Aille River Hostel

Doolin is a hotbed for B&Bs and hostels of all kinds -- Aille River Hostel is centrally located in the middle of the main street that runs through town. There are shops and pubs at either end of the road, and the hostel is located in the middle for an easy half-kilometer walk to the pubs at either end. The bus station is at the west end of town, so walking east along the road you get dropped off on will take you to the hostel, which is just across the river that runs parallel to the main road. If you're driving in to town, you'll come in perpendicular to the main road and see a bunch of road signs pointing left and right. Continue straight across the main road (just to the left of all the road signs) and you'll cross the river and the hostel will be the big white building on your right.

The hostel has extraordinarily friendly service, although you can only check in until about 8 pm, when there is still someone working there. The hostel itself is accessible all night long to backpackers who are told the combination to the door upon arrival. There is a fairly large sitting room with stove/fireplace and lovely wooden chairs, including a fantastic rocking chair, tables for sitting and eating, and a fully equipped kitchen for your use if you desire to cook. There is free tea available around the clock. The dining area is well-lit and sunny, making for a very cheery atmosphere.

There is a tiny closet with a computer in it for free internet access twenty minutes at a time as long as someone is working there. It's a bit claustrophobic, but at least it's free and not painfully slow. Expect lines of people waiting to use it in the mornings. There is free access to a washing machine with free detergent for your use. The dryer costs money, but there are also places to hang your clothes to dry outside if the weather is nice enough.

The rooms are nice, not too small, and include clean bedding for your bunk. There are rooms both upstairs and down. There is one room available that has its own bathroom. The rest share two showers and two toilets upstairs, and three toilets and three showers downstairs. We never had any problem with too many people trying to shower at once, and the showers are big and spacious enough as far as showers go in a hostel. Everything is kept very clean.

In the cozy little town of Doolin, this hostel is well-located, clean, and offers friendly service and advice if you're looking for things to do. A definite thumbs up!

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2006