Brú Hostel

Location is great, also the breakfast that’s included. Before booking, we were assured that, because we are girls, there are enough rooms to put us all together. There was a “problem” upon arrival and one of us had to sleep in another room. Since she slept in an all-girls room it wasn’t a problem but it was the opposite of what we had in mind while booking and it makes you feel a bit played regarding the situation.

Reason for such a low rating: You don’t get what you pay for — or even close. Let’s start with the most important part: 1. The Room We booked a 4-bed room — the beds were quite old, and the room itself was extremely small. For four people, it was definitely not suitable. We could barely move around without bumping into each other. Every time someone needed to go to the bathroom, the rest of us had to move. We felt more like homeless people than tourists visiting a city. 2. Lounge with TV Poorly maintained, and due to the furniture, it looked very old and messy. I wouldn’t even call it a lounge — I’d rather stay in the tiny room than relax in that space. 3. Kitchen There’s a kitchen next to the lounge. It includes ovens, a stove, fridges, and a microwave so you can cook your own meals. However, due to how everything looked and was arranged, it felt very uninviting. I’d honestly rather pay €20 at a restaurant than cook in a kitchen that isn’t well-maintained. 4. “Dining Area” We expected a proper room where all guests could sit and eat. Instead, we ended up eating in a small space on high tables you usually see in bars. It felt more like we came for drinks than for breakfast. If you want a good breakfast, I recommend going out instead. If you choose to eat at the hostel, you can only expect small spreads, toast, cereal, and coffee/juice. To be clear, it wasn’t a proper meal and we didn’t feel full afterwards. All in all, after our stay we realized that we only paid for the location — not for a comfortable room, a nice dining space, or a proper chill-out area. The only positive thing was that the staff were polite and explained all the rules clearly. If comfort and a pleasant stay aren’t important to you, then I’d recommend this hostel just as a place to sleep. But for those who are looking for a realistic price for realistic services — meaning, you get what you pay for — I strongly suggest going somewhere else. If you're planning to head to Dublin after Cork, I highly recommend the Clink Hostel — a big step up in every way.

Clean, hot, loud Edit after 2 nights: room unbearably hot, loud self-closing doors banging all night, so wouldn't recommend. Functional and clean, fine for a couple of nights if you just need a place to sleep, not a place to spend any daytime in. Communal areas are clean. Kitchen is ok for cooking only. Has no window. The "TV lounge" is not the cozy place you might imagine. It's a clean windowless space with a wall-mounted TV and several bar stools. 4-bed-dorms are tiny, dark, clean, functional. Very loud ventilation shaft right outside window, loud even with window closed. Still, it's OK for sleeping so long as you use earplugs. Each bed has its own lamp but no curtains. Beds are strangely short, even for me - I'm1.63m - and not too comfortable. Matresses should really really be replaced. Staff are friendly. Unfortunately, I have to take one star off my initial 3 star review. Room was incredibly hot with heating on full throttle all night. Every time I turned the radiator down, one person in my room would turn it on full again. Why's the heating on all night anyway in late april? Heating in bathroom couldn't be turned off at all. I spoke to two different members of staff about this, both seemed to be very understanding and promised to turn the heating's timer off for the next night. Neither of them did. Other guests were very inconsiderate - even for a hostel. There is no need to bang the doors all night (they're self-closing doors, so this is, at least in part, the hostel's fault), nor to pee standing up every single time you use the shared, mixed bathroom, and make a big mess. I stayin hostels frequently when travelling, and I use earplugs, so I'm usually alright for sleep. In this hostel, I could barely sleep 3 hours due to overheating and banging doors all night. Of course, the hostel doesn't encourage this kind of behaviour, but it is the way it is, and they don't do anything to stop it.

You get what you pay for. Very clean I have to say. Beds first night you can feel it , however you get used to. Bar was also fine , spend few hours watching premier league games . Only thing I have to point is , 8.30 in the morning (Monday ) someone drilling somewhere next to the rooms. Even with my earplugs was loud as the building is old and walls are not keeping the noise . Apart of that , enjoyable experience .

Clean enough, and I liked that two uses of the key card were required to get into a room. It felt safe, and was very conveniently located. Be sure to bring a lock for the lockers, as well as your own hand towels for the bathroom. Beware that the pre-check in storage actually isn't free. Other than a slight mishap where they changed the room of some of my group members, service was fine.

I would look elsewhere if you’re planning on staying in cork. My first night at Bru was so unpleasant that I ended up cutting my trip short and seeking other accommodation for the 2nd night in cork. Our room had a terrible smell that made falling asleep extremely unpleasant. Smelt like mildew. When speaking with the front desk the next day they said that the rooms were recently painted and perhaps the smell came from that. They also asked if we thought the smell came from another person staying there. He was eating breakfast right behind us so we weren’t gonna call him stinky. The manager refused to refund us because the policy states 24 hour notice however that’s impossible given you don’t know what state the room will be in til you get there. On another note - go to Kinsale! Despite leaving cork early, we ended up going to Kinsale on a whim and did not regret it :)

Great hostel. As a college student on a weekend trip, it hit every need I could’ve wanted. Had security for my bags, free breakfast, less than a 5 min walk from the bus station, super close to lots of tourist attractions and other fun spots.

I had to cut my trip short after staying in Bru Hostel 1 night and experiencing a foul odor that was impossible to get rid of. I shared my experience with the front desk and decided to check out early as I had concerns the odor was impacting my health because I woke up feeling very sick. The front desk associate advised us to email info@bruhostel.com in order to share our concerns and request a refund. I have emailed bruhostel stating that staying in their rooms with an awful odor made me feel sick and they responded that they need a 24 hour notice to be able to provide a refund. I had responded back: How is anyone able to provide a 24 hour notice if the conditions of the room are not able to be assessed until the person arrives? The odor in the room persisted throughout our stay that night to the point that we had to leave the next day. I am kindly requesting a refund for the night that we did not stay, as it is not possible to provide a 24 hour notice since the stay was not up to the expectations we had. Bru hostel took several days to respond (which I had to follow up with an additional email) with this: “Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your stay in Brú Hostel. You should have come back down to reception as soon as you checked in if you were not happy. Maybe then you would have received a refund” I responded back that we quickly dropped off our bags and opened the window hoping that the odor would be gone by the time we got back and we came back to the room later that night where it would have been a hassle to find another place to stay on such short notice. Bru hostel is delaying responses, not acknowledging the smell (potential health concern) and continues to refuse a refund. I would NOT recommend staying here if you desire a safe and hospitable stay.

Just an average hostel, nothing amazing but wasn't crawling with vermin either. Keep in mind there is no shampoo, soap, towels, nothing so bring your own beforehand. Usually hostels have some hand soap, this one doesn't have. Oh and by the way this place does not change their sheets! Gross!!

Sweet little bar to settle in at and a perfect spot to start (and end) a good pub crawl safely for the night. Unfortunately I didn't stay at their hostel (ended up up the road) but for a similar price and offering a discount on your pint if you're staying the night...plus late night access to the bar after 2am. Bru Bar kicked off our Cork Pub Crawl and introduced me to an excellent Howling Eight Degrees Gale Ale that stimulated the taste-buds and perked up the mind to get the crawl off on a good foot. Later made our way back here for some late night music on their small stage and played some 8-ball in the back with very attractive Italian girls who were staying at Bru for the night.

Might be fine as a bar but as a hostel I can not recommend it. The kitchen was not terribly clean and the sink clogged up every day leaving a mess. The hallway smelled of smoke. The TV room was uninviting and not comfortable. The room was adequate but both it an the bathroom could have felt cleaner. Overall it was just a dingy feel. The staff tries but this place needs a renovation.

Unlike it's Dublin Bru bother, this Bru house is significantly less pretentious, and even serves some of the classic drinks we all know and love, without all the brewed in my ma's bathtub, hipsteryness. That said there is a bare foot, bearded guy sitting on the window sill, rather than on any of the perfectly comfortable chairs. The drum kit "chandelier " is a cute feature, and the staff are both friendly and just a little sarcastic (I'm the best way) . The bar itself is nice and quiet, ideally located far enough off the main street to not cause a riot; and close enough that a nights adventure is just a short stroll away.

Pretty much as good as a hostel can be, ticking all the boxes: Cheap? €13 a night! Clean? eh...well...it was when we arrived! Kitchen? Better still, clean kitchen with two working ovens! Attached bar? Ye baby An appreciation that nobody paying €13 a night can actually afford the attached bar, so they don't mind you drinking cans in the kitchen? Why, but of course. It'd be the only humane response! Not to mention the all important 'Staff soundness factor'. This last one really can make up for all the others. After three days hanging from the ceiling at 6am shouting "I just finished a dissertation!" we only received a single noise complaint. That's right, just the one. In case you're wondering, it was provoked by a particularly enthusiastic rendition of "Twist and Shout". They mustn't like the Beatles, we got through 'Wonderwall' six times before anyone mentioned a word to us...

We went there for a saturday night (fever yeaheah). The hostel is a great accomodation: very good and clean facilities, great bathroom (big, clean, well-balanced shower !), big kitchen, internet connection ... Its a very good hostel with a great price (20€ for a quad room) ! The staff is very friendly and can give you some tips about the city during the day or for your night after the bar is closed! It isnst far from the very city center (only 5 minute walking) qnd very close to the train station. There is no locked room for your stuff, only a space to put your bag while visiting the city. But if youre here for 2 days, you can cary most of your valuable stuff with you...!

Not really in the center of it all, but definitely not way out in space--this hostel is darn good for the money. Security is okay, the sheets are pretty clean, the bathrooms smell like mold and/or pee and the bar downstairs does live music, which is awesome unless you're trying to sleep at around midnight because you have an early train... that might just be an issue for the first floor though. the real issue is whether ot not you want to stay in Cork--and the answer is: for no more than a couple nights. It's kind of like a dirty version of Dublin, or possibly a short (as in no skyscrapers) version of San Francisco. Enjoy the cheap-ish beer downstairs, walk to the everyman place theatre across the street or the comedy club down the road to catch a show, or meet up in from of the Post on Oliver Plunkett to join the pub crawl for €10 on a Fri or Sat night. If you don't want to join a crawl, then Old Oak on Oliver Plunkett is always a good option :) This post comes from a female travelling with another female. Holler.

The rooms and general facilities were new and clean. There is a bar on site which is good if you are on a Hen's night or generally in celebratory mood. The staff are generally helpful and as well as freebies such as free wi-fi, breakfast, free locking up valuables service etc the private rooms here all have double beds. I had a good stay here and would definitely go back.

A mixed mostly disappointing stay with some positives like the staff were friendly, bathrooms were clean, showers worked well, room was secure and it was located right in the centre of town. Everything other aspect was pretty grim. Starting with the prison like size of the rooms, then the broken black vinyl window blinds that had holes and rips. Filthy windows, dusty surfaces everywhere, marks all over the walls. The entire complex stank of smoke, particularly the corridors. A lick of paint and a deep clean badly needed.

For the price ( 20 Euro per night) you get a lot ! Good location - really near to the city centre, right next to many pubs and restaurant..Also part of the hostel is a small pub/bar - TVs, billiards, fireplace, live music in the evening.. The staff is really friendly, nice, and hard - working . Rooms are simple - just small space with beds and tiny bathroom, but everything is clean, so no problem - I don´t expect more from a hostel :) .There is also a common kitchen (fridge, ovens, kettles, dishes, toasters..) where you can keep your food and cook by yourself, and in the mornings the breakfast, which is included, is served here - selfservice . You can expect cereals, milk, bread, butter, marmelade, coffee, black tea - nothing special but I think it´s enough. Was there - December 2013

it was extremely hot and muggy in our rooms, which were so small we could barely walk in them. The bathrooms were clean, which is good. Definitely listen to the live music they have, it's a good time and something fun to do on any night. The free breakfast consists of toast, cold cereal, and coffee.

Worst hostel experience ever!! Upon seeing the place, my heart sunk because I noticed that the rooms were located DIRECTLY ABOVE the bar. But I was exhausted and hoped for the best, only to find that my private room was directly above the bar!! Bar music stopped at midnight - that wasn't so bad - but what followed was over 3 hours of hell -- a drunk outside yelling incoherently, other noisy drunks having loud conversations. Talked to a younger guest there - he barely got any sleep either. Avoid this place - the only positive thing is that the bathroom was clean, and I got a refund less deposit since I did not stay the second night.