Kinlay House Dublin

Kinlay House Hostel is a chain of three big youth hostels in Cork, Galway, and Dublin. The Dublin hostel is conveniently situated in a nice, red-brick 1870s Georgian building close to Christchurch. It's a five-minute walk from O'Connell Street and Suffolk Street and just two minutes from the Temple Bar area, making it an excellent headquarters for pub-goers. Crossing O'Connell Bridge in direction of Grafton Street, turn right into Dame Street, following signs for Christchurch and Dublinia, and continue until the hostel. It's on the right.

Around the hostel there are many places where you can eat a cheap kebab or hamburger, and it is very close to Burdock's, the best fish and chips in Dublin!

The hostel is very big and this means that everything is very hotel-like, and it lacks the warmth and welcome of smaller places. You are just a number, though the very young employees are always smiling and can be quite helpful. Also, there's no atmosphere at all in the hostel -- it's just very busy, with young people continuously flowing. This is typical of big hostels.

The safety of personal belongings is important in Dublin as in other large cities. We felt safe. There is somebody at reception twenty-four hours every day. We were asked a couple times to show the security pass given with the room key when coming in at night, which is a good sign. Visitors are not allowed in the rooms. Laptop-sized lockers are available for a fee.

The luggage room in the backyard opens only once every hour. You are supposed to meet a staff member there, but they are always late (we had to call them every time). This system, used in many hostels, is obviously adopted for practical (and security) reasons but can be annoying and time-consuming. We used it a few times, as the hostel was so full that we had to change rooms during our stay. Reservations are highly recommended.

A wide range of dorms and smaller rooms are available on three floors. There is no lift, unfortunately. The rooms tried (six- and four-bed dorms) are always clean. The toilets appear to be in insufficient number (three per floor, though many rooms have en-suite) and are shared between male and female guests. They are always surprisingly clean and tidy (we never had to queue much). The showers aren't many either, and, though they are always clean, they're poorly designed. It's not easy to get dried and changed without getting wet -- there just isn't the space. The water is always warm and nice.

The kitchen is quite small and can't be used by too many people at once. The communal area is quite big and you can always find a seat. There is also a comfy TV room with sofas on the first floor where DVDs from the hostel collection can be played. There is free wi-fi and there are a total of six PCs with free internet connection (three in the communal area, and three in the TV room). Unfortunately, since they're free, the computers are always occupied for unreasonable times. So don't count on them too much if you are not planning to check your email around 7:30 a.m.

This hostel has really got few downsides, some of which, though, are quite important. First of all, the hostel is not cheap. Breakfast is included but is just the typical, poor, toast-jam-coffee and nothing more. It makes you want to go to the nearby pub for a real breakfast. Secondly, it lacks an area where you can just sit down and read or relax. It is always noisy everywhere. Third, there are a lot of long-termers and young people working or looking for work, as is very difficult to find accommodation in Dublin. It is not such a nuisance but it's just less easy to meet people or find other travelers. This is a common feature with other hostels in Dublin. Fourth, and most important, most of the rooms are on the incredibly busy Lord Edward Street (continuation of Dame Street) and double-decker buses are frequent up to midnight. Traffic noise has to be expected all night. Overall, though, it is a good place to stay in Dublin.

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