Clifton Court, Dublin

Advantages: Great breakfast
Disadvantages: Out of the way location

...Another year, another ISTO. And that means another trip to Dublin, and another hostel. The Irish Student Trampoline Open, following a spell in Cork, was back in Dublin this year, and we went along for 4 days of bouncing, drinking and site-seeing. Our home for the trip was Four Courts Hostel. I don't really like hostels that much, but I can tolerate them when travelling in a group, and when someone else is paying. However even then, there are a few things I need a hostel to have in order for me to rate it highly. These include a decent location, safe storage facilities, reasonably equipped rooms and a few facilities. I'm not going to compare Four Courts with full service hotels, because that is unfair, but I will compare it with the other hostels I have stayed in, particularly those in Dublin. We got the bus from the airport... Read review

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Advantages: Location
Disadvantages: Not great value

...Before going to Dublin for a long weekend with friends we had been warned that it was an expensive place to visit. This was proved to be true when I started looking for somewhere for us to stay. We were looking for somewhere affordable but a bit posher than a hostel. My search led me to the Ripley Court Hotel. The reasons I chose it were: - proximity to O'Connel Street - availability of a triple room - breakfast was included in the price We had three nights (over a long weekend) for 500 Euros which I thought was pretty steep for a two star hotel, considering that all three of us were sharing a room. (Hint: staying from Saturday to Tuesday instead of Friday to Monday would have saved a fortune - week day rates were only 20 Euro per person!) On arrival we noticed that a train line ran right outside the hotel so my immediate... Read review

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Advantages: Spacious, good value, sports facilities
Disadvantages: Looking tatty around the edges, room service menu quality

...cleaner underfoot, with prints all over the shop from people wandering around wearing shoes. Although I did not have the time to enjoy it, beauty salon facilities were available, with treatments that looked cheap in comparison to London prices (?60 for a one-hour facial, that kind of thing). Would I go back? In all honesty, no I wouldn't (and I haven't). Bearing in mind it's possible to stay in places like the Fitzwilliam for 30 quid a night more, I'd recommend upgrading to a better hotel, than enduring the Camden Court, unless you managed to get a stonking deal there. The hotel's web site promises much, but the reality is that the Camden Court underperforms on pretty much every aspect and I would have felt far more forgiving if the sales pitch wasn't so overblown in the first instance. I'm still travelling to Dublin, but I'd rather... Read review

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