Just back from our first trip to Cape Clear (Oileán Chléire). The weather was beautiful, which probably helped!
We booked a family room in the Cape Clear Hostel, and were more than happy with it. We're not your typical hostel visitors & were a bit anxious about booking, but the hostel was ideal for us.
The first thing we noticed was how clean the hostel was & also how welcoming the owners were. Our room had a beautiful view of the sea & it was magical to lie in bed and listen to the water flowing in over the pebble beach, just outside our window.
The hostel has good facilities, a large kitchen with plenty of pots & pans (no oven). It also has a nice living room & a ping-pong table!
The bathrooms were good & most importantly for us, were absolutely spotless.
There are fishing rods available to borrow, maybe you could catch something tasty for your tea! We weren't that adventurous & ate in the "Siopa Beag" restaurant by the harbour. Nice food, quite reasonably priced.
If you're planning a trip to the island, make sure to bring good walking shoes. There are so many hills, but the views you get from the top of the hills make the climb worthwhile. There's also a fantastic taxi service on the island if (like us) you're feeling a bit lazy!
All in all, well worth a visit & the hostel was a great experience for us.

Cape Clear and this hostel was the favorite part of our trip to Ireland.

The location is outstanding, beautiful, full of history and charm. The hosts Richard and Sinead were very kind, interesting and generous.

The island is wonderful, full of beautiful sights - both historic and natural.

The ferry was fun. On the way back we were followed by dolphins and viewed a rainbow.

Lastly, there is an excellent taxi service and good food on the island.

I had the good fortune of being able to take a couple of days after a meeting in Cork to head out to the southwest coast and the highlight of my trip was the two days and one night that I spent on Cape Clear Island. While the weather in Cork was typical for mid-March, cool and damp, my days on the island were filled with nothing but clear, sunny skies and gentle breezes. Richie, the manager of the hostel could not have been more welcoming a host and the hostel itself had one of the most spectacular locations of any that I have visited. Also, the hostel was spotless, well equipped, my only complaint was that I could not have stayed longer. Cape Clear itself is a truly magical place and although it was the "off-season", the island had plenty of sights to keep me busy and Neil at the Co-Op store/restaurant, and Mary at Cotter's pub/restaurant and the folks at the Cape Clear Club/pub certainly provided all the food and social interaction a person could ever want.

I've travelled all over the world and I have to say that Richard and Sinead are simply the nicest hosts I've ever had the pleasure to stay with... Cape Clear Hostel is basic, clean, airy, cheap (Considering the lack of accommodation).

The Island (Year round) is fantastic.

Go there SOON!!!

6 out of 5.