lanejohann

ok back to the drawing board: let's try staying right in the centre of dublin for our last night
I have looked at reviews but i just cant imagine the atmosphere of the actual locales

basically, im thinking that we ( daughter and I) need to be able to walk to a lively interesting area...maybe grab some last minute souvenirs (although i bet theyre more expensive in the heart of dublin)
OH may or may not feel inclined to join us..he wouldve been driving us from galway that day so he may be tired..girls get easy second wind when there are shops about
but we do want to just literally step out and be somewhere central without catching buses or trains
ive looked at places round the park ..st stephens green i think it is called...but i doubt my daughter and i would cross a park at night..unless this is something that everyone does on a winters night ( we wouldnt in sydney)

ive read that the area south of the liffey river is better for accommodation...cleaner neater districts
but i need to hear it from someone who is actually familiar with the lie of the land..
central...yet not too noisy (pub noise could be a problem on a saturday night)

budget? seeing there're three of us ill expect to pay more and i dont really want to stay in a hostel unless it is absolutely fabulous...ive been booking hotels for around the $300 AUD ( 280 USD approx) mark so far in the UK and France...dont really want to go much more over that if i can help it

if you havent actually stayed in any of the central hotels but remember a good location then that would help too
thanking you!

littlejane

Just on the location - I'd generally go southside, central southside tends to be less grotty than central northside. Stephens Green is closed at night so you won't be crossing it, but you would be walking around it. It's one of the main traffic thoroughfares getting around town, and the starting point for the LUAS(tram link to many suburbs from the centre) so will be busy no matter what time. I'd have no compunction walking around Stephens Green at night. If you want to share the name of any of the places you looked at in that area I can give you my thoughts on the location? Living in Dublin myself I can't really recommend a particular hotel as I wouldn't have stayed in them.

abram

We stayed in an apartment N of the river, right at the Jervis Luas stop. There were plenty of restaurants near by and it was about a 10 minute walk to Temple bar. I thought the location worked very well for us.

Rubicund

Last time we were in Dublin we stayed at the Arlington, right by O'Connell Bridge. It's a really good location for the shops, eating and drinking. It also has a sister hotel across the bridge in Temple Bar.

http://www.arlington.ie/

nytraveler

We like to stay in the Westbury - which is south and just off Grafton St (main shopping st). But I don;t think it will fit your budget unless they are offering a deal.

Why not look at the discount sites, pick some options (around St S is nice) and look at google street view to see exactly what it looks like.

lanejohann

OK..thank you kind folk of fodors!
I appreciate your advice and in particular am pleased to hear that st stephens green area is safe at night

so...i have spent the last half hour on the phone with a booking agency and have booked Staunton on the Green for the little-princely sum of $286 AUD ( 270USD) for a family room so the three of us can cosy up and save a bundle!
This has been an arduous task for some reason...just hard to decide but I can cancel right up til two days before

Since we will be in dublin on the way in, we might be able to check out the location of the staunton and if we really dont like it,maybe we will spot something else...we dont have much time so i dont feel like we should be scouring dublin for better lodgings when we could be hanging out with leprechauns//hopefully all will be to our liking!

I think the football season is in full swing in february...am surprised that theres not a lot available..or maybe its just the fact im asking to sleep 3

thanks again everyone!

jan47ete

We stayed at buswells.com, south of the river and it was great. I just checked and they have triple rooms and with breakfast. Next to museums, close to Trinity and bus lines but we walked everywhere. We loved it.

lanejohann

thank you jan...have written that one down and will check..i have booked the staunton but can cancel..

Padraig

Buswell's is a bit hit-and-miss. A friend summarised it nicely for me: "faded grandeur with an emphasis on the faded". I have no experience of Staunton's, but it generally has a good reputation.

jan47ete

I have to completely disagree Padraig. All the public areas were lovely, updated, clean, authentic and charming. The stairs were carpeted and in great shape. Were they slightly uneven, yeh but I figured after a 100+ years I was up to it. Room was goodsize, bathtub was huge, toiletries were very nice and bed very comfortable.

We go for charming, not Hilton or Intercon. I can get that at home. I believe it is the Parliament building across the street, along with the museums, so a lot of politicians stop in the very large parlour area as they apparently have done for years and is part of the charm of the hotel.

There are also tripadvisor, booking, Rick Steves to get more info and ratings. Great price, great location, great experience.

lanejohann

Hi Jan...i checked out Buswells..and it looks lovely indeed but theres a two night minimum booking for the date I need
..shame

as for booking...do you mean hotel.com booking.com etc?
if youre referring to them and similar...i wouldnt trust their suggestions
theyre fabulous ...they work hard to get you information about availability but boy can they get it wrong!

we experienced huge disappointment when we booked with such an agency and upon getting to vancouver..found out that the hotel didnt have any waterviews to begin with..something that the agency actually claimed ( something that we insisted upon when researching)..we were upgraded to a superior rock star quality suite but it still didnt cut it for us...

so theres nothing like exchanging info with travellers with personal experience!

Padraig

jan47ete wrote: "I have to completely disagree Padraig."

How can you disagree with my claim that it is a bit hit-and-miss? Two data-points: it was a hit for you, and a miss for me. I like a shower where I don't get scalded because the temperature control doesn't work; I like a breakfast service where they don't get about six things wrong (somewhere in my computer I have a copy of the email I sent them).

Yes, the location is great. Yes, you can encounter politicians there (and journalists, lobbyists, and political hangers-on). Curmudgeon that I am, I don't think that adds to the charm - rather the converse. But that might not be a problem for the average overseas visitor, because they probably won't know them.