We are flying into Dublin and spending our first night of the trip there, to avoid driving our first day in Ireland. We'll pick up our rental car at the airport (we get in at 7am) and then have the day and night to spend in Dublin - the plan is to head out and toward Kenmare the next morning.

So, my question is, with our own transportation, what area of Dublin should I concentrate on for finding a hotel? The "do it the easy way" side of my brain says to stay at an airport hotel, but we do plan to enjoy our full day in Dublin (jet lag and all). The "you're in Europe" side of my brain would like to stay somewhere with some local flavor/character.

Any advice on location would be great, and any specific hotel recommendations would be a bonus. We are 4 adults and an infant, who will be getting 2 rooms. Our budget is $150 - $175 per room for the night.

Thanks in advance!

Erika

OK I'll kick this off, though I suspect some others will have better suggestions.

I think you need:
- hotel in or close to town (only 1 night)
- hotel with parking
- accessible from airport without having to go through any toll roads (you don't want to be scrambling for change just after getting off the plane)
- accessible for the M50 the following day so you can get to the road for Killarney.

Personally I would go through town from the airport so that you are on the south side well positioned to take off the following morning. Some areas you could try are:
- Christchurch
- Ballsbridge
- Donnybrook
Of these Christchurch is the most central. All areas will allow you relatively easy access to the M50 the following day. Temple Bar (close to Christchurch but more central) would not be too bad either though it can be tough to find a hotel there with parking.

There's a Jury's Inn in Christchurch which I think has parking but may be above your budget. To be honest you will be fairly constrained by the budget so maybe see what hotels / guest houses you can find in your price range with availability for your dates and we can help you choose one?

Hardings Hotel, Dublin is opposite Christchurch cathedral and we have used it many times-central for sight seeing and 99 EU per night depending on high /low season.

PS not sure about the parking as we always pick up the car after staying in Dublin.

Thank you - this is very helpful. I tried to put all pertinent info in the first post, but realized I neglected to say we will be there in March.

If you are planning that far ahead, then you might not be tied into things yet.

I think you might find it more convenient not to get a car on arrival, but to take a bus or taxi into the city, and get your car the next day.

It might pay you to check out biddingfortravel.com and priceline.com, if you are familiar with how the 'name your own price' works.

Thank you - we were able to get the Harding Hotel - I'm hoping the jet lag will help us sleep through the noise everyone indicates. I couldn't find anything else comparable in the area for such a low price - AND they're helping us with sleeping arrangements for the baby.