Avalon House

Avalon House is a bustling hostel that attracts a young crowd of backpackers and groups seeking inexpensive rooms and a social atmosphere. From the outside, the red-brick Victorian building appears stolid and old fashioned, but inside, its orange walls, red pleather sofa, and acoustic guitar that guests are free to borrow convey a youthful liveliness. The reception desk, a behemoth oak antique, is covered in flyers and is often busy with guests lined up to rent bicycles or pay for a towel rental. The high-ceilinged living room has oversized sofas, bean bag chairs, and a long, lamp-lit table with tablets available to borrow. The communal kitchen has rows of scarred pine tables, walls of cubbies for food storage, and long counters with plenty of appliances. The hostel's cafe, the Bald Barista, is a brightly lit space with lavender walls and arched windows overlooking the street. The hostel has two game rooms, one of which is a basement rec room-style space with table tennis (guest tournaments are often held here) and old black leather sofas before a big-screen TV used for the regularly hosted movie nights. There is no curfew at this earthy hostel, and its location between two notable nightlife areas assures the place is lively around the clock.  

Avalon House is centrally located between the nightlife areas of Wexford Street, a four-minute walk away, and Temple Bar, which is eight minutes away on foot. It is within walking distance of many top city attractions, like St. Stephen's Green, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin Castle, and Grafton Street, a popular shopping street, all of which can be reached in five to seven minutes. The National Library of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland - Archaeology, and Trinity College are a 12-minute walk away. The Guinness Storehouse is a bit of a trek at 20 minutes, (about the same amount by bus), or it's an eight-minute drive. The Heuston train station is a 13-minute drive or about 20 minutes by bus, while Dublin Airport can be reached in around a half-hour by car, or 45 minutes by bus. 

The hostel offers both private rooms with en-suite bathrooms as well as shared, dorm-style rooms that sleep four, six, 10, or 12. Female-only rooms are also available. Rooms are small and can feel quite cramped, and are simply furnished with small beds or bunkbeds. Some have colorful accent walls. There are hooks and cubbies, but no lockers, and dorm rooms also lack bedside electrical outlets and reading lamps. Bathrooms are small and basic, with fluorescent lighting and fiberglass showers with curtains. Towels are provided for guests who book a private room, otherwise they can be rented. A hairdryer can be borrowed from the front desk, but toiletries are not included. All rooms are supplied with free sheets and a duvet, and are accessed through key cards. Guests younger than 16 can stay in private rooms only, if they are accompanied by an adult. There is no curfew, so guests should anticipate some level of noise in the shared rooms.

The hostel provides a free continental breakfast that includes brown bread, cereal, yogurt, milk, coffee, and tea; extras like a slice of bacon or an egg are available for an additional fee. Wi-Fi is free throughout, and guests can use tablets that are available in the lobby. The hostel offers free maps and walking tours of Dublin every morning. There is a game room with table tennis, a pool table, a big-screen TV for movie nights, and a PlayStation console, plus guests can utilize the free book exchange program. Bald Barista is the on-site cafe that is open to the public and offers sandwiches and desserts as well as reportedly great coffee. The hostel also has a spacious, well-equipped communal kitchen with a large refrigerator and multiple cubbies for food storage; there are numerous signs exhorting guests to refrain from stealing. The hotel loans umbrellas, electrical adaptors, and phone chargers, and guests can use an on-site laundry room for a fee. Luggage storage for up to two weeks is available for a fee, plus there are lockers and laptop safes also for a fee. Other fee-based amenities include bicycle rentals and late check-outs. The front desk is staffed 24-hours and no outside visitors are allowed. One thoughtful feature: Musicians who play a set in the common area and guests celebrating their birthdays stay one night free of charge.