It looks like Stephen hasn't had a rubbish clear out in 27 years. The grounds are a dump and a hazard. Indoors was not much better. Clutter and dust is everywhere. My daughter was sneezing when her allergies flared. It's hard to tell what is intended as ornaments and what is just broken equipment. A fire safety inspection would not go amiss here.
The hostel is advertised as dog friendly but I am not sure that an invitation for dogs to sleep in the car constitutes as dog friendly. A lot of the amenities advertised on site were lacking. I could not find a kettle and the microwave was broken. Cooking and food prep areas were dismal.
I emailed Stephen to let him know we would be later than expected. He told us to make ourselves at home if he wasn't there when we arrived which we did. When Stephen approached me later it was like an interrogation.'Who are you?' he asked whilst not introducing himself. When I reported a problem with the locks Stephen aggressively pushed my hand away from the lock. He did the same to my partner. He blamed 'non Irish people 'for breaking the locks. He offered to fix the locks and when I accepted the offer he sarcastically told me he would happily fix it on Monday, the day we were leaving.He would not leave our room when asked. He stayed until he was finished instructing us to enjoy our holiday which was very awkward for me and my teenage daughters. When we returned from our second day's activities Stephen had replaced the locks. I really wish he could have done it without all the agro.
After Stephen's outburst with the lock I did not feel comfortable in the hostel. Stephen was unapproachable and unfortunately we missed out on the provided breakfast as a result incurring extra expenses as a result. I also heard Stephen being unpleasant towards other French guests who were enjoying a quiet drink.This hostel is not a welcoming place like other hostels.
The location is the only good thing about this hostel. It is a one minute walk from the lovely Letterfrack and it's lovely pubs. It is at the foot of beautiful mountains with walking trails. There is however insufficient car park spaces and guests are required to park outside the hostel at times.
I had emailed Stephen to let him know that an extra guest was coming. he wrote back to say I could pay the extra charge at the hostel. At checkout when we attempted to pay the extra charge Stephen would not take any extra money off us because he knew what a terrible service he had provided.
Avoid!