Blog Post
Our Family Trip To Dublin
Clare Fisher • 29 May 2019
Staying At Conrad Dublin
We talked about our love for visiting Cities in a recent Instagram post. Full of life, culture, history, shops and mixed activities, they never fail to please us all! Dublin is a perfect example of this! It is also a great place to base yourself, if you want to explore other areas of Ireland. We only had the weekend and with so much we wanted to see, we didn't leave the City!
Conrad Dublin
We arrived into Dublin airport, quite late in the evening. It was already dark but there were buses still running frequently from right outside the airport, so we jumped on the Airlink, for just a few euros. There are different buses, so check online or with the driver before you leave, to make sure you're on the best bus and to check which is the best stop to get off at, for your particular one. You can also get a taxi into or out of the City! We left Dublin early hours of the morning for our flight home, so the concierge at Conrad Dublin, were kind enough to book one for us the night before, so we didn't have to worry. They usually cost around €35.
The first thing we noticed when we arrived at Conrad Dublin
, was the
amazing location! Located on Earlsfort Terrace, overlooking the majestic
National Concert Hall and standing opposite the gardens of St Stephens
Green. We didn't hire a car for our short time in the City, didn't want
to spend a lot of money on taxi's, but also didn't want to be hopping on
and off public transport all the time either. The hotel is in a great
position if you're looking to stretch your legs and explore the City by
foot.
If you've had enough of exploring, don't forget you can access Conrad's Health and Fitness Suiteor enjoy one of Ireland's most prestigious golf courses!
Before entering the hotel and setting your eyes on the incredibly
grand decor, you are likely to experience the warm hospitality of the
local staff, who greeted us by name! It is this kind of 'above and
beyond' attitude that you can expect during your stay. They really do go
the extra mile with everything and nothing is too much trouble. High
standards are definitely associated with this hotel brand and their
Dublin residence and it's staff, certainly delivered on this.
The kids enjoyed some chocolate Easter eggs from the staff, while we checked in and after admiring their pretty Easter display in the lobby, we made our way up to our room. Followed shortly, by the concierge with our bags. We stay in a lot of nice hotels and rarely get that these days!
Our suite was beautiful! It's the kind of room you run around when you get in, because it's so big and there are treats and different features everywhere you look. The room benefits from a separate bedroom and lounge area, with a sofa-bed. Premium channels, including sports are available on the two large LCD TV's in the room and you can watch these from the bed's. The kid's enjoyed coming back to some of their fave channels after a long day of exploring and we enjoyed having our own space in the room next door. The King size bed felt bigger than any we have slept in and was of course, so comfortable! We had USB charging ports right next to our beds, plenty of quality bottled water and tea and coffee facilities, including hot chocolate for the children. The room also benefit from a bath/shower and a separate shower room, depending on what you prefer.
Click here
to see more photos and information about the Conrad One Bedroom Suite we stayed in, and to see the other rooms and suites available. There are several options available for small families with children under 12 years old, to stay in the same room.
You can dine from early in the morning until late at night, at one the three restaurants and bars in Conrad Dublin:
We enjoyed breakfast at The Coburg Brasserie and cocktails in the evening at Lemuel's. If you want to see what else the City has to offer, there are a number of popular well known bar's, cafe's and restaurant's, just a few minutes walk from Conrad.
Breakfast at the hotel was delicious, with the combination of an impressive buffet and ready made to order options from the breakfast menu. The quality of food and drink can be tasted with every bite and sip and the breakfast staff were so helpful. Along with the amazing options for children, like warm fluffy pancakes, muffins and their fave cut fruit, the staff brought the children some hot chocolate.
Things To Do And The Area
Dublin has been one of our fave Cities to date for parks! It was a beautiful Easter weekend for our visit and the sun was out for the whole trip, so they did get busy but the kids made a lot of friends and we struggled to get them out of the parks when it was time to leave.
- St Stephens Green Park and Playground
, known as one of Dublin's prettiest parks, is just across from Conrad Dublin. The walks here are lovely with lots of flowers, trees and large ponds with ducks and birds. There are lots of areas throughout the park for the kids to kick a ball or picnic and some of these, are right opposite the enclosed children's area, so you can chill out while the children play.
- Merrion Square Park
has a themed playground, based on The Selfish Giant from Oscar Wilde, with some carvings and some of the equipment itself, taking on some of the characters and features from the story. It was my personal favourite play area with its wooden design and wood chip flooring, with areas for adults to sit while children play.
- Phoenix Parkis a little further out, but its only a twenty minute taxi drive from Conrad and as the largest enclosed City public park in the whole of Europe, it is well worth the visit. As well as being award winning, the park is home to a large herd of fallow deer, that roam freely. It is not permitted to feed, approach or touch the deer but they were clearly used to human's, as they came up to check out what was in our picnic. Just be mindful, especially with children around, they are still wild animals, they are unpredictable and can move fast.
There is plenty of sightseeing in and around the City, including historic buildings and architecture. You can admire some of these from the outside but if you want to enter, most have at least a small entry fee. With that in mind, it is worth reading up online before you go, to check the prices of the things you really want to see.
It is also worth checking out 'The Dublin Pass'. It gives you free entry to over 30 attractions, including some of the attractions I've listed below. It also offers admission to many others, including water park's, adventure golf, distillery and stadium tours, Dublin Zoo and much more. This ticket also includes a free hop on hop off tour, fast track entry to some attractions and exclusive offers and discounts at 20 extra venues.
We only visited a few of the below and only paid to see The Long Room at Trinity College. It was €28 for a family ticket but it gives you access to both the exhibition and the library. People have asked us if it is worth it, but it really depends on how much you value what you're going to see. If you're a lover of history, architecture, photography or books, this place will be a must see, but it's so impressive, that it is likely to wow anyone. If you do decide to visit, it is best to book online in advance. The queue's for this place can circle the entire square outside the entrance, especially during busy periods. If you haven't managed to do this, try and make either the first or last entry slot to avoid long lines.
Some of the most popular attractions include:
Don't forget to stop by the most famous pub in Dublin, Temple Bar, Since 1840. It always has a great atmosphere with live traditional music, throughout the day and night. One of the musicians here, holds the Guiness World Record for the longest gig ever! He played guitar continuously for over 114 hours and 20 minutes. It's the best place to try Guiness, Ireland's local and popular stout. People say it tastes different when it's imported and that you can't beat trying it at home!
We do not earn money when you click the links above. We were hosted by Conrad Dublin, to create social media content, during a complimentary stay with them. We were asked to give an honest review and put together some helpful information for anyone interested in staying there. If you enjoyed this, or it has been useful to you, please let us know :) Thank you!
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