where to stay in Dublin

I prefer south of the river and have stayed there during my visits to Dublin but one when I was there for one night and stayed closer to the train station.

I liked the Hotel Davenport. Didn't like Buswell's and found Jury's Christchurch too crowded and too big but well placed.

I've also stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn north of the River. The hotel was nice but not really walking distance to many sights.

You are going in August, If you want air conditioning, don't assume all hotels have it. Many don't.

We were there in August last year. I selected the chancery hotel for air conditioning and location. It is a new property. We enjoyed our stay. https://www.thechanceryhotel.ie/

Thank you for your reply's!
Have a great Sunday.
Joan

A few weeks ago, my friend and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre, located north of the river on O'Connell Street. We thought it was in a good location, easily walkable to many of the sites in Dublin. The staff was amazing. I wouldn't hesitate staying there again.

Thank you Sherry!

Definitely stay south of the river.

I was at Staunton’s on the green last week and loved it. Great location right across from the park. I took a taxi from the airport. Purchased my leap card at the airport and have been using that for day trips from the Pearce dart station.

I’m at buswells now and it’s nicer than I was expecting. There’s new owners since frank stayed here pre COVID. They have a weird key policy though where you can’t leave with the key. So you have to drop off and pick up at reception. A minor inconvenience but an inconvenience all the same. This location is also great for walking everywhere.

What are your plans? I always pick hotels based on convenience. Yesterday I walked to the departure point for my day tour to Northern Ireland. Tomorrow I’ll walk 2 minutes to the pick up point for my 3 day rabbies tour to dingle.

I booked my hotels about 10 months ago and they are both pretty pricy. Booking now for August you may find limited availability and even higher prices.

Good luck!!

Thanks Carrie!

We loved our stay at the Kilronan House, In an old Georgian neighborhood no more than a 5 minute walk south of St Stephen's Green and [importantly for us] O'Donoghue's Pub, the original home of the Dubliners, where you will find the best Guinness in Dublin and trad sessions virtually every night.

You can find suitable hotels on either side of the river. In March, I stayed at the Zanzibar Locke, which is an aparthotel immediately north of the river across the Ha'Penny Bridge. It's a nice area with loads of shops and restaurants. There are some newer places further east of the center in the docklands area, where there are also loads of shops and restaurants. Use a site like Trivago or Booking.com to find places that meet your needs. Read the reviews. Book directly with independent hotels. Enjoy your trip.

My partner and I stayed at Buswells in May 2024 as part of our RS Best of Ireland tour. We added an additional week at the start for excursions into the Wicklow mountains, Newgrange, Monasterboice etc. We have very mixed feelings about it - loved the central location with the museum across the street, the appearance and atmosphere in general, and the reception personnel were very kind and friendly.

We just didn't find the room very comfortable - it was a warm sunny 70 degree week and there was no way to cool the room down. The room had a rather wimpy worn out fan than we ran constantly by a small open window but it simply didn't help much. The worst problem was the bathroom was super hot - there was a steam heat radiator that was somehow still hot even though the heat was supposedly turned off. They sent maintenance up to the 3rd floor room and they couldn't figure out why it was radiating heat. It was just an oppressive claustrophobic experience because there was no relief from the warmth and humidity. We heard similar sentiments from the other tour members so it appeared to be a common experience.

I wanted to like it more. I'm not sure new ownership would have improved that situation very much.

South of River Liffey!

We just returned from 6 nights at the Premier Inn on Gloucester Street, which is a new property. It opened just 2 years ago. It is near Trinity College and, more importantly, Bread41 - a wonderful bakery. If possible, a room on the top (9th floor) would be a good choice.
It's a very easy walk to the Dublin Express bus to/from the airport, to Grafton Street, most of the major museums, etc. We enjoyed the Common Café at MoLI (open to everyone) and Tang (on Grafton Street near St. Stephen's Green).

Wherever you decide to stay, enjoy your time in Dublin!