Hostelworld, which is one of the most famous hostel booking websites, rates Barnacles Hostel in Temple Bar as the best in all Ireland and the 6th best hostel in the world. This recommendation has been formed by the positive reviews of almost 4000 people who have stayed in the hostel and then shared their thoughts on the Hostelworld website.
What is so special about Barnacles hostel? Why is it a better place to stay in than its many competitors around Dublin?
Attempting to explain this begs a few further questions:
- What is the difference between a good hostel and a great hostel?
- What factors are important for the guests that make hostels their temporary homes?
- What does Barnacles do so well, that other hostels don’t?
The four most obvious factors to be taken into consideration when choosing a hostel are the following: security, location, value for money and cleanliness. The staff in many youth hostels in Ireland – and other countries – try to do too much: they try to be tour guides; entertainment providers; pub-crawl organisers and other superfluous things. They concentrate on the superfluous whilst neglecting the most important jobs. Dublin is such a lively and vibrant city you don’t need to stay at a hostel that will organise your trip for you – all you need is a good location, security and cleanliness at a decent price. This is what Barnacles does so well: it concentrates on providing the basic standards of cleanliness, value and security, whilst its Temple Bar location makes it easy for you to take care of the rest. Whilst Barnacles does have a range of activities, the main focus among the staff is providing security for you and your belongings, ensuring a good level of cleanliness and all at good value.
Security at Barnacles
As Dublin’s primary tourist district great care is taken to ensure that Temple Bar is as safe and welcoming an area as can be. Therefore Barnacles, and the other youth hostels in Temple Bar, have a great advantage over their rivals which are spread out across the city. However, not content with its great location, Barnacles goes the extra mile to ensure every precaution is made to keep the hostel safe and welcoming. One of its security features is a 24 hour reception so you can get advice and tips on where to – and not to – go at any time, day or night. The hostel does not have a curfew so you can feel free to come and go as you wish and there will always be a fresh smile for you when you arrive back from the guy or gal on reception.
Barnacles also has organised tours, which are provided free of charge. Of course many hostels have organised pub-crawls and tours, however Barnacles employs staff members who are not only fun and up for a laugh, but – more importantly in terms of security – mature and sensible and knowledgeable about the city.
Barnacles also does its utmost to help you ensure the safety of your personal possessions, money and travel equipment.
When we are on holiday we tend to have more money in our possession, more expensive equipment (cameras, video recorders etc), and important personal documents (tickets, passports etc) that we would ever dream of – or need to -carrying when at home. Therefore sometimes it is when enjoying our holidays that we are at our most vulnerable. Whilst many hostels just have a luggage storage, Barnacles also provides a safe deposit box to provide that extra bit of security for our most important personal documents. The safe deposit box can be accessed through a member of staff on reception.
Every room in Barnacles has an electronic key-card system and there is a locker under each bed, these double security measures ensure you can leave less valuable items such as clothes and books in your room and not have to worry about things going missing.
Location of Barnacles
Barnacles is: really easy to find; really close to some great pubs and restaurants; right in the heart of Temple Bar. The hostel ticks all the boxes.
If you are walking to Barnacles from the North of the River Liffey then the first thing you need to do is go to the Quays and find the Ha’penny Bridge. From there you need to cross the Bridge and turn right. After a couple of hundred metres you will see the entrance to Fownes Street, on one side of the Fownes Street entrance to Temple Bar you will see the Ha’penny Bridge Inn, on the other you will see the Temple Bar opticians, which is painted yellow.
Walk along Fownes Street until you see the entrance to Temple Bar Street on your right. Follow Temple Bar and you will soon come across The Temple Bar Pub, Barnacles Youth Hostel is a few doors down on the left.
Just during the short walk to Barnacles Hostel from The River Liffey you will see: Dublin’s most iconic bridge (the Ha’penny Bridge) two famous Temple Bar pubs (the Ha-penny Bridge Inn and The Temple Bar Pub); a famous Dublin Gallery (Temple Bar Gallery and Studios) and part of Temple Bar Square.
One thing to be aware of, though, is that Temple Bar does get quite noisy at night, so it can be quite hard to get a good nights sleep. But then an accusation of noisiness of one sort or another can be levelled against any hostel in the world.
Cleanliness
Barnacles has 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 person dormitories, all of which are en suite and include shower, toilet and sink. This en suite feature ensures against the kind of free-for-alls you can find yourself in when you are sharing shower and toilet facilities with not only fellow travellers from your dorm, but also every other guest in all the dorms on your floor.
Every morning fresh bedding is provided for each new guest and the rooms are cleaned and tidied on a daily basis.
Communal areas are clean and well-maintained.
Value for money
The cheapest room options at Barnacles are 15 Euros a night, this will be in an 11 person mixed dormitory room. This is not the cheapest hostel in Temple Bar, but due to the high standards of cleanliness, the wonderful location and the tight security it will be the best 15 Euros you could spend in Temple Bar. We heartily recommend Barnacles youth hostel as the best not only in Temple Bar but all of Dublin.
Book a room online
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