The Hostelz.com Review
Top of the Hill Hostel is located in the tiny southern seaside village of Baltimore -- a perfect spot to spend some time relaxing in the sunshine! Baltimore is located about fifteen minutes from Skibereen (a town full of fascinating history) via the R592 (road). The modern hostel is on the right hand side of the main street entering Baltimore. If you have your own car, there is parking on the street in the front of the hostel.
The hostel is locked at all times, so just ring the doorbell to summon the manager to the door. Once you check in you will be given your own key and can enter and exit as you wish. For a few euros per night, you can stay in this incredible hostel. The rooms are spacious with extremely comfortable beds and comforters. New bedding is given to guests upon arrival. The hostel is also very clean and safe. Each room has a locking door and there are also large personal lockers available inside the rooms to lock up valuables. The bathrooms are separated by sex and each has one toilet, two sinks, and two showers. Hand soap is provided and the showers are really hot.
The kitchen is equipped with the basics for cooking. Beware, the stove is very powerful and will cook things ridiculously quickly. There are no teapots or complimentary tea bags, which seems standard in a lot of other hostels. Perhaps the nicest feature of this hostel was the double doors in the kitchen leading to the garden with flowers, trees, and a couple of nice picnic tables. It is well sheltered so makes for the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner nook. If outside is not for you, then you could relax in the sitting room, equipped with TV and DVD player, and comfortable leather couches.
While the hostel manager is very friendly, he is also frequently absent from the hostel. While we were staying in the hostel, many people were unable to rent a room because he simply wasn't there to check them in. Try making reservations before you go and having the hostel number with you so you can call the manager when you arrive. Otherwise, you may find it impossible to get a bed. Overall this hostel is really clean, safe, and comfortable -- not to mention reasonably priced. We extended our stay in Baltimore because we liked it so much.
The hostel is locked at all times, so just ring the doorbell to summon the manager to the door. Once you check in you will be given your own key and can enter and exit as you wish. For a few euros per night, you can stay in this incredible hostel. The rooms are spacious with extremely comfortable beds and comforters. New bedding is given to guests upon arrival. The hostel is also very clean and safe. Each room has a locking door and there are also large personal lockers available inside the rooms to lock up valuables. The bathrooms are separated by sex and each has one toilet, two sinks, and two showers. Hand soap is provided and the showers are really hot.
The kitchen is equipped with the basics for cooking. Beware, the stove is very powerful and will cook things ridiculously quickly. There are no teapots or complimentary tea bags, which seems standard in a lot of other hostels. Perhaps the nicest feature of this hostel was the double doors in the kitchen leading to the garden with flowers, trees, and a couple of nice picnic tables. It is well sheltered so makes for the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner nook. If outside is not for you, then you could relax in the sitting room, equipped with TV and DVD player, and comfortable leather couches.
While the hostel manager is very friendly, he is also frequently absent from the hostel. While we were staying in the hostel, many people were unable to rent a room because he simply wasn't there to check them in. Try making reservations before you go and having the hostel number with you so you can call the manager when you arrive. Otherwise, you may find it impossible to get a bed. Overall this hostel is really clean, safe, and comfortable -- not to mention reasonably priced. We extended our stay in Baltimore because we liked it so much.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2007
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Very good hostel This hostel is clean and very friendly people. My friends and I stayed for the weekend, we all liked it very much. The showers are very good and hot. The kitchen is good for cooking and the managers are helpful and nice. We will visit again! — Anne , France (2011-04-14) Homey place This hostel treated me well, good people, writing this to thank them for their hospitality, like a home from home. But sorry I can't give five stars till you change the curtains, they let in too much light so I woke up too early! — Andrea , English (2010-12-21) Great hostel The reviews put me off staying in this hostel but I had no choice due to my budget. To my surprise I had a great time as conditions had obviously improved. The kitchen and bathrooms were clean; showers great; dorm warm, quiet, and clean though I wished the bed was harder, mattress too soft for me. But the main reason I loved being here was because of the relaxed and very friendly atmosphere. I met lots of interesting fellow travelers, long evenings of good, shared food and conversation. What else do we stay in hostels for? (besides the price) — Louise , Ireland (2010-12-04) Dirty, but not too bad I'm afraid the Hostel is really dirty. Stains on the carpet, dead spiders on the wall, and crumbs on the mattress. But honestly it wasn't too bad. I read your comments before my visit, so I expected the worst. At least the bed sheet was washed and although I cannot recommend the bathrooms to anyone sensible, you could shower in it. The owner is friendly although he is hardly ever at the hostel and there are lockers in the dorms to keep your luggage safe. But actually the beautiful location compensates for much. It is without doubt one of Ireland's best regions. So in my opinion the hostel is fine, if you just need a bed for a few nights and don't expect any cleanliness or comfort. Still the owner could make the hostel a really nice place and a bit sad is the high price, 18Euro per night for a ten-bed dorm are too much for a dirty hostel. — Steve , Germany (2009-09-20) Filthy I have had the unfortunate experience of staying in this hostel this weekend along with my sister and two of our children. The manager had asked us to ring an hour ahead of our arrival which I believed to be a reasonable request. When we rang we found we had to wait three hours but we were ok with this at the time. He kept us waiting a further half an hour to the arranged time. We then discovered that the rooms were still not ready (5:30 p.m.). The manager promised they would be ready in twenty minutes. We left the hostel again to get something to eat and on return an hour and a half later the rooms were still not ready (7 p.m.). Our next shock was the state of the bathrooms. Disgusting doesn't cover it -- they obviously had not been cleaned in months. The kitchen was another disturbing find. We found we had to share it with a cat who was free to jump from surface to surface. Cat hair everywhere! The surfaces were also covered with crumbs. Unfortunately we had to stay as we had a function to attend and didn't have time to find more accommodation. The nightmare was still not over. We were awoken at 4 in the morning to a very loud party going on downstairs. When we rang the manager, he arrived after ten minutes and got the partygoers to turn of the music and he left. The party continued with loud singing, clapping and screaming. By 4:50 we asked the manager to return and only at this time did people who were not residence leave and we finally got some sleep. I will never return to this hostel and intend to warn anyone who considers using it of the condition it's in. Such a pity! A beautiful location. — Margaret , Irish (2009-07-05) Filthy Absolutely wasted opportunity! Kitchen -- filthy. cat entry via a window over the worktops, cat food and water beside the cooker, months buildup of grease on the cooker backsplash. Bathrooms - filthy. no bleach ever used on the loos, sinks not usable as caked in soap scum and other nasties! No water at all in the womens bathroom last night, that is if I was brave enough to risk using it. Caretaker more interested in kayaking than hosting! Rooms were not cleaned before we arrived and cleaning consisted of changing the bed clothes and emptying the bin -- no vacuum or dusting. One hour's cleaning would make a huge difference! Would recommend the caretaker visit the hostel on Cape Clear Island to see how it can and should be done. — Geraldine , Ireland (2009-07-05) Dirty. Although living in West Cork, I recently had an opportunity to stay at "Top of the Hill Hostel" in Baltimore. I was looking forward to a well-run, clean experience given the reputation of Baltimore. I was sorely disappointed. On arrival, the owner was more interested in his own dinner than in welcoming us. We had occasion to use the kitchen and discovered it to be absolutely filthy. There is a cat which sleeps on a manky blanket in the kitchen beside one of the kitchen "tables" which are in actual fact,outdoor wooden picnic tables. The cat's food bowls were on the floor beside the cooker and food prep areas. The bins had not been emptied and the "organic" bin was covered in dirt. The plates and the dishcloths were covered in cat hair. Although the beds were neat and the bedclothes clean, the place had not been hoovered or dusted in quite a long time. Some friends discovered fungus in a corner of one of the dorms. The showers were not much better, with old discarded dried-out soap, uncleaned washbasins, and grubby showers. Lets just say, there was no surface safe to place a toothbrush! The water was piping hot at least. Having stayed in countless hostels worldwide, I feel that this place is letting the Irish side down. For €30 a night, I expected a bit more for such a beautiful location. I would certainly not recommend it to anyone in its current state. Very little effort would be required to bring this place up to an acceptable standard. Oh, and keep the cat outside. — Anna , Irish (2009-06-17)