Finn McCool's Giants Causeway Hostel

The kitchen had good equipment, with free coffee, tea, and milk, and the hostel was cleaned every day. I felt safe, and the people working there were friendly. It was nice chatting with other travellers too. If people are complaining about this place, they should stay in a hotel.

A booking for a four-bed room might turn into a six- or eight-bed room, so the reservation doesn't guarantee what you get, and they won't refund the price difference. They make promises, but there's no real security. My room door might not lock, and the locker cabinets were so primitive I couldn't use one, even though I had my own lock.

You really need transport here. Buses run, but they're expensive and stop at 7pm. There's nowhere around to get breakfast, good coffee, groceries, or much else, so Bushmills is the nearest place for those. The Causeway is close, about a 15-20 minute walk, and the bus stops are handy. Mcools has decent WiFi but no good phone signal. There are appliances for what you need, but the place is very run down and needs a thorough clean and repairs. Lots of things were broken, including sockets, pull switches, blinds, and a toilet seat. There was an old bus ticket in the drawer and a bottle top on the floor. The floors and doors squeak, and room 2 is beside the toilet, where people leave the tap running, so it's noisy. The main road also brings some traffic noise. I paid 60 a night for a room around 5m2. It was okay as a base near the Causeway if room standards and ripped bed linen don't bother you, but don't expect much.

You can't get much closer to the Causeway, which let us take a long walk while it was quiet and uncrowded. With better timing, we could have caught the sunset. The rooms were clean, though they may have been damp, and the beds were very comfortable. The toilets were always stocked and we never had to queue. It's perfectly fine for what it is, as long as you're not expecting five-star luxury.