“Staycation” has been the buzzword of the last few months with thousands of people heading for the west coast during these strange times.
But for those already living in the west – or indeed anywhere around Ireland – who fancy a city break then Dublin has so much to offer.
If you love culture, parks, shopping, restaurants (ok, the ones still open with outdoor dining), even spectacular scenery (think Howth Head, Dollymount Strand, Dalkey and Killiney Hills) then the capital is a great place to recharge those batteries.
Where to stay? I hear you ask. If you want to base yourself in the city centre, hotels don’t come much more central than the lovely four-star Trinity City Hotel on Pearse Street.
Trinity College is just 200 metres away and from there the Grafton Street shopping area with all its trendy side streets is only a couple of minutes walk.
The Trinity City itself is a modern, five-storey building which has recently gone through a major refurbishment.
And there is no way you cannot be impressed when you walk into the hotel’s beautiful reception area with its giant, ornate mirrors, its period furniture and chandeliers.
We recently booked in for a night and were greeted by friendly and efficient reception staff.
Dublin hadn’t quite been put into its second lockdown but safety measures were all in force with a one way system to the reception desk and sanitiser on hand both when you walked in and at the desk. I felt perfectly safe throughout my stay with tables and chairs in the lounge and restaurant all well spread out. There is no shortage of space in this large hotel.
When the receptionist handed over a separate key “for the balcony” as well as our door cards we were delighted.
Hotel balconies may be the norm in foreign sunspots but there are not too many in central Dublin. But our room was on the fifth floor and the balcony runs the length of the hotel on one side overlooking Pearse Street.
We had the good fortune to arrive at the hotel on its seventh birthday so all guests were being treated to a glass of prosecco when checking in which was a lovely touch and definitely got us in holiday mood.
The room itself, or rather suite because there was a reception area separate from the bedroom, was stunning.
As soon as you open the door the light hits you because of the floor to ceiling windows. The décor was gorgeous and subdued with a work desk, TV and sofa in the reception area.
We rushed out on to the balcony to take in the sunny evening and the views down Pearse Street and across the city centre. We thought, “What a great place for a nightcap at the end of the day.”
The bedroom was tastefully decorated with a massive super-kingsize bed and a real coffee machine as well as all the usual mod cons and another television.
When we headed down for dinner we were impressed with the ambience of the lovely ground floor restaurant which looks out on to a courtyard filled with plants. Once again we were happy with the spaced out tables
For starters my partner had the potato and sweet onion soup while I settled for a delicious bowl of spicy chicken wings.
For the main I kept up the meat mode with a charred 8oz ribeye steak with chunky-cut chips, overnight tomato, sautéed mushrooms and roasted onion served with a pepper sauce while my companion went for the homemade chicken tikka masala with pilau rice and naan bread.
Having only recently discovered Eton Mess, I had to give the gorgeous dessert a go but the size eventually defeated me.
We washed all this down with a 2018 bottle of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo red wine.
And as it seems such a rare occasion to be inside a bar or restaurant these days I also sneaked in a couple of creamy pints of Guinness.
The waiting staff were extremely friendly and helped to make it a great night.
In the morning, another challenge awaited. It’s been years since I ordered a full Irish breakfast, usually choosing something a little healthier, but hey, I was on holiday and we had put up with six months of pandemic!
I actually laughed when it arrived as it was so massive. “I’ll never get though all that,” I said.
Well, the good news is I did. And I’m still alive!
If you do over-indulge in this top hotel there is a fitness room to get rid of some of those unwanted calories. But unfortunately, it’s closed during the pandemic for health reasons.
WRITTEN BY JIM GALLAGHER
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