Vagabonds

This was the first hostel I stayed in, and after staying in some others, I can honestly say it is the best. I am not a huge fan of hostels, but this one is pretty comfortable. It is probably the closest feeling to being home that you can get. The space itself is really cute. It is just like a big house with a ton of art and common space perfect to plop down and read a book or watch a movie. There is a communal kitchen where you can store your food and grab breakfast in the morning. I booked a double room to myself (I don't like to share! , and it felt really similar to a bedroom that you would find in a home. Everything in the bedroom seemed clean. I had everything that I needed. The staff was really the best part of the hostel. They were extremely friendly and spent the time to know your name and ask how your day was. I would come back each day after touring the city and the staff would ask how my day went and how I liked the tours that I went on. Although they are not family, they gave me a feeling of family and a home away from home. I really only encountered a couple of problems. The shared bathrooms were a little sketchy. I really don't enjoy sharing a shower with people that have potentially nasty, communicable diseases. Foot fungus? No thanks. There also seemed to be people staying there that weren't potty trained you are supposed to pee INTO the toilet, not on it. Also, be prepared for the drunks. I spent a night listening to a guy that could not handle his liquor. The other issue I had was with a lady that busted into my room while I was taking a nap. It scared the BEJEEZUS out of me. I don't know if the front gave her the wrong key, or if one key opens every door, but it doesn't seem safe to have random guests entering other peoples rooms.

I stayed here for a couple days by myself when I visited the country in May of 2013 with the intention of seeing and exploring the Giants Causeway, Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, and Titanic 's museum dry dock. I saw that and more! The hostel was more expensive than some other hostels in the area, but much better in terms of satisfaction via safety, comfort, and style/vibe. Vagabonds exudes positive, chill, laid-back good times vibes. Staff is on-site 24/7. The staff is super friendly and chat you up after your day, expect to have a conversation about your day, where you 're from, where they 're from, life experiences, suggestions about places to check out. One suggestion they gave was to do the Black Cab tour, and if I had more time and money, I would have definitely done that one. It 's a socio-political tour where the driver talks to you about the country 's history and the civil war, shows sites, etc. Getting back to the hostel and staff- if you just want to go in your room and be a loner, this is not the right place for you. The staff cares, wants to converse and help you out! The staff creates a schedule and takes people out at night and during the day. I wasn 't there the day they were going to St. George 's market (I love local farmer 's markets), but have heard great things and wanted to go. Maybe next time! The rooms, I chose to stay in an all-female dorm since I was traveling alone. One night, all of the beds were full and the other couple nights it was me and 2 others. I stayed in a 6 person/3 bunk bed room. Rooms were tidy and clean. There is plenty of storage underneath the bunk beds for storage and also lockers in the room as well. Linens and blankets are included in the price! They are decorated with a funky cool twist, meaning different quotes, paint choices, and art work adorns the rooms, hallways and common rooms. Bathrooms are shared spaces, meaning they are not communal, however you may share the room that holds a shower and toilet with several rooms. However there are several single shower and toilet/sink rooms per floor, and some rooms just have a toilet and sink combo. They are kept fairly clean considering they are shared amongst several people at any given time frame. With that in mind, I only had to wait about 5 minutes one time to use the shower, all the other times the showers and toilets/sinks were vacant. Kitchen and free breakfast. The kitchen is nice, you can store your own goods in the fridge/freezer and cook anytime. The hostel does provide free breakfast in the mornings, which is a nice feature. I helped the staff set it up one morning when I was up unusually early. The breakfast options are several kinds of cereal, milks, juices, toasts, butter, jams, teas and coffee. Pretty basic, but definitely a welcome touch for a budget traveler, like myself. Now the only issue that I had was not really with the actual hostel, but just with the location. After I found out where it was, I didn 't have any issues locating it for the rest of my trip. Initially, I thought it would be easy to find, however after walking around what seemed to be all of Belfast and gaining the help of several locals and university students, I got a bit nervous and frustrated since it was getting late and I was still walking around unable to find it. Note: There are SEVERAL streets named after the Queen... Queen Street, Queen Road, Queen Boulevard, etc. and I swear I walked on probably 8 streets with Queen in it, looking for Vagabonds. If I remember correctly, that is the cross street with University (several hostels are located on University too.. not sure if several University streets too or not. Only one other hostel was relatively close-by to Vagabonds, the others are much further. Look at a map and the cross streets of this hostel before setting off to find it. There is a pretty church across the street that became my landmark (I will post a picture of it). From the main bus terminal, it is a straight shot/ about a 20 minute walk at a medium to brisk pace, so it 's definitely walk-able. There are taxis lined up outside the main bus terminal though, so if you want a ride there are plenty of options. One time, I took the city bus to get in out from the rain, but walking is just fine. I traveled light and with a small budget, so I didn 't mind walking. NOTE: Weather changes often in Belfast, so bring a light jacket/rain coat, sweater and sun hat. If I 'm ever in Belfast again, I would gladly stay at this hostel!

Hmm. This place has great potential. The actual building is nice and it 's in a great area walking distance to city hall and lots of bars/restaurants. We had a private room (2 beds) and had to share the bathroom one flight upstairs. The room actually quite beautiful! Bed was fine for a hostel bed. Sheets were clean. However the room itself was not that clean. There was dust and hair on our end table, smudges on the mirror, trash in the trash can. You can tell whoever cleaned just changed the sheets and were being lazy. Employees Uhm well. They weren 't as friendly as the other hostel workers I 've encountered. They also turn the lights and hot water off around 11... I don 't know...They were walking around in socks and drinking beers. This probably explains why I think this place has potential. They need to hire some better workers. There is a laundry machine for a small fee, which was great. There was a commons area with couches but I wouldn 't really wanna sit on said couches. Out front there are picnic tables. You have wifi in your room. Honestly this is probably the best hostel in Belfast. They really just need to care about cleanliness a bit more. If you 're coming through, I would recommend.

Social hostel in a good location, close to the University and walking distance to City Hall, about a 15 minute walk from the bus station, with a Spar and Tesco nearby. 12-bed mixed dorm room was spacious with under-bed storage you can lock. There was an electrical outlet and reading light next to each bed (BIG PLUS! . Kitchen was well stocked with common items like salt, oil, cups, dishes with free coffee and tea. Free breakfast included toast, spreads, cereals and surprisingly fruit! There was a nice outdoor area to hang out. And each night, a staff member organizes some sort of social get-together. Unfortunately I never partook in one since I had my own plans, but definitely a good place to meet people. I guess my only complaint would be I could feel the springs on my mattress while sleeping. And staying on a Friday night like I did, the hostel may be noisy from the social activities going on. But that's what earplugs and headphones are for :o

Had a chance to stay here when I was attending the Belfast LGBT Pride Festival with some friends. This place was awesome. I don't even know where to begin. Firstly the place looks class, it's quirky and stylish and has a lot of funky art and a really relaxing and bohemian vibe, it has areas to chill out and a place to play games, use computers, watch tv. The staff were super friendly and helpful, and the other people staying there I got to meet were really cool and friendly. The dorm rooms, and the shower rooms were both spotlessly clean. The breakfast was grand enough, with tea/coffee, cereal and toast available. Overall I would highly recommend this hostel to anyone visiting Belfast, and will definately use it again :