Dublin review
How we got there
We flew Aerlingus to Dublin Airport from Amsterdam. It was a short 1 hour and 10 minutes. We took a 20 minute ride on a bus to town, it was cheap and makes very frequents trips to and from the airport.
Accommodation
We got an apartment for three nights through www.staydublin.com. The price was very reasonable, and it was located within walking distance of the Temple Bar area and Grafton Street (main shopping district). We did have several problems, though.
Our apartment had two bedrooms, a full kitchen with washer and dryer and a living room. A fuse was out, so the TV, washer and dryer, oven and mircrowave did not work. The iron was also broken, which caused Chris, an ironing freak, great distress.
When we informed the reception person, he promised the issues would be resolved, but it took them two days. Also, whatever chemical they used in the bathroom, it was so harsh I found it hard to breathe in there and we ended up having to prop the door open so I didn’t get sick just being in there to shower.
The beds were not good, and it was quite noisy. That wouldn’t have been too bad if the other issues had no existed. We did arrange for a 60 percent discount, but Chris has yet to call Expedia.com, who we actually paid and reserved through.
If we get the discount, this review will greatly change and I would probably reccommend them to others.
Transportation
We were able to walk to most places including Temple Bar, Grafton Street, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle, Guinness Storehouse (we didn’t walk back, though) and other popular spots.
Entertainment/Eating
Oliver St. John Gogarty (Gogarty’s)
I got sick while we were in Dublin, so we only got to go to one Irish Pub, and we actually ate there as well. This was a large place, three levels: a bar on the first floor, a bar with small stage on the second and a nice restaurant on the third.
We ate dinner and then went downstairs to hear some music. The band was great, and featured a man and his grandson as part of the group. It was very lively and the crowd sung along. The entire building was packed with tourists but everything still felt authentic and didn’t lose its charm.
http://www.olivergogartys.com/restaurant/
Major sights we saw and would recommend
Guinness Storehouse
If you like beer the least bit, this is worth a visit just to drink a beer high above Dublin. For more details, see my post here. Or, check out http://www.guinness-storehouse.com/.
St. Stephens Green
This city park is quite lovely, and a nice place to picnic or take a rest after shopping on the busy Grafton Street shopping district. There is a large pond, and little hidden trails in the bushes, as well as a large green area with lovely flowers.
That’s pretty much all I can recommend in Dublin. If I didn’t get sick, I think I might have had some more for you.
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