Hostels are usually laid out dorm-style, often with large rooms and bunk beds, although private rooms that sleep two to four are becoming more common. They sometimes have kitchens and utensils, bike or moped rentals, storage areas, transportation to airports, breakfast and other meals, laundry facilities, and Internet access (which is often extremely slow). There can be drawbacks: some hostels close during daytime “lockout” hours, have a curfew, don’t accept reservations, impose a maximum stay, and a few require that you do chores. In Ireland, a dorm bed in a hostel will average around €16-24 and a private room around €25-40.
In Ireland more than anywhere else, senior travelers and families are invariably welcome. Some hostels are strikingly beautiful (a few are even housed in castles), but others are little more than run-down barracks. You can expect every Irish hostel to provide blankets, although you may have to pay extra for sheets (see Packing). In recent years, a number of Irish hostels have been turned into refugee houses and have closed their doors—it is always a good idea to call ahead to hostels to ensure that they are open for business.
Joining the youth hostel association in your own country (listed below) automatically grants you membership privileges in Hostelling International (HI), a federation of national hosteling associations. Non-HI members are welcome in all Irish HI hostels, though there are occasional member discounts.
In Ireland, An Óige (an-OYJ), 61 Mountjoy St., Dublin 7, the HI affiliate, operates 26 hostels countrywide. (☎01 830 4555; www.anoige.ie. One-year membership €20, under 18 €10). Many An Óige hostels are in remote areas or small villages and were designed primarily to serve those seeking nature, not noise. The North’s HI affiliate, HINI (Hostelling International Northern Ireland; formerly known as YHANI), 22-32 Donegal Rd., Belfast BT12 5JN, operates eight hostels. (☎028 9032 4733; www.hini.org.uk. One-year membership £15, under 25, £10.)
Most HI hostels also honor guest memberships—you’ll get a blank card with space for six validation stamps. Each night you’ll pay a nonmember supplement (one-sixth the membership fee) and earn one guest stamp; get six stamps, and you’re a member. A new membership benefit is the FreeNites program, which allows hostelers to gain points toward free rooms. Most student travel agencies sell HI cards, as do all of the national hosteling organizations below. All prices listed below are valid for one-year memberships unless otherwise noted.
In Ireland a number of hostels belong to the Independent Holiday Hostels (IHH). Most of the 140 IHH hostels have no lockout or curfew, accept guests of all ages, require no membership card, and have a comfortable atmosphere that generally feels less institutional than at An Óige hostels; all are Bord Fáilte-approved. Grab a free booklet with complete descriptions of each at any IHH hostel. Contact IHH at 57 Lower Gardiner St., Dublin 1 (☎01 836 4700; www.hostels-ireland.com).
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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