Life

13 Of The Worst Irish Hostel Horror Stories Ever

Staying in a hostel is never truly pleasant. Yes, you can make great friends and party all night but most of the time, they're glorified hellholes with beds. These TripAdvisor reviews show just how bad some peoples' experiences have been in Irish hostels... and they're very very funny if not a little bit shocking.

Prepare to LOL:

The Pillar - Dublin

"When I got to my room I opened the door and thought I was in a prison cell....nothing but a bed on the floor (no bed frame) a garbage can and what looks like a rusted outdoor patio table"

The Holyhead - Dublin

"When I laid on the bed, I realised it was soaked with piss, probably from a former guest. There was no one to complain, since the it has no 24h clerk. It was useless to turn the mattress around; it was wet anyway. I had to sleep on somebody else's piss, covering it with just one towel"

"It's a grubby disaster of a building with a 1980's horror movie feel. The amount I paid for what I got was totally unacceptable... There are little couches outside the rooms where you can sit but why would you? They look like they've been dragged in off the street after a recent shower from a sewage pipe"

Paddy's Palace - Dublin

"1 star is too much. Would not recommend staying here, absolute gongshow."

"If you are going to Dublin for an enjoyable weekend and you care about your personal hygiene Do Not Stay at Paddy’s Palace as this “establishment” is far from a palace...The best part of Paddy’s Palace is the door out of it"

Citi Hostels - Dublin

"If you want to experience the real feeling of an Irish Goal, not just see it on a tour then book here, otherwise I would avoid this place... p.s TripAdvisor is asking me if this place is romantic lol, oh yeah definitely is, couples will love it if you fancy a trip to hell or are planning a breakup this is the best place to do it and leave a hellish reminder to the other person. But no it definitely isn't and I wouldn't let my dog sleep in this place..."

Apache Hostel - Dublin

"Ewy. What can I say? We were greeted by a person that came across as a goblin. He snapped at a general question; clearly was hangry. Stayed in a twin room the size of a telephone box. It smelled like someone had been murdered (even though you probably couldn't fit a body into the room). There was one socket in the room which I could barely charge my phone to take many selfies - it was a hard time. The room was dirty, the bed sheets were covered in a layer of skin. Didn't look like it was cleaned since the Easter rising. But overall to sum it up in one word it was EW. Next time I'll bring a cardboard box. I'd say it would be cleaner and bigger"

Sheila's - Cork

"I awoke in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, to the sound of the guy below me peeing all over the floor. My friend woke up as well and went down to tell the person working on the main desk. I can accept that these things happen but the way the situation was handled was appalling. The guy on the main desk came up with a mop and bucket and got the drunk guy out of bed. He licked the floor with the mop and went back to bed. There was still piss everywhere and the smell combined with the room being boiling would knock you out"

"Stay in a proper hotel that doesn't have a psycho blonde manager and some Milosovic type dude barking orders like it's the Serbian war. Very steep walk up to the place too. Wouldn't recommend this place as a dog kennel"

Nimmos Hostel - Galway

"Between the people screaming outside our room from 3am to 5am, the dirty accommodation and the pillow giving me pink eye, I would say it was one of the worst hostels I've ever stayed in. Only good quality was the location to town. But for 10 euro I guess you can't expect to not leave with a virus of some sort"

"This hostel is a dishevelled, smelly, dirty hole of a place with at least one incredibly rude member of staff...the staff member I spoke to was like an angry headless chicken, spitting words at me rather than assisting in anyway shape or form and later when I returned she preferred to sit watching movies and throwing the stink eye rather than, god forbid, do her actual job. The room was fine, a bit small and very stuffy and hot but I appreciated the sink in the corner especially considering the how scummy the bathrooms were with little scraggly hairs on the sink and stains on the toilet bowls. The following day when I returned to collect my (unattended) bags there was literally a steaming fresh pile of poo at the entrance like a little figurative cherry on top of my very uncomfortable stay"

Celtic Tourist Hostel - Galway

"I don't have a good thing to say about this place. Be it the dirty rooms, non-existence shower pressure, weird chest thumping music at 3am from the neighbours, rooms slightly larger than a tomb and I have to ask, whose brilliant idea was it to buy metal bed frames? If you're a big fellow like I am, they shriek like the devil when you move. So, if you want good value, a decent sleep and a memorable experience, don't stay here, ever"

Railway Hostel - Killarney

"If you have any interest in sleeping while staying here, forget about it! It's actually kind of funny how many things are trying to keep you awake. The walls are paper thin, so the drunk kids in rooms all around you are bad enough to wake you at every hour of the night. But then there's a rooster (in the city) next door that crows starting at 4 am for hours. There's also a church that has lovely loud bells that chime up to 20 times in a row. 2 nights here with no sleep has basically knocked me out for the rest of my trip"

Also read: The 18 Rudest Place Names In Ireland

Share this article
Article written by
Emma is an editor and writer from Brisbane, Australia and has been living in Dublin since September 2016 after she decided warm weather and beaches were overrated. She now wears three pairs of trousers every day and loves it.