There’s a friendly, welcoming atmosphere at Barnacles, and the bright, punchy decor reinforces the fun vibe. Inside the three-story brick building and past the green-framed double glass doors is a functional lobby with blackboards displaying the staff’s handwritten local recommendations. The dated space is spruced up with bright blocks of color on the walls and modern suspended light bulbs, but the front desk is behind a window and feels impersonal (though keycard-only access to the rest of the hostel is good from a security perspective). Carpeted hallways have blown-up modern paintings of Irish tourist attractions, and the large kitchen has bright padded chairs in pinks and greens, Crayola-colored pendant lights, and long communal tables. The cozy common room has hardwood flooring, a handsome brick fireplace, and gray and purple sofas that lend a more grown-up vibe, while sloped ceilings and orange accent walls add warmth.

Barnacles sits on a cobblestone street in one of the oldest parts of Dublin, once a Viking settlement and now at the heart of the Temple Bar nightlife district. The hostel is surrounded by shops, bars, restaurants, cafes, and markets. Jervis Station on the light rail network’s red line is a five-minute walk, and it’s a 10-minute walk to the nearest Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) station at Tara Street. Together with buses, both offer convenient connections around the city. For shopping, Grafton Street is a seven-minute walk away, while it’s a nine-minute walk to the interactive Dublinia museum. St. Stephen’s Green is an 11-minute walk, and it’s around a 12-minute walk to both the National Library and National Museum. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a 14-minute walk away, while the Guinness Storehouse takes six minutes to reach by car or 15 minutes by bus. The 3Arena is a 10-minute drive or 15-minute bus ride away, and the hostel is 13 minutes from the Aviva Stadium by taxi or 16 minutes by DART. The intercity bus station is a 15-minute walk away or a nine-minute ride on the red line. The closest mainline railway station to the hostel is Connolly, a 17-minute walk or 12-minute light-rail ride, while Heuston railway station is around an eight-minute drive away or 11 minutes by bus. Dublin Port is a 12-minute drive or 29-minute bus ride away, and it’s a 16-minute drive or 32-minute bus ride to Dublin Airport.

Barnacles offers a mix of dorms and surprisingly comfortable private rooms. Small and basic, but functional, the individually heated dorms sleep four to 11, with women-only dorms available on request. Comfortable two-story bunks have basic metal frames (in Eleven Person Dorms, there’s also one raised single bed built into the wall), with individual lights, one double power socket for each guest, and under-bed storage lockers. Bright rooms have white walls and pleasant gray patterned carpet or stone-tiled flooring. As to be expected, there’s little furniture beyond a full-length mirror and single plastic chair in each dorm. Attractive pine-framed windows and doors open onto small balconies with views of the alley behind the hostel. Dorms have decent en-suite bathrooms with red linoleum floors, white wall tiling, and walk-in showers. Note that the largest dorms have just one en-suite bathroom for up to 11 guests, though the shape of these bigger dorms affords some privacy and they have larger windows.

Private Double Bedrooms offer surprising levels of comfort and feel like budget hotel rooms, though they’re still basic. Large beds have elegant gray headboards and functional built-in overhead lamps, and rooms have patterned green carpet, pine-wood windows and doors, and small balconies with alleyway views. Attractive modern white patterned curtains are a bonus. These rooms have the same basic en-suite bathrooms as found in the dorms, along with towels and individual body wash and shampoo. Towels, hairdryers, and hair straighteners are also available for rent. 

The hostel’s location means there’s some street noise; some guests also report noisy overnight parties within the hostel. There have been some complaints of slightly grubby bathrooms, and the free Wi-Fi isn’t great anywhere in the hostel, but it's particularly poor in rooms.

The hostel has a free continental breakfast; other meals can be prepared in the spacious kitchen, which has plenty of communal seating and is well-equipped with stovetops, ovens, fridges, microwaves, toasters, coffeemakers, and kettles. There's also plenty of cookware and shelves with shared food left behind by other travelers. The cozy and relaxing common room has sofas, two PCs at basic desks (with 15 minutes of free Internet access per guest), and a PlayStation and guitar. There’s also a large flat-screen TV with a wide choice of DVDs, a book swap, and board games to play. The 24/7 front desk provides free city maps and sells phone cards. The hostel also offers a daily walking tour plus other regular social events, and the staff can arrange laundry service and discounted parking or book day trips and tours. There’s a safety deposit box in the lobby, too, and free Wi-Fi access, but guests report the connectivity can be poor, particularly in rooms.