Now you may think I can't make this claim, but having stayed in every hostel in Cork and probably 90% of the hotels here I can. Kinlay House is the best and CLEANEST! Even beats some of the cheap end hotels I have stayed in here. Probably the cleanest hostel in any big city in Ireland... and for some unknown reason many hostels and hotels are just plain nasty in this country but the great Irish people make up for it.

Kinlay is a bit out of the way up the hill from the bus and train stations and a bit tough to find your first time here, but its well worth it. Just stop by and ask the friendly locals or save yourself the hassle and jump in a cab for a few euro. The front desk staff have always been friendly and usually ask you how your stay is (which is surprising in a hostel) one employee even brought my bag up the stairs for me when I checked in! They can book some tours and happy to give suggestions on where to go.

I like the location in Shandon because its convenient to the city centere and the train and bus station its more quiet than the hotels and hostels on McCurtain or St Patricks street. There is also a great little Chinese take away (Jumbo Chinese) and a few corner shops down the street heading away from the city centere that I would recommend and save the trek back down the hill. While the area may appear a bit sketchy late at night I've never had a problem, even walking alone in the middle of the night.

The hostels has a tv room with cable, bit rundown, but is clean and cozy. Free wifi in the tv room, dining room/kitchen and a lot of the hostel. The kitchen is fairly well stocked with utencils and two fridges for guest food. Guests get private rooms with or without a bathroom and most shared dorm rooms have a sink far as I have seen. Shared bathrooms are usually almost spotlessly clean and you don't want to immediately pour alcohol over your foot and possible set it on fire if it happens to touch the floor. Beds are even usually comfortable and blankets provided are warm. While the upper floors tend to seem to be a bit colder there are radiators in the rooms and seem to stay decently warm even in the middle of winter. You can even hire a towel if you didn't bring one.

The am breakfast is simple, but does the trick. If you don't like it you can always grab some somewhere else or make your own in the kitchen.

After staying in all the hostels in Cork this is my favorite!