When we decided to go to Killarney from Cork, Ireland, we had no place to stay and were traveling by bus so the hostel, on the map we had, caught our attention. We are quite grown up and had never stayed in a hostel. The Neptune Hostel, if you make reservations in advance, has private rooms with full bath, laundry service, was clean, has free internet (not a small thing in Europe), has a kitchen where you can make your own food and store it, is right in town and the staff is wonderful. My husband is on a special diet so it was helpful when we could just shop and eat our own food. The instant hot water machines were great for tea and cocoa. The location is right in town with shopping, restaurants, pubs within easy walking distance.

The first night the hostel was filled with cyclers from France so we had could not get a private bath and had to use the bathroom down the hall. It was clean, bring your own soap, but not that convenient for older adults who may want to use it during the night. When we arrived, Mike, the manager carried our luggage, without our asking, up the two flights of stairs. When we opened the door to the small room with bunk beds, he grabbed the luggage and moved it across the hall into a room he thought would be better for us. It was a nice room with good beds and good lighting. The next day we had reservations for a room with private bath. He told us to leave our packed luggage and he would move it. We went on the Ring-of-Kerry tour and he carried the luggage down the two flights of stairs into the newer buiding, up two flights there. That night we had a large family room with four beds and a large, clean bathroom with very good shower. There are no outlets, however, in the rooms where we stayed and one has to use to outlet in the hall. A small inconvenience. it isn't the Queen Mary, but it is an adventure, and is a different experience. One meets young people who are traveling around Europe and that was fun. The young people working at the hostel, Mike, Jillian, Nikky, couldn't have been nicer had they been our own grandchildren.
The tour bus for the Ring of Kerry sent a shuttle to pick us up right from the lobby. The cab to the bus/train station was 5 euros, a little higher than the kids told us it would be, makes one wonder if they have different rates for older adults. When we arrived I asked the woman at the bus station where to get a cab and she just called one for us. Do have a breakfast sandwich at the bus station, it will hold you until dinner. As we waited for our cab this man pulled up and said he was "Tony" a cabbie with a cab in repair and transported us in his private van....he may not have been a cabbie but but he was polite, helpful and charged the same as the cab driver when we left the hostel. .

Neptunes is a large hostel in the heart of Killarney Town. For its size it amazingly still offers personal service, clean rooms, and quiet nights.

We had a double en-suite. The bed was a bunk (double on bottom and single on top). And the shower stall was so small I could never get the spray from not hitting me directly in my face. Overall though, the room was lovely, secure, clean-smelling and quiet.

The hostel also bosts several communal areas, free internet (only one computer so time on it is limited by number of people waiting), and a fabulous kitchen. They will do your laundry (wash and dry) for 7euros and will arrange tours of the area. Staff is friendly and helpful and simply great.

It is an easy walk from here to anything and everything in Killarney, including the bus station.

The hostel is not as cheap as I would have liked, but then Killarney is a major tourist destination so all accomodation is expensive. At 22euros per person per night, this double en-suite was a bargain for the area. (Dorm rooms are cheaper.)

We would most definately stay at this hostel again and highly reccommend it.

Best feature -- the incredibly well equiped kitchen!

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Clean and bright rooms. Knowledgable and friendly staff. Large self-catering kitchen was helpful. Great location.

The rooms were clean and comfortable. The staff was friendly and helpful. Perfect location. Highly recommended.