Hi,
I would like some recommendations for airport hotels. We leave Dublin at 10:00 a.m. on an international flight. I have seen in other forums to be there 3 hours in advance so would like to stay at a airport hotel with free shuttle service. I am trying to meet some rather picky criteria in finding a hotel. We are taking a bus from Galway so need a hotel I can get to from the bus. Ideally it would be great to stay where the rate is reasonable (and safe) and where there is something to do in case we are there for part of the day before hand since I have a teenage daughter traveling with me. If it is possible to get a gluten free meal at the restaurant that would be a bonus or a place to shop for food. Thanks
Posted by
Colorado Springs
2980 posts
Carol, I see that no one has responded to your post so I'll offer my two euro cents: Before our first trip to Ireland many years ago we too were concerned about making a mid-morning connection and so opted to stay at an airport hotel. We subsequently found it to be a poor decision, since once there we were pretty isolated, unable to just take a pleasant stroll to a nearby restaurant or pub, being restricted to the hotel itself. On later visits we've always opted to just stay in the city and rely on the excellent, efficient and cheap AirLink to get us to the terminal on time, and once or twice just springing for a taxi for the 20 minute ride to the airport.
You'll have many more options for meeting your "picky criteria" if you do elect to stay in Dublin Center, along with much more freedom of movement to explore one of the most interesting cities in Europe on your last night.
The AirLink bus route is clearly shown on their website - we've always opted for a hotel within a block or two from one of the pickup points just to keep things easy on our last day.
Safe Travels
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
47 posts
Thank you. Great advice.
Posted by
1172 posts
I agree with Robert... we decided to stay by the airpot last time and although the hotel was fine, there really isn't much around.
Will be staying downtown this time
Posted by
20 posts
One more thought... I had an early morning flight from Dublin to Palermo and wanted to stay near the airport. We stayed at the Hilton which was comfortable and reasonably priced(and had a shuttle to and from the airport). Then we caught the bus across the street from e hotel for a 20 minute ride to Malahide. This is a lovely little town on the water with plenty of restaurant options. (Had a wonderful dinner at the Greedy Goose, with view of the water). Not a lot to do but after flying into Dublin from the Searrle, walking around before and after our meal felt just fine. Easy bus ride back to the hotel for an early night before heading off for our Best of Sicily tour early the next morning. We opted to check out Dublin further on our return fro. Sicily.
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
47 posts
Okay - Thanks! I'll do some research and look into these suggestions.
Posted by
Marysville, WA, USA
41 posts
We stayed at the Maladron near the airport as we had to be at the airport at 7am for our check in prior to our flight home. We debated staying in Dublin our last night, but it is a busy city and we stayed in Dublin upon our arrival.
Our last city was Trim, so we slept in on our last day, had a late check out and took the scenic route back to Dublin airport. I felt better getting our car checked in, and then we settled into the Maladron and readied ourselves for our trip home.
For us, we were happy with our choice, as it took almost all of our 3 hours (actually 2.5 hours) to get through all the checkpoints at the airport, prior to boarding the plane.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.
Posted by
OP
Ottawa, Canada
47 posts
Thanks Everyone. We stayed at the Maldaron and it worked out great for us.