Mount Eccles Court Hostel

Location

Mount Eccles Court Hostel is situated in a nice Georgian street north of the Liffey. Do not confuse North Great Georges Street with South Great Georges Street -- the two are on opposite sides of the Liffey and do not even come close to aligning! From the O'Connell Monument (pictured), follow Lower O'Connell Street north to the Parnell Monument at Parnell Street. Turn right and head east for two blocks, then turn left on North Great Georges. The hostel is on the right.

Dublin is a compact city, and the hostel's location is close enough to the city center that it's safe to say that all of Dublin's attractions are within reach of the hostel, although it is true that the best of them lie south of the Liffey and Ha'penny Bridge (pictured).

Common Areas

Probably the best thing the hostel has going for it is a twenty-four-hour front desk. The Georgian exterior and the décor in the breakfast room also get good marks. The common room is ok. Unfortunately, several key factors at this hostel do not measure up. First, some of the dorm rooms are enormous, exponentially increasing the risk of bunking with a someone who snores. Many hallways are poorly lit or even unlit. The stench from the bathroom alerts the visitor that it is in dire need of cleaning. The final insult is that the rather charming breakfast room serves up a most lackluster breakfast of coffee, Wonder bread, jam, and butter.

The visitors here are a genial bunch, it's actually the kind of place you may find a young couple snuggled up reading together before bedtime, but in the end the sheer lack of amenities goes a long way toward creating the wrong kind of atmosphere here.

Summary

As a general rule, hostel accommodations are not the cheapest in Dublin. But by comparison the rates at the Mount Eccles Court, especially for larger dorm rooms, are competitive with other hostels in town. But it's still more than the first-time traveler might expect. Unfortunately, the bottom line on Mount Eccles Court is that you will probably feel better about your visit to Dublin by paying a little bit of extra money for quite a bit of extra comfort at one of the city's better-rated hostels.

— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
January 2009