Avalon House was very much a budget option for us as we were in Dublin for a gig and had already shelved out a fair old whack for airfares and tickets in this most expensive of Euro-capitals.
I'd been a wee bit perturbed by some treviews which didn't paint our pending digs in the best of lights but we decided to give it a go as, after all it was the proverbial one night only. (I might add the first hostel I'd looked into-slightly nearer the concert venue bafflingly stipulated a minimum two night stay.)
Plus point number one is the situation of Avalon House, especially as it's on a direct bus route from Dublin Airport. Skip the 6 euro Airbus and hop aboard the 2 euro 19a-also outside the terminal instead. The route is a little circuitous around the Northside and takes just under an hour in traffic but leaves you two minutes walk across the road.
Avalon House is in a fantastic location south of the river Liffey, close to Dame Street, Grafton Street and Stephen's Green. Aungier Street and George Street are full of good eateries plus the super-atmospheric pubs for which Dublin is so rightly famous. There's also a Dunnes Stores supermarket nearby, a boon to the self caterer.
The big front door is shut over and looks a tad forbidding. However, Avalon House is a beautiful old building and the side entrance is rather more inviting. When we checked in at 2pm, reception staff -who had courteously and promptly replied to my e-mail stating time of arrival two days earlier-were doing their best-multilingually- at a busy time when many rooms were becoming available. There seemed to be a security conscious vibe afoot and those -like myself -whose heart sinks on hearing the words "party hostel" may be reassured by the smoking and drinking ban that applies.
The twin occupancy room we were given was thankfully on the first floor as the lift was broken. There were more grim first impressions in store inside. My first dismayed thought was that the gaff was crying out for a makeover as I eyed the royal blue bunk frame clashing acutely with a deeply faded ethnic -look duvet cover. However, it was clean, pleasantly warm at night and bedding was surprisingly comfortable. Moving onto the en suite, this was very much up to scratch and not without modern fittings. Yes, the shower is pokey and on the dribblesome side. Then again, it was deep enough to avoid flooding and there was hot water at 5.45 am .
Breakfast is free apparently and it was part of the experience we were unable to road test as we had a bus to catch back to the airport. And again , the sheer centrality of Avalon House came up trumps, with a stop paces away.
In a sense, AH is an easy target for snipers. It's not exactly state-of -the- art to behold, its lift is seemingly non-operational as a matter of course and it appears a little under-resourced generally. As a hostel, It would not not necessarily invite me in for a longer stay and if travelling alone, it probably wouldn't be my speed unless I could bag a private room. But as a cost-effective alternative to the Fair City centre's super-pricey hotels, Avalon House managed-against some odds-to hit the spot.

Booked 2 beds in a 12 bed dorm, and upon arrival was given two beds. I paid and signed for the beds. We went to the beds, and they were messy and someone's stuff was on them. The clerks said the beds were actually already booked. Then they tried to give me other beds which were in a worse location, even though I'd already paid and agreed to the original situation. I said no, that doesn't work for me, I'll go somewhere else. They didn't give me a refund, even though they had doublebooked the beds I paid for. I left immediately- the place was a mess. The clerks were rude, patronising and wouldn't give me a refund even though they double booked beds. Also, the room was really cramped- there were too many beds in that room. The door handle of the room was also kind of broken. In all, it just seemed like a trainwreck to me. The place I ended up staying was way better, especially in terms of customer service!

Having stayed in many hostels in Europe, I felt that Avalon House was in keeping with the basic standards. Rooms were clean but cramped, bathroom clean but bumped my elbows on the shower walls everytime I tried to shower. It did seem expensive for a hostel, but I also did not look into hotel prices so perhaps it was far less than a hotel would have cost. I was with two other friends in a four-some room -- both nights we were there the fourth bed was filled by a loner, the first time at 3 in the morning, which wasn't so pleasant. The lift is STILL broken -- reportedly they now have to buy a whole new one, so expect it to be broken for a long while to come. We were on the fourth floor and climbing up the steps is certainly no fun. The first night we got towels for free, the second night the receptionist tried to charge us 2E each for a towel -- these nights were ten days apart, by the way. Reception was helpful enough otherwise. Computers for the free internet were frustratingly slow -- couldn't stand to check my email there. Breakfast was basic but I've stayed in hostels without any breakfast, so no complaints really. Next time I go to Dublin I would likely "shop around" a little more, but would be fine with staying here again -- location is unbeatable, really.

We stayed for 1 night in a twin bedroom with shared facilities, on the top floor of the building. It took us forever to get there because the lifts were not working, and this is actually the 7th floor, as far as I can remember, so it was terrible to drag all your luggage for so long! Then, the room itself was very, very basic, quite like Michael's cell in Prison Break! Length=the length of one bed+the width of the second bed+20 cm (to put your luggage, presumably); width=length of the second bed (see photos). There is a small window, a tiny sink (with a strong stink), and a "clothes-hanger" consisting of 2 items (see photo). No place to turn around, literally. Paper-thin walls. It felt kind of damp, stinky and dirty and although the sheets did not look too bad, we slept in our clothes, which you shouldn't have to do when you have paid 34 EUR per person per night!!!
The toilettes (shared) were generally OK, as one might expect in such a place, but the showers (shared) were bad - in practice, the water was remotely lukewarm.
The breakfast was basic, too - toast, butter, jam, cereals, coffee, tea, oranges (kinda bad).
The whole place had a run-down feel and the ambiance was rather bleak.
The staff at the reception were generally OK and one good thing was that there was free WiFi in the lobby. The hostel is not far from Temple Bar and St. Steven's Green so its location is more or less good.
In the lobby, there was a notice on the message board asking customers to submit their reviews of Avalon House directly only if they were positive and if negative, to send them to Avalon House first, so that they could take remedial action... I thought this was... weird.
I don't plan to go back there and I don't recommend the place.