Andrew & Jodi

Accommodations in Dublin (scroll down for Galway)

If you’re planning on spending a few days exploring Dublin (and you should!) here are a few suggestions of places to stay:

Hotels

• Jurys Inn, Christchurch: Jurys Inn is a mid-range chain of hotels that have a few locations in Dublin. The Christchurch location is the most central of these, and is situated directly across the street from Christ Church Cathedral, which was only just recently founded in the year 1030. It’s within walking distance of  Dublin Castle, the Chester Beattie Library, Dame St. (main thoroughfare with lots of restaurants, pubs, ATMs, etc.), the Temple Bar district (aka party central), Trinity College (where the Book of Kells is housed), Grafton St. (pedestrianized shopping street), and St. Stephen’s Green (very pretty public park with an adjacent shopping centre). It’s also not very far from the Guinness Storehouse and St. James’ Gate Brewery.
• Maldron Hotel: Maldron is another mid-range hotel chain with a few different locations in Dublin. We’ve stayed at both the Smithfield location and the one at Parnell Square. Both locations are north of the River Liffey. The Smithfield location is situated on Smithfield Square (formerly a public market) across from the Old Jameson Whiskey Distillery (they do tours). A historic horse fair, or horse market, is held in the square on the first Sunday of every month. It’s a 3-5 minute walk to the nearest LUAS tram station, from where you can easily get to the Heuston and Connolly train stations, Bus Aras (the main bus station), O’Connell St., the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and Kilmainham Gaol (former jail where many of the leaders of the uprisings were imprisoned and executed). The Parnell location is at the northwest corner of Parnell Square, and within walking distance of the Dublin Writers Museum, the Garden of Remembrance, the James Joyce Centre, O’Connell St. (on which you’ll find lots of restaurants, tourist shops, ATMs, etc., and the General Post Office, which served as the headquarters for the 1916 Easter Rising), the Spire of Dublin, and Henry St. (the other main pedestrianized shopping street in Dublin). The area immediately around the Parnell Square location is just a little sketchy, so if you decide to stay here and are returning to your room after dark, it’s best to grab a taxi and have it drop you off directly in front of the hotel (that’s what we do when we stay here).
• Schoolhouse Hotel: The Schoolhouse hotel is an interesting boutique hotel located in Ballsbridge right next to the Grand Canal. It was originally a parochial school for children between 1861-1969 and opened as a hotel in 1998 (and completely refurbished in 2006). It’s within walking distance to St. Stephen’s Church (aka the “Pepper Canister” church), Merrion Square Park (with its gorgeous Georgian houses and famous statue of Oscar Wilde), the National Gallery of Ireland, the National Museum of Ireland (including the Archaeology Museum), and the Houses of the Oireachtas (the National Parliament).
• Camden Court Hotel: Located just west of St. Stephen’s Green park (so it’s also within walking distance to Grafton St. and its shops, restaurants, pubs, etc.)
• Temple Bar: There are TONS of hotels around the Temple Bar district. They are all very central, right in the heart of the city, and surrounded by restaurants, pubs, shopping, bars, nightclubs, taverns, watering holes, etc. (you get the picture). It’s a fun and lively part of Dublin, but be aware that the closer you stay to Temple Bar, the noisier your room will be at night (you can always ask for a room on an upper floor, and not directly over the hotel’s pub). Here are some suggestions (disclaimer: we haven’t actually stayed in any of these, but they all have good reviews on Tripadvisor): Paramount Hotel (also recommended by Lonely Planet), Dublin Citi Hotel, Fleet Street Hotel, Central Hotel.

B&Bs

• Grafton Guesthouse: Located on South Great Georges St., where you’ll find the Georges Street Arcade (interesting shopping centre with lots of little stalls selling music, jewelry, clothes, etc.), The Long Haul (great pub), and the Yamamori Noodles restaurant (really yummy food).
• Eliza Lodge/Dublin Lodge: Overlooking the River Liffey, due west of the Ha’penny Bridge. Around the corner from the Temple Bar district, the Clarence Hotel (owned by U2’s Bono and The Edge), the Porterhouse Brewpub, Dame St., etc.

Hostels

• Kinlay House: Located just around the corner from the Jurys Inn Christchurch hotel on Lord Edward St., so within walking distance to Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Dublinia (Vikings! Great spot to take kids), Dame St., Temple Bar, Trinity College, Grafton St., etc. Mainly dorm-style rooms.
• Avalon House: Close to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and its famous well, where — legend has it — St. Patrick (yes, THE St. Patrick) conducted many a baptism. Also very close to St. Stephen’s Green park and Grafton St., etc. Single rooms, double rooms, and dorm-style rooms.
• Ashfield House: Located close to O’Connell St. Bridge on D’Olier St. Very centrally located, within walking distance to O’Connell St., Trinity College, Temple Bar, Grafton St., etc. Double rooms, triple rooms, quadruple rooms, and up to 18-bed dorm-style rooms.

Student accommodation/apartments

• Trinity College Dublin, a 400 year-old university located in the heart of Dublin, rents out its student accommodation to visitors during the summer months (don’t worry, the spaces have been renovated since the university was first founded). They offer a variety of room types: ensuite single rooms, single and double bedrooms within a 2-4 bedroom apartment, or you can rent out an entire 2-3 bedroom apartment (incl. bathroom, kitchen, and living area).  Their rates for the 2012 season (which include continental breakfast) can be found here.

Accommodations in Galway

Hotels

• Westwood House Hotel: This is where the wedding and reception will take place. It’s located northwest of the city centre, and it’ll take you approximately 20 minutes to walk from here to the centre of town. It’s a short walk over to the River Corrib, where there’s a pretty walking path and views of the ruins of Menlo Castle. (We’ll probably be taking some wedding pictures here! Weather permitting, of course. Oh, wait. This is Galway. It’s likely going to rain, so we’ll be taking pictures here rain or shine.) The Westwood is a really nice hotel, but I’m going to suggest that you stay in one of the other hotels listed below for much of your stay — they’re much more central. A taxi to the Westwood on the day of the wedding might cost you around €10 (at most). The hotel is reserving a block of rooms for the night of the wedding, at a special rate of €59.50 per person sharing / €99 single occupancy, including breakfast. The rooms are reserved until 31st May, so remember to act early if you want to take advantage of this offer, which could be worth it, if only for access to the late night residents’ bar, after the celebrations proper wind down. (For non-Irish guests, who may be unfamiliar with the concept, we should explain that after the bar and other activities in the reception room shut down, those staying at the hotel have the option of adjourning to the hotel’s guest-only bar, which stays open at the discretion of management, rather than being subject to regular opening hour regulations.)
• Jurys Inn, Galway: Great central location, right at the bottom of Quay St., next to the River Corrib, the Wolf Tone Bridge, the Spanish Parade (open space next to the river, nice location to sit and watch the tide), the Spanish Arch (which was recently constructed in the year 1584 as part of Galway’s old city walls), Galway Bay, and the Long Walk. There’s also a walking path that winds around the west side of the hotel that will lead you along the river and canal, past the Nora Barnacle House and the Salmon Weir Bridge (where you can watch anglers fishing for salmon, which make their way up the Corrib to spawn between mid-April and early July), and across the University Rd. bridge to the Galway Cathedral and, eventually, the National University of Ireland, Galway. (You don’t need to stay in the hotel to access the walking path–it’s a public path.)
• The Harbour Hotel: On the docks near Galway Bay. Walk around the boats and look at the cargo ships and naval research ships. Walking distance to the pedestrianized city centre with all of its shops, sights (such as St. Nicholas’ Collegiate Church, which was built around the year 1320 and where Christopher Columbus once stopped to pray in 1477, and Lynch’s Castle, now a bank, which dates back to at least the 15th century), restaurants, pubs, etc.
• The House Hotel: Cute boutique hotel in the “Latin Quarter” of the city centre, near the Spanish Arch.
• The Western Hotel: Located on Prospect Hill and a short 5 minute walk from Eyre Square, a public park at the top of the city’s main, pedestrianized shopping area. Eyre Square is surrounded by pubs, restaurants, ATMs, taxi ranks, local city bus stops, and you’ll find Eyre Square Shopping Centre at its southwest corner (remnants of Galway’s medieval city walls run through the inside of the Centre). The main Galway train station is located just off the southeast corner of Eyre Square.
• Park House Hotel: Located on Forster St., just around the corner from Eyre Square and the main Galway train station. Also close to the shiny, new Galway bus station (where both public and private buses between Galway and Dublin — and other cities in Ireland — come and go), which is across the street from the Galway Tourist Office.
• Victoria Hotel: Also located off Eyre Square, and within walking distance to everything. There’s a bar/nightclub located on the main floor, so any rooms located directly above it could be noisy at night.
• Radisson Blu Hotel: Larger chain hotel located next to Lough Atalia, an inlet of Galway Bay. Close to Eyre Square, the main Galway train and bus stations.
• Spanish Arch Hotel: Located on pedestrianized Quay St. and surrounded by restaurants, pubs, shops, etc. The bar on the main floor has live entertainment every night of the week.

B&Bs

• Adare Guesthouse: Located on Father Griffin Place, next to a small park (try to avoid walking through the park after dark if you’re by yourself). Close to the city centre and the pedestrianized Quay, Shop, High, Mainguard, Abbeygate, and William Streets, Galway Bay, the Claddagh area and St. Mary’s Priory, South Park and the Salthill Promenade (aka the “Prom,” a 2.5 km walking/jogging/biking path that winds around Galway Bay and through Salthill, a seaside, tourist area west of Galway’s city centre). Salthill is also chock-full of B&Bs and hotels, and is a short taxi ride (or a 30-minute walk) from the city centre.
• The Heron’s Rest: Centrally located on the Long Walk, close to the Spanish Arch, and right where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay.
• Desota House B&B: On Newcastle Rd., close to University Hospital, Galway Cathedral, and NUI Galway. This B&B is approx. a 10-minute walk (either along the canal or down Henry St.) to the Spanish Parade, the Spanish Arch, the pedestrianized city centre, etc.
• There are also a plethora of B&Bs on College Rd., which runs northeast from Forster St., away from the city centre and kind of parallel to Lough Atalia Rd. Many of these are within walking distance to Eyre Square and the city centre. The Galway Greyhound Stadium can also be found on College Rd.

Hostels

• Kinlay House, Galway: Located on Merchants Rd., just off of Eyre Square. Offers both private rooms (with or without ensuite bathrooms) and dorm-style rooms.
• Barnacles Hostel, Galway: Located on pedestrianized Quay St. in a refurbished 16th century townhouse, right in the heart of the city centre. Private and dorm-style rooms available. It will likely be loud here at night.
• Galway City Hostel: Directly across the street from the Galway train station and next to Eyre Square. Mix of private and dorm-style rooms.

Student accommodation/apartments

• The Corrib Village student residences are just across the road from the Westwood Hotel, and about a half hour walk from the city centre.
• Apartments can be rented for short duration stays, with both three and four-bed units available, with apartments sleeping 4-6 depending on type, and featuring fully equipped Kitchen/living room.