Dublin’s Very Unofficial Best-of Hostels

With six Dublin hostel stays under my belt over the past two years, I think it’s safe to say that I am probably Dublin’s very unofficial hostel expert. In saying this, I present to you my unofficial top list of Dublin Hostels.  These are definately worth considering and I saved the best for last! 

#6 Avalon House – I only stayed here one night.  This was probably up there as one of the most mediocre stays I had in Dublin.  It‘s not the closest to the city center and there was a lack of bicycle parking.  I was told by the staff to just park my bike attached to the parking sign.  I held my breath that night hoping that my bike would be there the next day. 

I found the rooms quite small, but the hostel itself pretty secure.  I did find the guests very friendly.  The plus side is, they had a working cafe during the day that doubled as a makeshift lounge in the evening. 

I was booked in to Avalon House for two days, but only stayed for one night as one of my mates wooed me with luxury option to to sleep on their nice and comfortable couch.

#5 Kinlay House Dublin – I only stayed here one night. When I first walked into the hostel, I couldn’t help but notice the staircase.  It is gorgeously massive, but I found the rooms a bit cramped.  

#4 Barnacles Temple Bar – This is the hostel is smacked right in the middle of Temple Bar.  It’s noisy, the rooms are small… but I also think that’s the beauty of this hostel.   I consider Barnacles a right of passage for those heading to Temple Bar for the very first time. 

The bathrooms are average but there’s a good sized kitchen and a pretty chilled lounge where you can easily nurse a hangover.  I’ve stayed at Barnacles on two different occasions. 

#3 Generator – I stayed at the Generator on two different occasions as well and both were relatively the same. The location of this hostel is amazing.  It’s located within the Smithfield Square.  There is secure bicycle parking within the hostel and there is a lovely bar and restaurant.  However, I couldn’t find the kitchen.  

One little flaw is the where the female showers are located.  The room I was staying in was a floor above and a long hallway down from the showers.  THis made things a little bit awkward.  

#2 Sky Backpackers – This hostel is a smaller boutique hostel that is pretty well located in central Dublin.  I stayed at Sky during Christmas 2017 and I really enjoyed my time here.  The rooms were fairly large and their free burger night was pretty good, too.  The hostel guests were quite open and friendly and the lounge area is small but extremely comfortable and served my purpose.  This was a great little spot for over the holidays.

#1 Jacob’s Inn – I’ve stayed at Jacob’s Inn twice.  It’s definately a large hostel as they can easily cater to a lot of people.  I once stayed in normal four bunk hostel with mates and just recently I stayed in their new POD configuration solo.  Let me say that I hope to gawd that every single hostel in the universe goes with the POD.  They’re comfortable. They’re private, spacious and quiet and you can hide away whenever you feel like it.  Within your POD, you’ve got your own electricity outlets to charge your stuff, your own lights if you want to keep reading throughout the night without being a jerk to your flat mates… it’s a great configuration.

Both times at Jacobs Inn, I felt comfortable as the place is very clean, the breakfast is like any other local hostel but it’s pretty much all you can eat, too.  They also have secure luggage storage.  This is definitely my top choice in Dublin.