Fodor's Expert Review Ariel Guest House

The homemade preserves and oven-warm scones are reason enough to stay at this stately redbrick 1850 Victorian guesthouse, in one of Dublin's poshest tree-lined suburbs and a 25-minute walk from St. Stephen's Green. The welcome is friendly and professional, too, and the rooms are comfortable and traditional. It's also very close to the Aviva stadium.

YOU SHOULD KNOW While there are ground floor rooms, to get into the main entrance of the gueshouse there are 15 steps, and the reception, drawing room and dining room are all on the first floor - worth bearing in mind for any guests with mobility issues.

room

Restored rooms in the main house are lovingly decorated with Georgian antiques, Victoriana, and period wallpaper and drapes. The 13 rooms at the back of the house are less luxurious (although some compensate with garden views), but all are immaculate, and very quiet - some of the walls are two feet thick!

bathroom

Bathrooms are cosy and clean, with subtle yellow tiles and bath/showers.

lobby

The reception desk is small but perfectly formed, and staff are armed with everything guests may need, from tips for where to dine to a cup of tea for early arrivals whose rooms may not be quite ready.

dining

The guesthouse's breakfast is legendary, often voted amongst the best in Ireland, and it lives up to the hype.

drinking

There's no bar as such, but guests can have a glass of wine or home-made afternoon tea in Ariel's graceful, fireplace-warmed drawing room, complete with red and gold drapes, a Waterford-crystal chandelier, and comfortable leather and mahogany furniture.

Guests are welcome to use the lovely garden - more of a draw in the summer than in Dublin's notoriously damp winters, we admit.