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Four Courts Hostel (Dublin)
by vickijohn2012
I booked this hostel in February 2011 when myself and 3 friends decided to go to Dublin for a weekend, we heard about how fun it was and decided to have a weekend, as we were students we couldnt afford a hotel or a premier inn so a hostel it was. It cost about 15 euros each and we paid for a private room. The location was perfect looking ... onto the union canal and along from temple bar (on the same side of the river). Along the canal and across a bridge to O'Connell street, it is in a good location.
When we arrived we had to press the bell on the front door, someone then pressed the buzzer and let us in. The reception was immediately on the left hand side, it was full of men working on the computers and it had a lot of information books and leaflets both on the rack and beside the desk on the reception. We were given our keys so we could enter our room. The room was quite large and had four sets of bunk beds which gave us eight beds in total, although we only needed four, we had ample space.
The room was clean and tidy and had a large windo to let lots of light in, it was however very noisy and very bright during the night so getting sleep was very hard. There was a small shower/toilet room on the left as you came into the room, it was very clean and tidy just like the room. You had to pay 4 euros for towels if you wanted them, where as toilet roll and soap were supplied which is always good, as you never expect to pay for these. We also had to make the beds ourselves which I dont mind doing. As there were eight beds in total we were able to have an extra pillow each which was good. There was also a mirror in the room but it was not full length this was awkward, as you like to see what you look like in full. There was also one chair in the room, this i felt was unneccesary as there was no table or anything in the room.
The hostel also had a canteen, but you had to spend money for anything in there, there was also a games room with an xbox etc in, with computers for the internet and various vending machines and a bar. This was good but as we were there for the nightlife we headed out. It was a good ten minute walk from temple bar, the main clubbing, drinking and eating part of dublin. It is also 5 mins walk from the main shopping street in Dublin, which is good for both during the days and nights.
Overall I would definitely stay in this hostel again as it was cheap, clean and tidy and it was good value for money. It was also very welcoming, friendly and warm, we all said we would stay here again if we went to dublin.
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Euro Hostel (Glasgow, Scotland)
by vickijohn2012
I booked a night in this hostel for me and 3 of my friends as we were at university in Edinburgh and we wanted a night out in Glasgow as we heard it was meant to be a lot better that what we are used too! We were suggested that we stay in the Euro-hostel as it was cheap and good value for money, I think we ended up paying £60 for a 4 bed ... room. The hostel is easy to get to from the bus station, glasgow queen street and glasgow central. You walk south down buchannan street towards the river clyde, through the st enoch centre, down a road which is directly infront on you, once you reach the river clyde, turn right and the eurohostel is on your right.
The building itself is about ten storeys high, it is surrounded by other hotels, busy shops, restaurants, nightclubs, but on one side you have a view of the river clyde. We were located on the fifth floor, our room was right at the end of the corridor so we were right out of the way, so for quietness, this was a good thing. However I think they were filling the rooms up from this end, so from later on in the night, the noise became greater and was quite rowdy from about 3am until 4am. The staff at the hostel were however very helpful and friendly, we were in our room within about 5 minutes of arriving, the room was clean and tidy and well looked after.
The room that we were given for the 4 of us consisted of two bunk beds, which were painted a dark blue colour and the paint was coming off the sides. There was a table infront of the window with only two chairs, the beds were not made when we arrived but we were provided with sheets and pillowcases to make our beds, however there was only one extra pillow, which is not very good when myself and 2 of my friends are used to sleeping with more than one pillow. The matress that I had was very comfortable and I was able to get a good nights sleep, although some lights from outside did keep me awake for a while.
Other aspects of the room were good, we were given lockers but due to the fact that we were friends, we felt no need to use them and when we left our room we pushed our belongings out of sight and under the bed. There is a full length mirror in the room, which is very useful especially if you are going out for the night and want to make sure that you look your best.
There was also a shower in a seperate room, located on the left hand side as soon as you entered the room, the shower looked clean and tidy, we did not however use it as we had to pay for towels at the reception if we required a shower, we had one before we left that morning. The toilet like the shower was clean and tidy and had 2 rolls of toilet paper and as we were staying for one night, this was ample. We were also given soap which was located on the basin which is a good thing to have, as we had forgotten anything like that.
You have to keep your key that you are given on you at all times, this is because it is what you use for entry to both the stairs and the lifts, without it you will find that you are stuck in the reception for the night and you cannot access the areas to your room. The card is simple and easy to use, as you just slip it into the slot on the doors, the light will then turn green and you will hear a click and the doors should then open.
The hostel offers various amenities, the one that we used most was the bar, we found that the bar was very comfortable as it had nice sofas and coffee tables, it was a relaxed atmosphere and you were able to take it easy and have a good night without the hustle and bustle of Glasgow which is on your doorstep. The bar is also open to the public as there is a door which leads onto the street. The bar has toilets as does the reception, there is also a pool table and various bandit machines like many normal pubs and bars these days.
The street outside the hostel has many takeaways or shops if you fancy a late night snack, such as McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Greggs, which are all open to 3am, which is very different to where we are from, only one subway is open until 3am. This is very handy as I am always hungry after I have been on a night out.
The hostel offers breakfast which comes free with the room, you get your main breakfast for free, such as cereal, toast, tea and coffee, but you can get a hot breakfast for an extra price. You can buy sausage, eggs, bacon, black pudding. My friend bought a sausage sandwich for about £2 which to me is a good price and she said that it tasted nice, you did however have to pay for sauce sachets. The dining room was very busy and it was hard to get a table amongst all the pandemonium. The toast machine is very hard to work and takes a long time for it to work, you end up with a long queue behind you.
The dining room is a large room with many plastic tables and chairs, with a few sofas and tables, it also has internet access and a few vending machines, it is safe to say that the eurohostel caters for every need you might have. Although it is basic, you get what you pay for and it is good value for money, at £15 each for a private room for me and my friends how could we argue, we would definitely use this hostel again if we visit Glasgow for a night out again.
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St. Christophers Inn (Prague)
by joey92
**Note: I am reviewing St Christophers Inn Prague**
St Christophers inns are a hostel chain located in many European capital cities. The one I stayed in was St Christophers Inn Prague called Mosaic House. My friend and I were looking for a budget nights stay which would be suitable for two girls sightseeing in the city. We ... came across St Christopher's Inn on Hostelworld and booked it due to the budget rooms available! We chose the 26 bed all girls dorm but there were many options available for different groups of travellers including double rooms.
--Upon arrival...--
We were given a map on check in which was helpful and told that a walking city tour took place at 10am in the morning (we chose to do our own thing but it was a nice touch for those who would like to meet people) and a bar crawl on the evening. Keycards required a deposit of 50 Czech crowns. The staff were very pleasant and we didn't receive any bad service.
--The Pricing--
For the large dorm, prices were fantastic - three nights stay came to approximately 30 pounds for the two of us!! We paid a deposit online and then paid the rest in Czech crowns upon arrival. This accomodation was cheaper than my flight and surprisingly the hostel was quite stylish and not at all budget like by appearance. This was due to the fact that they actually had hotel style rooms upstairs for private rooms.
--The Hostel and atmosphere--
The hostel had a nice bar which was reasonably priced for drinks and food. The breakfast was not included so we opted out of this at 150 Czech crowns and instead went to a supermarket which was just around the corner from where we were staying. The atmosphere of the place was quite busy and packed with travellers having a good time. We enjoyed the music in the bar and there was a lounge area where you could meet people and relax with a water machine and wi fi. Throughout the hostel there was free wifi.
--Public transport--
From the airport you had to take a bus then two metros to the hostel and it wasn't far from the metro stop at all. The area was fairly safe though it was on a side street.
--The room--
Our room was called Oasis and to get into it we had a keycard each which was easy to use unlike some keycards you get at hotels! The room was located in the basement below the noisy bar, which unlike you might think, was not a problem at all as the room was completely soundproofed and once downstairs you couldn't hear a thing from upstairs which was really nice! Showers were excellent and bathroom facilities were great too, as everyone seemed to be on different time schedules, three loos and three showers seemed ample for the room.
Beds were incredibly comfy and they were obviously bunk beds. The ladder to get to bed was a bit horrible and you need to be careful but the bed itself was lovely and came with a personal reading light and a plug socket.
Each bed had a lockable storage space underneath the bunk beds which had a knack to it, I actually ended up dropping the lid on my fingers (ouchies!) but you could have the option to lock it up, which I chose not to as I didn't have a padlock with me and I hadn't brought anything worth stealing.
The only thing that woke me up was inconsiderate roommates coming back in the early hours then sticking their laptops on for TV really quite loud! Apart from that, the room was comfy and good value for money, you kind of expect to get woken up in a large dorm anyway I suppose! Beds were arranged in groups of four so you couldn't really tell it was a 26 bed dorm.
--Convenience--
The distance from the centre was walkable though there was also a tram into the city centre which we took when feeling a bit lazy! It is round the corner from a metro station.
--Restaurants and bars--
The one restaurant I would highly recommend if visiting Prague was the Lemon Tree which was just around the corner from our hostel and was absolutely delicious and fantastically priced Thai cuisine. I had a veggie curry and a mango cocktail and lots of drinks for approximately 12 pounds!
There were various bars in the area though we chose to head centrally for nightlife. There was a night bus to bring you home in the early hours though trams run until about 1 in the morning!
--Verdict--
Fantastic value rooms for travellers to Prague on a budget! 5 Dooyoo stars.
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