Help please re. DUBLIN

[sparklepants]

Hi,

We're planning on a 2 day 1 night trip to Dublin at the end of oct for our 'anniversary' (well, we're not married!) and really don't know anything about Dublin at all so looking for some suggestions please. We've managed to get flights from Glasgow to Dublin for under £50 for us both, i've been reading up a bit and it seems the place to be is near the Temple Bar area, any suggestions on decent hotels or sightseeing, restuarants etc?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks. :wave:

[Sarah84]

what kind of price are you looking to pay for the hotel?

[ju_itfc]

There are plenty of hotels to choose from and for a special occasion I would suggest the Westin, which is on Westmoreland Street. Very very nice as you expect from that particular chain.

We always stay in Jurys Inns. They are similar but far better than Premier Travel Inn's, Travelodges etc etc. There are 3 in Dublin city centre, Christchurch is the nearest to Temple Bar and is the best location. Others are at Parnell Street, which is about a 10min walk to the Temple Bar area, and also Custom House which is a bit further out but still within walking distance of everything.

They might be a little too basic for a special occasion though.

As for sightseeing, where to start. Essential to do's are Trinity College, Guinness Storehouse, Christchurch Cathedral, Grafton Street for shopping, Temple Bar during the day and night (totally different vibes).

If you can manage it a trip out to Kilmainham Gaol is also worth a visit. Many films have been filmed here. You would have to get a bus as it is a far old trek from the city centre on foot, but doable.

I also think that Phoenix Park is worth a visit. The Zoo is very nice in the park as well.

As for restaurants I must admit I've never really found a great one to recommend although I'm sure there will be people who can give you this.

Bars are plentiful as you would expect. Temple Bar is quite touristy in the evening but has some cracking pubs like Oliver St John Gogarty and the Auld Dubliner.

We love Dublin, must have been there 10 times in the space of 7 years. Well worth a visit for a couple of days.

[sparklepants]

Cheers for that!

I've saw the Gresham Hotel 4* for £125/night (this would prob be the max), the reviews been to be from last year and are a bit mixed but i know it has recently been refurbished and the location seems good, anyone stayed here?

Thanks ju itfc for all the tips, been reading up on the guiness tour, some bus tours and of course any shopping sounds good lol.

Mx

[smythy21]

why not have a look at the clarence hotel. bono from U2 owns this hotel and not to far from templebar. there is a restaurant in the temple bar called luigi malone's and it is absolutely gorgeous. i brought my dgf there for our last anniversary.

there is also thunder road cafe. its reasonably priced and they give you huge poritions.

[disney owl]

We went with friends last year just for 2 nights & had a great time.

For sightseeing we got tickets on the open top bus you can hop on & off as many times as you want. The commentary from the drivers is worth the price of the ticket alone.

We also enjoyed a visit to the Guiness factory!

[Mickiengland]

My wife is from Dublin, so we've spent a lot of time there. Temple Bar is nice enough....but its not REAL Dublin. There must be plenty of decent websites which will guide you to the best local nightlife and pubs! I recall going once on a walking "literary tour" which was brilliant! If you get the chance and feel like walking off the Guinness from the night before then take a tour or bus out to Glendalough in Wicklow, which is stunning and wonderful for a walk - if dry. Also, the ports of Malahide and Howth to the North of Dublin are well worth a visit. The zoo is really popular with our kids, but probably not high up on the list of romantic spots!

[Sinead32]

For a good pub try The Brazen Head http://www.brazenhead.com/
As said Thunder Road cafe is good for something to eat
You have to do the open top bus tour and if you get a chance go to the Natural history Museum , it's free not open on a Monday worth going for a look it's fascinating (well I think so & so do my kids ) .
Have a great trip anyway

[sparklepants]

Thanks everyone for the tips, i'll have another look on the net and i'll get it booked later today.

[Ash83]

Just a quick post to say try the glasgow airport website, they have a weekend away section and I managed to get flights and a 2 night stay in Dublin for £108pp! Was a gorgeous hotel and I was very pleased with my bargain!

Ash

[Disneydavey]

Try the Ghost Bus Tour, its ace, about 2 hours long and stops right outside the bus station by Temple Bar. a good laugh but wrap up, would be worth it if going for Halloween.


We stayed here last year when we went. all you can eat breakfast in the morning next door, cheap and cheerful, big room and bed.
http://uk.wwte4.com/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/nojs=1/htid=27670

2 minute walk from the Hard Rock Cafe

[dkra2007]

Cheers for that!

I've saw the Gresham Hotel 4* for £125/night (this would prob be the max), the reviews been to be from last year and are a bit mixed but i know it has recently been refurbished and the location seems good, anyone stayed here?

Thanks ju itfc for all the tips, been reading up on the guiness tour, some bus tours and of course any shopping sounds good lol.

Mx

I stayed atthe Gresham a few years back and it was excellent and would stay there again. It's on O'Connell Street which is the main street. The Dublin Tour bus stop is just outside and is great for jumping on/off at all the main attractions.

[big_dog_ush]

I can stongly recommend The Westin. My wife and I stayed there this June for our 20th anniversary and it is a superb hotel, very well located for Temple Bar and indeed the main tourist/shopping areas of Dublin.

We recently went back and stayed in the Jurys Inn just off the top of O'Connell Street. More reasonably priced though not as nice as the Westin and a bit more of a walk but good all the same.

June was our first visit but I know we will make many more, fabulous place.

[Celica190]

Cheers for that!

I've saw the Gresham Hotel 4* for £125/night (this would prob be the max), the reviews been to be from last year and are a bit mixed but i know it has recently been refurbished and the location seems good, anyone stayed here?

Thanks ju itfc for all the tips, been reading up on the guiness tour, some bus tours and of course any shopping sounds good lol.

Mx

We've been at the Gresham several times over the last few years and have always had an enjoyable stay. The breakfasts are legendary!

[pookster]

For trendy you want

The Morgon

Its actually in Temple Bar


For Posh you want

The Merrion


For traditional

The Lynams


Hope this helps

[les13]

We stayed at Jury's in Parnell Street and thought it was great. A nice walk down O'Connell Street into Temple Bar.
We loved the Arlington Hotel at night..next to O'Connell Bridge. Great atmosphere and live music and dancers.
We also ate in a lovely little restaurant in Temple Bar called
Mexico to Rome which was really nice(tacos and pasta)
I didn't lile Guinness when I arrived there......but I do now! ;) :tounge:

[DigitalLove]

The Tea Rooms at The Clarence do absolutely beautiful food and the service is exceptional. A bit on the pricey side, but a lovely dining room and a great menu for a special occassion.

The service at The Clarence in terms of a hotel is brilliant, but the some of the rooms are a bit on the small side although beautifully decorated

We're off in November for 3 nights... except we are slumming it for the grand total of 150 quid for the 2 of us! 1p flights with Ryan Air, and a double bedroom in a hostel in the heart of Temple Bar that we've stayed in a couple of times, and that is nicer than some hotels i've stayed in!

Oh.... For THE greatest pannini you have ever tasted in your life... Go to the takeaway shop opposite Gogartys in Temple Bar (you can't miss Gogartys, you can hear the traditional music before you see it!) and order a meat feast pannini *drools*

We're actually planning on taking the DART out of Dublin to go to Meath and visit Slane Castle which we've meaning to go and see every time we have been to Dublin, but for some reason have never managed to get out of the city centre. Probably due to all the guinness we've consumed! Oh, and a visit to the guinness factory is a must!! Drinking the free sample is even MORE important!!

Have a great time! Dubin is one of my most favourite places in the world!

[sparklepants]

Aw thanks everybody for the tips! We booked The Gresham in the end, glad to hear some of you have stayed there and had a good time, we're off next weekend and I cant wait!

We've been looking up some restuarants and sounds like there's lots to choose from.

Neither of us actually like guiness.....is the tour still worthwhile?