Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [87]
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BOOKING SERVICES
If you arrive without accommodation, staff at Dublin Tourism’s walk-in booking offices will find you a room for €4 plus a 10% deposit.
If you want to book a hotel from elsewhere in Ireland or abroad, the easiest way is to go through Gulliver, Dublin Tourism’s computerised reservations service, via their website www.visitdublin.com, or book directly yourself from the accommodation’s own website. Click here for a list of Dublin Tourism offices and Gulliver contact numbers.
Internet bookings made in advance are your best bet for deals on accommodation. These are just a handful of services that will get you a room at a competitive rate:
All Dublin Hotels (www.all-dublin-hotels.com)
Dublin City Centre Hotels (http://dublin.city-centre-hotels.com)
Dublin Hotels (www.dublinhotels.com)
Go Ireland (www.goireland.com)
Hostel Dublin (www.hosteldublin.com)
Under 99 (www.under99.com)
See the boxed text, Click here, for more options, or try www.lonelyplanet.com/hotels.
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MIDRANGE
Dublin Citi Hotel (Map; 679 4455; www.dublincitihotel.com; 46-49 Dame St; s/d Sun-Thu from €60/80, Fri & Sat €100/140) An unusual, turreted 19th-century building right next to the Central Bank is home to this cheap and cheerful hotel. Its patrons don’t mind the small rooms; they’re far too busy in the nightclub downstairs. Strictly for those here to party.
Central Hotel (Map; 679 7302; www.centralhotel.ie; 1-5 Exchequer St; s/d from €60/100) The rooms are a little snug for the grand Edwardian-style decor, but it’s still a classy joint – no more so than in the wonderful 1st-floor Library Bar: all leather armchairs and sofas, and nothing short of one of the finest spots for an afternoon drink in the whole city. Location-wise, the name says it all.
Grafton House (Map; 679 2041; www.graftonguesthouse.com; 26-27 South Great George’s St; s/d from €70/100; ) This slightly offbeat guesthouse in a Gothic-style building gets the nod in all three key categories: location, price and style. Just next to George’s St Arcade, the Grafton offers the traditional friendly features of a B&B (including a terrific breakfast), coupled with a funky design – check out the psychedelic wallpaper. Hard to beat at this price, especially off-season weekdays, when the deals are at their most interesting.
Mercer Hotel (Map; 478 2179; www.mercerhotel.ie; Lower Mercer St; r from €90; ) A stone’s throw from Grafton St and behind a plain frontage is a pretty decent hotel; largish rooms are dressed in antiques, giving the whole place an elegant, classic look. The rack rate is strictly for mugs – they have an ever-changing menu of online offers and special deals.
Paramount Hotel (Map; 417 9900; www.paramounthotel.ie; cnr Parliament St & Essex Gate; s/d €105/200) Behind the Victorian facade, the Paramount’s lobby is a faithful re-creation of a 1930s hotel, complete with dark wood floors, leather chesterfield couches and heavy velvet drapes. The 70-odd rooms don’t quite bring The Maltese Falcon to mind, but they’re handsomely furnished and very comfortable.
Morgan Hotel (Map; 679 3939; www.themorgan.com; 10 Fleet St; r from €110; ) Designer cool isn’t really part of the Temple Bar zeitgeist, but the cream-leather look of this place works surprisingly well considering that fake tan can leave some nasty marks. It might be popular with wannabe WAGs and their gelled-up partners, but the facilities are top-notch. Aromatherapy treatments and massages are extra, as is breakfast (€19).
Number 31 (Map; 676 5011; www.number31.ie; 31 Leeson Close; s/d/t from €115/150/225) This elegant slice of accommodation paradise, designed for his own use by modernist architect Sam Stephenson (of Central Bank fame – or infamy), is unquestionably the most distinctive of Dublin’s hotels. Separated by a beautiful