 | Dublin Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 542 |  |
We arrived in Dublin on a Saturday night. We have known that weekends are always the busy time in this happy going city so we booked our hotel a few days ahead. We didn't prepare to see the reply "not available" flashing repeatedly on the screen. It seemed the city was booked solid for some reason. Unless we were willing to pay for 4-star hotels, there was nothing available for the first night.
We decided to only book for the three nights and left the first for chance. If push came to shove, we could always sleep at the airport, but first we would try to find a room once when we were in the city.
We tried Jurys Christchurch. The room would be between €130 and €150, but even at that price, there was no vacancy. We crossed the street and tried Kinlay House where we slept six years ago. "Yes, we do have beds, but not in a private room." Charles refused to sleep in dorm like setting, we were too old for that. "Hold on a minute, we might be able to find you something", the staff replied and picked up the phone. "There was a double room available in a hotel affiliated with us, at €97." "We'll take it. What's the name of the hotel?" "Harding."
Oh, we passed that on the way here. Charles' hat was almost swiped from him right in front of the hotel by a drunk-out-of-his-mind youth, about 15 minutes ago. Well, what the heck, we'll try Harding.
The hotel is located between a bistro and a pub, and all the rooms are situated above one live stage or another. The music was loud -- it was Saturday night in Dublin after all -- but it was very good music with excellent beat and the singer had a great voice. We went to dinner, came back, watched some old comedy on TV, and fell to sleep. The loud music didn't bother us a bit.
The double room we had was more like a triple room, very spacious, with a double bed and a single bed. The window looks down to Fishamble Street, which is very pleasant on Sunday morning. The church bells ring every hour except at night, something we are accustomed to hear living in Italy.
Over all, this is a very good hotel. Weekend rate at €97 for a double room is more than we would normally pay but perhaps it isn't too high for most people. The midweek offer shown on the hotel website is more affordable.
The staff is very helpful. The night staff gave us suggestions on what to order in certain restaurants. The day staff loved both of our hats and had a discussion with us about this long-forgotten wardrobe necessity. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: US$40-80 » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: Corner of Copper Alley and Fishamble Street, Chirstchurch, Dublin 2Phone: +353 1 679.65.00Website: http://www.hardinghotel.ie/ Other Contact: info@hardinghotel.ie
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 | |  |  | Camden Deluxe Hotel: Not Exactly Deluxe, But Very Nice
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There are two hotels on Lower Camden Street; one is Camden Court Hotel and the other, Camden Deluxe. Camden Court is a bit farther down on Camden Street, a lot bigger and quite a bit more expensive.
Camden Deluxe was once an old cinema called Theatre Deluxe. The walls in the lobby are filled with framed movie posters and all 34 rooms are named after famous Irish personalities. Our room was named after Sinead Cusack. The rooms are spacious with pinewood furniture, queen size bed, and wooden hangers in the open wardrobe. The shower/bath tub is deep and long but narrow, water pressure is strong and piping hot, excellent for a soak at the end of the day. All the lights, however, are weak -- not ideal for putting on make-up -- and natural light cannot seep into the room due to dirty window. The hair dryer is the most powerful I have found in all hotels.
The cafe next door provides breakfast (although not included in the low room rate), and can be accessed from the hotel lobby.
The Palace Pool Hall on the other side of the hotel was once the original theatre auditorium and the Picturehouse Bar downstairs has live music several times a week, however, during the three nights we stayed there, we did not even hear any noise from our room on the third floor.
The double room rate is €70 when booked directly with the hotel. However, if you book through Gulliver Ireland, the rate is only €50, making it the best value in the city. You need to pay Gulliver a deposit equal to 10% of the total payment plus €4 booking fee in advance, then you pay the rest -- 90% -- directly to the hotel. All taxes are included in the rate.
The staff is very helpful and friendly. We needed to leave our luggage in the hotel twice, once when we checked in early and again after we checked out, at both times, the staff took special care to store our hats behind the counter instead of in the storage room.
Another good thing about this hotel is the bus stop right in front of it. Bus 16A takes you to and from the airport for €1.80. The journey is a little over an hour for the journey, but it is a comfortable ride that passes through many different neighbourhoods, a great way to see the city as the locals do. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: less expensive than averageAddress: 84-87 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2Phone: 353 1 478.08.08Other Contact: Fax:353 1 475.07.13
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| | | | Kinlay House: Old Folks In Young Place
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We stayed in Kinlay House on Valentine Day six years ago. We came back six years later and the place looked exactly the same, all the staff was still there, and the atmosphere did not change a bit. That's a good thing because Kinlay House is a good hostel on a good location and run by good people.
We had a private room with bunk beds, open shelves for our luggage, a bathroom with shower and toilet. It was not a bad room actually. Yes, the beds were not very comfortable and the linen and towels were thin, but the room was clean and we had a lock on the door. Our room looked out to Lord Edward Street and on Valentine night, the revellers enjoyed themselves tremendously from seven in the evening all the way until four o'clock in the morning. We did not sleep a wink. The young people in the hostel did not seem to need a lot of sleep either. The next morning in the kitchen, while having a light breakfast of cereal and juice, we looked at the group and realized everyone was younger than our children. We felt old.
The staff at Kinlay House was a good group of people. When we checked out a day early and ready to pay for both nights, they gave us a partial refund. They did not have to do that, but they did anyway, and cheerfully at that.
Six years later, when we came back without a reservation and they did not have a private room available, they found a hotel nearby for us, one that was much more comfortable and we felt thankful for that. Leave a Comment Theme: HostelPrice: US$20-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: 2-12 Lord Edward Street, Christchurch, Dublin 2Phone: +353 1 679.66.44Website: http://www.kinlayhouse.ie/ Other Contact: info@kinlaydublin.ie
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| | | | The Clarence: Bono & The Edge own this place!
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This is a 5 star hotel, and the room rate is much higher than other hotels in the area, which means no screaming kids, or no drunk acting stupidly at night. I really enjoyed the two nights I stayed there. The room was great with very comfortable bed and a big soaking bathtub. I liked the wooden floor. Everything is simple and clean. Every staff assists you with a nice smile. The hotel is owned by Bono and The Edge of U2. Many celebrities stay here. Book the room early, especially if you plan to be there on the weekend.
The hotel is located in the Temple Bar area facing the River Liffey, you can walk to lots of attractions in the city centre.
I liked The Study very much, where I could work with my laptop sitting comfortably by the fireplace with a cup of coffee. The room is available only to the hotel guests.
Internet connection is available in every room. Leave a Comment Theme: HotelPrice: US$180 and up » Currency ConverterComparison: more expensive than averageAddress: 6-8 Wellington Quay, Dublin 2, IrelandPhone: (+353) 1 407 0800Directions: From O'Connell Street, turn right onto Aston Quay after you cross the O'Connell Bridge, and go straight till you see the hotel on your left hand side.Website: http://www.theclarence.ie
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