This is without a doubt the worst hostel in all of Ireland.
It looks ok from the outside but the inside is something directly from a horrormovie. First it takes like 5 minutes to get to your room through the underground corridor and the stairs, passing the kitchen/cellar where north/central african axmurderer-types are preparing what they call "food" (the smell was out of this world).

Once in the room it was a large 20 bunkbed room with basically zero circulation of air. Opening the door (on which someone had actually written "abandon all hope") i was met by stale air and a stench that felt like getting punched in the face. Not-so hygienic africans, sweat, old smelly shoes, a sweetish smell of "not exactly tobacco", the spanish rastafaris, and all bodily odours you can imagine (the spanish were actually [--]in the lower bunk while a friend of mine tried to sleep in the upper one).

The room/gulag/dungeon window was made of a "brick wall" of glass so there was no way of opening it for air. There was an air-conditioning-unit in the ceiling 2-3 feet above my bunk (yes, right above my face) but it didn´t work. Condisering what seemed to be growing inside of it i was actually kinda glad it didn´t.

The bed next to mine was occupied by a "gentleman" of unspecified african origin who didn´t seem to move an inch in the 2 days we spent there. His thousand-mile-stare didn´t exactly make going to sleep easy. I was expecting to get knifed in my sleep.

The toilets and showers..oh god, i could write a thesis on what´s wrong there...
Most of the toilets had something missing, like the ring you normally sit on, toiletpaper seemed to exist just sometimes. Many locks to the "booths" didn´t work and it was always wet and dirty on the floor. When we went out one evening there was vomit in one of the handbasins clogging it up, when we got back in the morning it was still the same way. No cleaning at all during that time, even though there were people at "work" in the hostel.
The showers would be considered illegal in most of the western world. There was rust and there were tiles missing from both the walls and the floor due to water having gotten thru to the back of the tiles (which should be impossible if the person putting up the tiles had even the smallest clue of what he was doing). The mold that was growing there was probably directly dangerous to human health. The floor was constantly wet outside the showers too, making a hassle of just putting your clothes on.

I´ve lived a lot better in army barracks than i did in Browns hostel, hell i´ve lived better out in the field in a tent or dug down in a damn foxhole, atleaste there was fresh air to breathe.

STAY AWAY FROM BROWNS HOSTEL!!!!!!

Browns Hostel is centrally located just a few streets East of the City Centre. There are a few things to consider when staying here though. 1. The showers. They are on the bottom floor of the hostel. There is no ventilation and everything smells moldy. If you dont bring your own towel, you will have to buy one from the front desk. 2. There are bathrooms ensuite. 3. The "assigned" beds. We stayed there 3 nights..every night, someone new came in (it was a 20 bed, female dorm) and took someone elses bed. Apparently the bed log isnt kept very accurately. 4. Room key. We had to get it recharged more than a few times. When you are in the room at the very top of the building, it kind of sucks to have to run all the way back down to get your room key recharged! ;)

On the positive side, the front desk workers were very nice and gave us great tips on where to eat. The internet was not working while we were there, but there are inet cafes all around. There is also the Browns Hotel attached and they serve a wonderful and inexpensive breakfast.

Bottom line is - when you're paying next to nothing, dont expect anything more.

First of all, people have to remember that this is a budget hostel. When I booked it was the cheapest one available on the hostel website I used, so after checking on here and finding such negative reviews I was expecting something terrible. I was wrong!

Firstly, the hostel has a really good location. If you're travelling to watch sport at Croke Park the location is ideal, as it's only a short walk away. The bus station is just around the corner, and it's less than 5 minutes' walk from O'Connell Street. There's a supermarket around the corner which isn't bad, and larger discount supermarket about 10 minutes' walk away.

Communal areas were generally clean and tidy, I've seen reviews moaning of 'student types' but I've never seen a student stay in a 4* hotel anyway, so why the fuss? Plenty of room, the kitchen is slightly small and can be busy at mealtimes.

We stayed in one of the larger 20-bed dorms, which were clean and tidy, however the air-con can be a bit temperamental at times, nothing that couldn't be sorted by mentioning to the reception staff though. I would recommend getting a duvet when you arrive for €2.50 rather than just a blanket, you'll certainly notice the difference!

Shower rooms were the main real let-down to the place not all were in working order, and it was a bit of a pain not having anywhere to hang your towel. Some men's toilets didn't have seats, but they were always cleaned every morning.

The staff are absolutely brilliant. The shaven-headed guy who checked us in was a mine of information about Dublin, even giving us tips on where to go that wasn't a massive tourist trap (we were looking for a night out), but all the other staff were always friendly and willing to help with even the smallest detail.

All in all, the place isn't a hotel, and it has it's faults (like most hostels) but the fact that the staff are willing to do anything to help is a real bonus! Don't turn your nose up to it because of others!

It's hard to describe Browns Hostel! So i'll put everything in bulletpoints:

1. Hostel is in a really good location. However, there are lots of hostels on Lower Gardiner Street and if you're not going there on a weekend I would recommend shopping around and asking to see the rooms in each hostel before you book it!

2. The layout is really strange. it may not seem like a big deal in itself, but you need to go down through a basement area (which is a really cool communal kitchen/sitting room) then up the stairs at the back of the hostel to get to the bedrooms. once problem is that that the only lockers to put your valuables in aren't in the rooms (like many hostels). They are near to the front reception (downstairs). So if you're in you're pyjamas and forget to put something away you have to walk past everyone in the communal area!!

2. I stayed in a 20 bed mixed dorm with a female friend. We barely got any sleep because people keep on going in and out - the hostel has no curfew there's somebody on reception 24/7 which can be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of night you want!! You have to rent towels and blankets (2 euro) and even if you leave it on your bed it might still get stolen (my friend had her pillow and blanket taken!). And my bunk bed had a couple of pieces of chewing gum on it, which is gross especially if you're trying to sleep.

3. The bathrooms are downstairs just off the communal area. When you go into the female showers/toilets there looks like damp/mould on the corners of the walls. I don't actually think it's this, the room has no ventilation as there are no windows. The toilets have no locks on them so if you go into one make sure you hold the door/make your friend stand outside because someone will walk in on you!!! Happened to me once, and my friend had it a couple of times too.

4. I've stayed in loads of hostels and the communal kitchen is a great idea. As Dublin is expensive for food you can cook stuff and save some money! All i'll say is that the kitchen is like a student one, be prepared to clean your plates thoroughly.

5. the staff are generally really good and friendly. when you check in you need to get an electronic card to let you into your room. It tends to demagnatise every few hours so when you walk past reception get them to charge it for you (only takes a couple of seconds). If you don't you may not be able to get in to your room, then you have to go all the way back through the communal area to charge it.

All in all the hostel was good; but it could be so much more it it was given a lick of paint and a bit cleaner. No locks on toilet/bathroom doors and problems with the layout of the hostel can cause problems, but its true that you get what you pay for.