The Black Sheep Hostel & Coffee Shack — Restaurant in Killarney Municipal District

The Black Sheep Hostel has a lot of aspects that I highly value in a hostel, so I'm a bit disappointed to say I didn't really enjoy my stay here. Let me first say that the quality of the beds themselves is on another level – the bunks in my six-bed female dorm were beautifully constructed of wood; everyone had their own spacious cupboard to store belongings (bring your own small lock as bigger ones may not fit), a thick curtain, a reading light, power sockets, a small shelf, a thick mattress, and a couple of small hooks to hang things on. I had two pillows – an absolute luxury for a hostel – and a proper duvet that kept me warm at night. I slept very well and that cannot be taken for granted in a shared dorm. I will say that the big beds meant the top bunk was very high up, a bit too high to place things on when standing on the ground, and I did have some uncertain wobbles on the ladder; so if you're uncomfortable with heights I would definitely recommend requesting a bottom bunk.||It was the rest of the room, beyond the beds, that was a bit underwhelming. My room was completely full of guests and the space was so tight that as soon as you pulled your bag out of your cupboard, you couldn't avoid being in someone's way. The bathroom facilities were old and in need of replacing, which didn't seem in keeping with the general eco-friendliness of the hostel – except maybe the annoying shower button you had to press every 20 seconds. What I really didn't lack was the overall lack of security; the rooms are accessed by an old-fashioned key, but the doors don't lock on their own. That means if you or anyone else in your room forgets to lock the door, whether when leaving or entering, it remains unlocked for anyone else in the building to enter. It kind of defeated the purpose of feeling safer by booking a female-only dorm. (Also note that you need to pay a 10 Euro key deposit on arrival, which they don't tell you about in any communication beforehand; I had already had a cash-related emergency, so I had to hand over my ID for the visit.) Worst of all was that, despite it being November, despite it raining all day, despite it being unseasonably cold to the point that Met Eireann issued a weather warning for low temperatures, the heating was not on in the building. It meant going to sleep knowing that your clothes would not be dry the next morning, which put me in a sour mood.||The hostel itself is pretty cosy and quirky. It has a lounge area at the front with a fire and lots of sofas and armchairs, a big kitchen, and huge tables that encourage meeting other people. The breakfast was included but pretty bland; it was mostly cheap cereal and toast that seemed to cater primarily to the many Americans who come to Killarney. The soda bread was good and I snagged the last scone, and to be honest there probably aren't many other places to get a big breakfast in Killarney unless you stay in a B&B, so I was grateful to have it for one morning. There is a coffee shop onsite (also open to the public) that is absolutely delicious – I had an amazing mocha with breakfast and grabbed another for my train journey on the second morning, though it's a shame that you don't get any kind of discount for staying in the hostel.||Overall my stay was okay, I don't regret it, but I don't think I would stay again if I ended up back in Killarney. I would probably give it a 3.5/5 rating but I'll round up for the good night's sleep, the amazing coffee, and the fact there was a guitar in the common area (which I was sorely missing on...

Recently stayed in the hostel with friends. Rooms were fine. Standard as you would expect from a hostel. It was the service and particularly the aftermath that led to this poor review. We left an item behind in the hostel- which understandably we accepted was our own liability for misplacing. However, we chanced our luck and contacted the hostel to see if they found it. They did. One would think wonderful, right? Wrong. ||We were asked for credit card details to post, we advised it was unnecessary. That we live 40mins away so would make the journey in the following week. We emailed to advised we would be in and were met with the response that the item was no longer behind the desk where it had been put for "safe keeping" and instead had been misplaced. ||Misplaced or stolen? Can't help but feel it's all too suss. ||We phoned and said it was not good enough. Where was it gone. You said you had it and now it has disappeared. We called to the hostel in person- and were told that the boss would contact after the weekend. Was offered a coffee to "diffuse" situation. No thanks. Waited for the phone call I was told would happen. No response. I emailed again and was told "you can call me". Did just that. I expressed my disappointment, frustration and annoyance that they lost my item after saying they had it and had put it away. The manager told me that he can't help me. He said tough, it's gone. Hard-luck. I just can't help but think... that the moment I shut down sharing my credit card details, my item went missing? Coincidence or not? ||Do not recommend this hostel, will not recommend this hostel. The hostel gives the impression of relaxed, kind and welcoming staff members- what I've experienced couldn't be further from the truth. Customer service CPD would...

Recently stayed in the hostel with friends. Rooms were fine. Standard as you would expect from a hostel. It was the service and particularly the aftermath that led to this poor review. We left an item behind in the hostel- which understandably we accepted was our own liability for misplacing. However, we chanced our luck and contacted the hostel to see if they found it. They did. One would think wonderful, right? Wrong. ||We were asked for credit card details to post, we advised it was unnecessary. That we live 40mins away so would make the journey in the following week. We emailed to advised we would be in and were met with the response that the item was no longer behind the desk where it had been put for "safe keeping" and instead had been misplaced. ||Misplaced or stolen? Can't help but feel it's all too suss. ||We phoned and said it was not good enough. Where was it gone. You said you had it and now it has disappeared. We called to the hostel in person- and were told that the boss would contact after the weekend. Was offered a coffee to "diffuse" situation. No thanks. Waited for the phone call I was told would happen. No response. I emailed again and was told "you can call me". Did just that. I expressed my disappointment, frustration and annoyance that they lost my item after saying they had it and had put it away. The manager told me that he can't help me. He said tough, it's gone. Hard-luck. I just can't help but think... that the moment I shut down sharing my credit card details, my item went missing? Coincidence or not? ||Do not recommend this hostel, will not recommend this hostel. The hostel gives the impression of relaxed, kind and welcoming staff members- what I've experienced couldn't be further from the truth. Customer service CPD would...