Globetrotters is theoretically one of the best hostels in Dublin. The rooms are spacious, clean and homely. The beds are not the usual crap metal fare that you don't sleep soundly on, for fear they might collapse during the night. No... these are of the sturdy wooden variety, with partitions between rows so that although you're in an 8 bed dorm you feel as though you're in a twin (a much desired feeling when you've been hostelling for several months).
The breakfast is truly amazing and one of the reasons I kept going back. A full Irish breakfast, which fills you up for a large part of the day (or until lunchtime if you're me!) is included in the dorm price. This is great for cash-strapped backpackers.
The common room is like something from Alice in Wonderland. Huge high-backed chairs, turquoise walls, a grand fireplace and loads of books. Very intriguing little space. The dining room has a beautiful painted mural of the Irish folklore legend about the king who turned his daughters into swans.
However, despite all of this, Globetrotters is not the best hostel in Dublin. And the reason is this: it is a 'no fun' hostel. Absolutely, without a doubt, no fun allowed. It's like the Soup Nazi of hostels.
Surprisingly, I managed to have a bit of the old fun and meet a few awesome people in this place, but it wasn't for the want of the hostel staffs' attempts to outlaw any kind of merriment or human interaction within the Globetrotters prison walls.
For starters, the lovely, inviting common room is only open until about 11pm, which makes for time-constrained socialising, and hardly makes it a cool place to return to and hang out after a night out. Secondly, you need to flash your room key every time you walk in the door. And I'm talking EVERY time, even if you've been staying for 2 weeks and the woman at the front desk knows very well that you live there. There's no recognition, no love, no acknowledgement that you're a responsible, normal, functioning adult. Globetrotters is heavy on the naughty child treatment.
Thirdly, they obviously don't care about their hostel patrons (because they're much more worried about the B&B patrons next door - obviously they are more worthy of attention because they are wealthier). The first time I stayed there I complained about a light that wasn't working. They said they'd fix it. I went away for a few weeks and when I returned the same light was still broken.
I stayed there for a week in winter and the showers were FREEZING! We mentioned this to the staff and they said they'd get it fixed. A week, and many, many complaints later, our showers were still pneumonia-inducing.
I can't stress it enough - treat all customers as equals and with respect, because firstly it's a basic human right, and secondly, you don't know who you're serving. It could be the next American president, or maybe it's a reviewer? read more