Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [92]
Schoolhouse Hotel (Map; 667 5014; www.schoolhousehotel.com; 2-8 Northumberland Rd; s/d from €99/199; ) This is a real beauty: a converted Victorian schoolhouse that is now a superb boutique hotel with 31 exquisite rooms, each named after an Irish writer, and stocked with luxury toiletries and all sorts of modern amenities. A place ahead of its – ahem – class.
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Dylan (Map; 660 3001; www.dylan.ie; Eastmoreland Pl; r from €200; ) A genuine contender for favourite celebrity stopover, the Dylan’s designer OTT look – baroque meets Scandinavian sleek by way of neo-art nouveau and glammed-up 1940s art deco – has nevertheless been a big hit, a reflection perhaps of a time when too much was barely enough for the glitterati who signed contracts over cocktails before retiring to the crisp Frette linen sheets in the snazzily appointed rooms upstairs.
Four Seasons (Map; 665 4000; www.fourseasons.com; Simmonscourt Rd; r from €225; ) The muscular, no-holds-barred style of American corporate innkeeping is in full force at this huge hotel that has sought to raise the hospitality bar. Its mix of styles – anyone for faux Victorian Georgian with a bit of baroque thrown in for good measure? – has its critics, but there’s no denying the sheer quality of the place. The spa is superb and the lit basement pool a treat. For many, this is the best hotel in town. We’re suckers for a slightly more demure luxury, so we’ll stick it in the top three. It’s in the grounds of the Royal Dublin Society Showground.
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EATING
The transformation of Dublin from culinary backwater to gourmet metropolis has resulted in a city with more restaurants than it knows what to do with, and a population whose palates have grown increasingly sophisticated on a diet of dishes from around the world – a far cry from the days when the joke held true that Irish food was wonderful until it was cooked.
The crash of 2008–09, however, has put a limit on the sky and there is little doubt that the future is bleak for many of the city’s restaurateurs – it is to be hoped that the cream will rise to the top and the best ones will survive, but the onus is on the restaurateurs to consolidate and reimagine their menus to suit the shrinking budgets of their customers. Which is probably why we’ve noticed the dramatic return of the wholesome, filling and generally affordable burger to menus that a couple of years ago wouldn’t deign to descend to such unimaginative lows.
The most concentrated restaurant area is Temple Bar but, apart from a handful of good places, the bulk of eateries offer bland, unimaginative fodder and cheap set menus for tourists. Better food and service can usually be found on either side of Grafton St, while the top-end restaurants are clustered around Merrion Sq and Fitzwilliam Sq. Fast-food chains dominate the northside, though some fine cafes and eateries are finally appearing there too. The area around Parnell St, in particular, is worth checking out for the spate of new exotic restaurants – a reflection of the increasingly diverse ethnic communities that have settled in the area.
For many restaurants, particularly those in the centre, it’s worth booking for Friday or Saturday nights to ensure a table.
Grafton St & Around
If you spent your whole time in this area you would eat pretty well; the south city centre is the hub of the best the city has to offer.
BUDGET
Cake Café (Map; 633 4477; Pleasant Pl; mains €2-8; 10am-6pm) Dublin’s best-kept pastry secret is this great little cafe in a tough-to-find lane just off Lower Camden St. The easiest way in is through Daintree stationery shop (61 Camden St); through the back of the Daintree is the self-contained yard, which in good weather is the best spot to enjoy a coffee and a homemade cake.
Gruel (Map; 670 7119; 68a Dame St; breakfast €4, lunch €4.50-8, brunch €5-12, dinner mains €9-15; 7am-9.30pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-10.30pm