If you book ahead, show up at the appointed time. Reception. Runs errands throughout the day and…read moremight miss you. The hostel was clean though a bit cramped -- but the prices are excellent and everything worth seeing in Derry is within walking distance. We checked in without much fuss, got our keys, a tour of the hostel, and a wonderful conversation with the operator which included advice for dining, drinking, music, and walking tours. We even got a map. In one of the hostel buildings (they own two rowhouses), the basement is dominated by a kitchen area that is very well appointed. There are laundry machines, but they bear signs requesting that guests contact reception before use -- so I don't know if there's a charge. I would stay here again, on my own, with a partner, or even with a young travel group.

I only spent one night here, but I absolutely loved it…read more I was doing a bit of traveling by myself for the first time and this hostel really made me feel at home. The owner is a very, very nice man and explained everything to me as soon as I arrived. It was a slow week and I had a room of six completely to myself. Now that I think of it, there were only a total of three people staying in the whole hostel that night. The bathrooms were very nice and the bathtub on my floor was one of those fancy old ones with feet. I didn't feel like going out during my night in Derry because I felt kind of nervous going out on a Saturday by myself in a different country. The living room area had over three hundred movies saved to a hard drive so I just sat and watched one. The owner (whose name escapes me, it's been a while) came in and watched it with me! He was a really lovely man. I woke up early the next morning to the smell of freshly baked bread. It really made me feel at home, even though we don't exactly bake bread at home. And luckily for me, I could eat a ton of bread as the only other guests had already left. When I went to pay for the hostel during check out, the total came to £10 even though I was told it was going to be £13. Awesome!

This is a nice hostel. Clean, Internet 24 mega, living room, TV, cereals for the morning. The boss…read moreis quite nice. There is one thing you need to know before getting here get in before 9pm because room you can choose are limited after 9pm. What more to say it really close to the train station so your getting that going for you.

Great facilites (self-catering houses as well as the hostel). Suitable for families, groups of…read morefriends, etc - anyone really! The centre is in a small rural village that is super friendly

Welcoming mail on evening before arrival. Greeted by great staff.. Food delicious and very very…read morereasonable. Rooms lovely.. Breakfast gorgeous and any amount of it. Family run business that puts customer first.. I would strongly recommend this establishment and will return again

The Downhill Hostel was one of our favorite places that we stayed in all of Ireland. During our 23…read moredays in Ireland and Northern Ireland, the scenery of the Downhill Hostel was certainly the best of any place we stayed. McCall and William were hospitable and gracious. We definitely recommend you stay there for more than one night. We tried to do just one night and that simply wasn't enough, so we stayed a second night. Thanks for everything! We miss the Downhill already. Coty, Jon, Heidi, and Luke Ottertail, Minnesota, USA

One of our favorite place on earth, if not the first one !…read moreWe've been there 3 times since 2000 with a growing pleasure each and every time. The people running the place are the nicest host you could imagine. The place is magnificent with a breathtaking scenery ! It's not far away from the Giant's Causeway, a mythical place and the neighbourhood is a great place for someone who loves nature and peaceful walks. It's not very far either from Donegal, thanks to a boat which will carry your car and yourself from one place (i.e. Northern ireland) to the other (Eire). We're looking forward to come back (but not too often otherwise we would end in staying there and not returning home (France it is).

I'm not Irish. I'm a Jewish/German American. But I'd always longed to visit Ireland and get…read moreexposure to the longstanding Irish tradition of storytelling. So when I got the opportunity to stay at the Ballyeamon Camping Barn and shadow storyteller Liz Weir, I jumped at the chance. I was there for seven weeks and helped run this amazing hostel, and any time I meet someone who's thinking about visiting Ireland, I tell them they must go here. Here's why: -Simple but clean and nice accommodations (with recent renovations) -Access to a full kitchen to make your own food -Gorgeous views in every direction -30 seconds from major hiking trails -6 miles from the charming small town of Cushendall (and the fantastic pub Joe's (http://www.mccollamsbar.com) -Not far (by bus) from the Rope Bridge and the Giant's Causeway (both free and amazing attractions) -Opportunity to interact with a variety of amazing storytellers, musicians, and other travelers Staying at the barn, I met people from England, Israel, Egypt, the US, Eastern Europe, Germany, etc. Some days it was quiet, some days we were a small troop of cooking and playing music and telling stories. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to go back!