here appear to also be somewhat employed by the facility and living in the dorm rooms. Several were extremely friendly, offered suggestions on sightseeing in Dublin, and had rather interesting background and life stories. However, the hostel is also the sketchiest place we ever stayed on our trip. It is not overly social, clean, or fun. Since several other hostels along the street are priced similarly, only stay at the City Manor as a last resort.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2009
Their Description
Backpackers D1 Hostel Dublin Details
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Backpackers D1 Hostel Dublin Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
This hotel is a shame!! To be banned!! How to describe this place? It's daylight robbery!!! I paid 180 Euros (60 Euros per night for 2 people) for a double private room en suite for such a crap. I used to live and travel in India for 3 years, and even over there, I have never seen such a disgusting and so badly maintained place. I did not even tried to have a shower ... The flush was not working (no evacuation at all), worst mattress I have never seen, dirty carpet and curtain. No insulation (you can hear everything about the neighbours: what they say, what they do). My wife and I could not sleep at all ... In the middle of the night, we have been to the reception for a complaint. We would like to thank a lot the friendly staff for offering us the opportunity to move the next day to another room in their sister hostel, few meters far from this hostel. The room was better but still not good enough to justify the amount: 100 Euros per night for 2 people for a double private room en suite!!! I guess the owner is purely stealing the money of the young visitors without reinvesting in maintaining and improving his hostel. A real shame. At that price, in Europe, we could have booked a room in a chain of hotels! It is not worth at all the money I have spent and it wish I would not have paid the entire bill in advance. Finally I wish this place could close soon. Meanwhile, to help in closing it, please do not book any rooms in this hostel!!! — Aymeric , France (2012-05-01) WORST PLACE YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE!!! The room and bathroom was absolutely disgusting with piss on the floor. Would not recommend this dump to anyone. My night in Dublin will be remembered having stayed in such a dirty place! Wouldnt even let a dog sleep in those kind of conditions!!!!! — Mary , Irish (2012-04-29) Lovley everything there was some nice people, nice building nice everything, some lovely ladies smiles, would stay again next time i visit from turkey. — Anonymous , Turkish (2012-02-21) Racist Manager I went there today with business proposal and was treated in the way I was never before. Manager was making racist comments on the fact that Im Polish. I promised to make as much of "bad" publicity about this as I can so here it is. I wish they go out of business as soon as possible. — Woyteac , Polish (2010-04-13) Don't go there -- for homeless/hopeless The thing that may bring you over to the reception desk of this place could be looking for somewhere to spend a couple of nights as cheap as possible. Not necessarily over it, the desk, I mean. i'm afraid this will be the worst review any hostel has ever gotten. I'm just terrified such a place exists normally, unrecognized as a social grotesque! Writing this review was the first thing on my mind when I got back! But, people, i'm just trying to prevent innocent, adventurous, open-minded and young-spirit travelers (you, hopefully) from staying in this place. This place is misery. Things I have seen there during those three days can hardly be found anywhere, but at certain places that have absolutely nothing to do with tourism whatsoever. If this place were in your country, anywhere else in the world, it would probably not even get the necessary license, first of all, because of the smell of mixture of professional alcoholism and life's hopelessness! What surprised me most of all, running into a (clinical) alcoholic, trying to simply sit down on an old, shabby armchair, holding his precious can of beer or bottle of wine is something completely normal and accepted here, a part of hostel's daily routine, valuable probably as (local) tourist souvenir -- shocking! What happened to this place? and how?and why? Hostel is a place supposed to feel like home, right? this is home only for severe drunkards, and those mainly from Eastern European countries (former Soviet Union) trust me. Gosh! I found myself so shocked there, I could barely speak to another person, trying to find the words that would match how I felt. Like, for example, going to the kitchen -- impossible, unless you pass the so called "living room" that smells just awful -- always dirty table with some empty stuff and leftovers of last night's drinking session, two leather sofas that even though look comfortable, scream dirt. So, desire to make a cup of coffee is only a potential, even though it's all there in the kitchen -- hot water,cups, gas stove, water boiler -- all you need. But so, so dirty you're afraid to touch it! And once you managed somehow to make it, there's nowhere to sit. I mean, any chair looks disgusting and you just wanna die. This is probably one of a few cheapest places in the centre, but, believe me, any money is far too expensive for this. — NinA , Croatian (2009-10-28) Not clean but good fun I stay in the city manor for a but two to three months (yes I am mad at the time was the less expensive hostel in Dublin 1999) in dorm during that time I meet people from all class and all nationality. The place was bad but bad I don't think Wight the time the place as improve and the side for cleanness. The people you can met there you will not and cannot met some where else. Let's put that way is the place you go if you like an adventure and well prepare (sleeping bag, sauce pan). The time I spend there are the best time in my life where I have met some very nice person and some nasty. — jj , frensh (2009-06-24) Welcome to the rats nest if you want to stay in a hostel where you're surrounded by crackheads and sleep in a bed covered in stains this is the place for you! if i was just about to starve to death i still wouldnt use the kitchen to cook anything i would rather eat my own head then use it. the only good thing about this hostel was hagi from mongolia because he offered me a cup of hot oxo cubes. oh and dont leave any of your possessions in the room because id say they will definitely be robbed you'll probably see the man behind the counter wearing your jacket. great hostel though apart from that. — rob , ireland (2009-04-26) Kip, but great laugh in the room i was staying in there was no light switch for the light in the bathroom, the shower didnt work, the radiator had fallen off the wall, there was no curtain, the window sill fell off, there was graffiti on the ceiling and the bed i was sleeping in was broken. i had to pay 70euro for the room and i really dont think it was worth it. people were banging on the wall all night and then at about 4 a.m. they knocked on my door and wanted to come in, then a junk came out of his room and said he'd take lumps out of me and my friends. wouldnt recommend this place for a safe stay. — Eva , Ireland (2009-04-24) Worst place ever! I can't believe a place as miserable as Sh*tty Manor is still operating. I stayed there for one night with two friends about a week ago. The floors were disgusting and sticky, but nothing compared to the appalling bathrooms (we declined to bathe, as we concluded it would make us more dirty). Shoes were required when walking in the bathroom, as the floor was covered in muck -- a disgusting mixture of dirt, water, and god knows what else. The whole basement where the dorms were located smelled like urine and dead animals. There was mould everywhere on walls and ceilings, and no clean linen for the uncomfortable beds. To us, the place looked as if it had never been cleaned. Sadly, the company did not make up for the wretched living conditions. The staff were disinterested and couldn't seem to figure out which beds to put us in. The other guests were all somewhat dodgy and the overall atmosphere was unsafe and almost threatening. In short, Sh*tty Manor hostel made us wish we had spent out last night in Dublin sleeping on the airport floor. It may be cheap, but we can only recommend that you shell out the extra euros and stay somewhere even halfway decent! If you're broke, sleep on the streets. Homeless people have better living conditions than the guests at Sh*tty Manor hostel. — KB , Denmark (2009-04-19) Worth a visit for the humanity and scenario. If you are gonna stay in this hostel, make sure to stay in a dorm, private rooms are a total ripoff! The place is dirty as hell, and the toilets (malfunctioning) floor reminds a lot of the movie Saw. That said, the scenario is exciting and the humanity you can meet there simply great. I had a lot of fun there myself, and very interesting conversations. It's horribly filthy, but incredibly funny, plus the rates on weekends stay the same -- unlike most hostels in that part of town. — Dave , Italian (2009-01-19) Don´t come to this hell-hostel The hostel owner is a liar and very unfriendly. As we saw the bedroom, we got shocked. The walls were mouldy, the shower has a hole in the wall, the tiles lay in pieces on the floor, the toilet horrible/disgusting, and it didn't flush properly. The window is full of bird-sh*t and mouldy too. We couldn't even leave our luggage alone in the room, because the key is broken (and i don't think it will be replaced in the future). You can't even breathe in this room (may be you would never wake up again). The room number is 21. We paid 100€ for two days and two persons for this ugly room. You can't get your money back. So better you sleep under a bridge -- it's free and less life threatening. — Carlox , german (2009-01-01) The Good with the Bad It's filthy, poorly maintained, shady, disorganized, and shockingly unorthodox. Look under that thin layer of grime, and you will meet the most interesting and odd assortment of people ever in your life. Things happen in City Manor that you just don't see anywhere else. Each day provides an unforgettable memory, as all the rules and boundaries you know are destroyed when you walk through the door. You must be open-minded and willing to tolerate poor living conditions, but you will never forget the experience! — Lizerd , US (2008-12-30) Too bad to be true Seriously, one of the worst rip offs ever. 50 euros to stay in a place that was unsafe, dirty, and sleep on a bed that looked and smelled like it was rented by the hour. Do not stay there. — Unfulfilled , Scotland (2008-11-12) Vomit We stayed in this place for one night and it was the scariest night of our lives. We felt like we were staying in a place from the movie 'Hostel' as there was a massive butcher knife on the floor of our dorm when we arrived. The toilet was ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING, we didnt even risk having a shower there. There were clumps of hair and green and slimy stuff everywhere. Most depressing/scary/revolting hostel we have ever seen. Dont risk it! — Tourists in Dublin , Australian (2008-10-19) Some really sound people, terrible hostel I met some really sound people in this place, what they were living there for i don't know as the majority were junkies. the owner was called micheal and he's a proper w*nker, doesn't give a f*ck about anyone who lives there, he knowingly and regularly lets heroin addicts in to line his own pockets, and the place was filthy. the staff who worked there were really nice (all polish) and they tried really hard with the upkeep of the place, but to be honest they're flogging a dead horse. — scouser , uk (2008-09-07)