The Rainbow Hostel offers reasonable accommodation with a variety of choices to suit all budgets. You can camp outside, sleep in a dorm, or opt for a private room. It's located a little out of the way, but offers a free shuttle.
The Location
The Rainbow Hostel is located about a mile from the center of town. If you are arriving by bus -- the only form of public transportation to Dingle -- a hostel shuttle will pick you up for free. It's easy to spot, as it parks right in front of where the bus will drop you off and has "Rainbow Hostel" plastered across the side. You can also use this shuttle to get into town during your stay as long as you coordinate with the arrival time of the inbound buses. If you miss the shuttle, the walk is only about around twenty minutes, depending on how heavy your pack is. If you're walking in the dark, a flashlight would be useful to mark your presence on the road as there are no sidewalks on the narrow roads and the Irish tend to drive like they're late for everything.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are relatively bright and are offered in a variety of sizes to suit all. In addition to the dorm rooms there are a few private rooms, including a large family room. The private rooms offer locking doors, but the security is more sparse when it comes to the dorm rooms with no lockers. The bathrooms receive regular attention from the staff and overall seem clean. The private rooms do not offer en-suite facilities, so you are required to share the small shower room with the other hostelers. The showers provide nice hot water with no timer or coins required, however, little space has been allocated to allow one to change without performing a balancing act while you dry off and get dressed in the same cubicle you just showered in with one hook and no shelves.
Common Spaces
Rainbow offers one large multipurpose room that acts as the kitchen, dining room, and lounge. There is no TV to distract you from the beautiful Irish landscape outside or the international travelers inside. The kitchen is not unlike most other hostels with pots and pans you would expect when camping. The kitchen and lounge area only have one dim light, which can make it difficult to cook and more importantly clean up afterwords. The common space is somewhat dreary and does nothing to help engage an interesting evening to meet new friends. Free Wi-Fi is available, or you can pay to use their computer.
Summary
Rainbow Hostel is clean, well priced, and located in one of the most beautiful areas in Ireland. It's not too big or too small, and overall it's a great place to visit.
— Informe exclusivo de Hostelz.com
September 2008
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