Paddy's Palace Dublin

Paddy's Palace certainly sounds like the perfect Irish hostel -- 100% Irish owned, cute yet classy name, and a trumped up transportation service that can take some stress out of travel. But don't be fooled.

The Location

This hostel claims that by taking their airport shuttle you save money. This is ridiculous. Perhaps there are buses that cost that much, but directly outside of the Dublin airport is a bus station where you can take a public bus (only a couple euro) that stops minutes from Paddy's Palace. And, when you're ready to head off to your next adventure, you have several stops along Gardiner Street where you can grab a bus back. That said, the hostel is centrally located, easy to find, and in a safe area. However, so are all the other hostels that are on the street. Dublin isn't a large city, chances are nothing will be more than a fifteen-minute walk from where you decide to stay.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The rooms are nothing special -- a bunch of bunk beds placed close together in a small room. The rooms seem decently clean, but we found left over wrappers and other objects in our "clean" bed. There is a required key fee (returned at the end of your stay if you return the key) and a charge for paying with a credit card. The rooms lack storage space -- making tricky business of storage, dressing for a night on the town, or trying to quietly pack while your roommates are sleeping. Security, however, seems sufficient, as room doors lock automatically behind you (don't forget your key!). Overbooking does occur. During our stay, two travelers with reservations arrived late at night and were met with no beds and unsympathetic staff. Also, Paddy's Palace claims on their website that all rooms come with an attached bathroom. This is not accurate, as the room we stayed in had bathrooms down the hallway instead. The bathroom had one shower (limited hook space, your clothes will probably get wet), two stalls, and a double sink with counter space.

Common Spaces

The lobby area could be the redeeming feature of the hostel, but is ruined by the fact they shut it down at midnight. When the clock strikes twelve, social time (or internet time) is over and the staff lock the lobby. The building is divided into sections with separate entrances, so if you're staying in a separate section you're told to leave and if you're staying in the same area of the lobby you're sent to your room (childhood style). During the day, however, the area is lovely. Since the building is located on a corner, the large windows let in sunlight and give a good view. There is free wireless internet, but it costs to use the lobby computer. The lobby also has an area where you can buy soft drinks (overpriced), a large TV, several comfy couches, and a decent book exchange. There is also an option to book tours here (don't wait though, they sell out early). A large kitchen is down the hall and has a decent complimentary breakfast (toast, jam, cereal) but charges for use of utensils.

Summary

Though a hostel can sometime be an awesome destination in itself, typically all a traveler really requires is a decent place to fall asleep at night. Paddy's Palace meets this requirement. However, false advertising, rude staff (just one example -- we overhead a phone conversation between a staff member on duty two travelers who, due to a delayed flight, missed the last hostel shuttle. Instead of telling them alternative ways to get there, the staff member informed the travelers that "it isn't our responsibility" (and hung up). And rules that are not consistent with a traveling lifestyle keep the Palace from achieving its possible potential.

— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
February 2009