We''re going to Dublin!!

[Phoenix]

YAY!!

My DH has wanted to go to Dublin *forever* since it's the birthplace of his ancestors. We're planning to go there from London after Xmas (boxing day or 27th) and spend a few days there. Neither one of us has been to Dublin before.

Does anyone know whether Aer Lingus or Ryanair is the better choice? They both seem rather cheap (under GBP 100 - return tickets btw London and Dublin for 2 persons).

Also, we'd like to find out where's the best place to stay. We like our creature comforts and would prefer a 5 star hotel, if possible. We don't mind if the hotel is a historic building or modern.

With regard to sightseeing and eating out/ drinking, will there be anything open? We're a bit concerned that most places will be closed since it's the festive season. Any must-see places?

Appreciate your suggestions.

 

[that_someone_special]

I have not been there, but I am SO JEALOUS! Please take a lot of pictures to share with us!!!

 

[Porridge]

Woo! Exciting!

Nicest hotel in the city centre IMO is the Gresham. It's not five star because it doesn't have a swimming pool, but it is a fabulous hotel.
Other gorgeous hotels are the Merrion, the Westbury and the Shelbourne. Oh, and I forgot the Fitzwilliam is very nice too.

Hopefully bee* will see this, she'll know much more than me, Dublin isn't my home town!

As for airlines, both Ryanair and Aer Lingus are low fares airlines, but with both you have to pay extra for checked-in luggage. I think Aer Lingus are better if you're traveling with luggage. Ryanair are very harsh on cabin luggage - only one piece and that includes your handbag!! Aer Lingus are just that tad bit more comfortable.

Most things will be closed on St Stephen's Day, the 26th, and it won't be possible to buy alcohol anywhere that day. Maybe New Years Day also some places might be closed I think? Other than that everything should be open. If there are specific things you want to see or do, like a tour of St James' Gate for example, it would be worth checking ahead.

Have a great time! Ask away if there's anything you want to know about Ireland, what to do and see etc!

 

[mousey]

I would go for Aer Lingus over Ryan air if at all possible. I have flown both, and ryan air is just terrible- like being in a cattle cart.
Is there any chance that you could get outside Dublin? Dublin is nice, but Ireland is famous for its countryside. Even if you could get to the Wicklow Mountains. They are closeish to Dub, and Soooo pretty! I think I am a bit biased as I prefer the countryside to the city, but in my opinion Dublin is nice, but just another city, but the Irish countryside is something really special!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 7:10:51 AM
Author: swedish bean
I have not been there, but I am SO JEALOUS! Please take a lot of pictures to share with us!!!

I sure will!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 8:12:26 AM
Author: Porridge
Woo! Exciting!

Nicest hotel in the city centre IMO is the Gresham. It's not five star because it doesn't have a swimming pool, but it is a fabulous hotel.
Other gorgeous hotels are the Merrion, the Westbury and the Shelbourne. Oh, and I forgot the Fitzwilliam is very nice too.

Hopefully bee* will see this, she'll know much more than me, Dublin isn't my home town!

As for airlines, both Ryanair and Aer Lingus are low fares airlines, but with both you have to pay extra for checked-in luggage. I think Aer Lingus are better if you're traveling with luggage. Ryanair are very harsh on cabin luggage - only one piece and that includes your handbag!! Aer Lingus are just that tad bit more comfortable.

Most things will be closed on St Stephen's Day, the 26th, and it won't be possible to buy alcohol anywhere that day. Maybe New Years Day also some places might be closed I think? Other than that everything should be open. If there are specific things you want to see or do, like a tour of St James' Gate for example, it would be worth checking ahead.

Have a great time! Ask away if there's anything you want to know about Ireland, what to do and see etc!

Porridge,

Many thanks. Very helpful advice. I've looked up the hotels. They all seem really lovely. Which one would be your first choice, in terms of room size, comfortability (is that even a word, LOL?), proximity to the city centre/ sights to see etc.?

We're planning to return to London by the 30th, so NY is not an issue for us. I'd *love* to know what there are to go and see. I have no idea what's most worthy in term of sightseeing. I'd love to hear your recommendations. We like cultural things, like historical sights, churches, museums, art galleries etc, though we only have 2-3 clear days to visit.

I hope bee* will see this thread too.

Thanks again and esp with the extra luggage thing. We thought the airfares were too cheap to be true, LOL!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 10:27:17 AM
Author: mousey
I would go for Aer Lingus over Ryan air if at all possible. I have flown both, and ryan air is just terrible- like being in a cattle cart.
Is there any chance that you could get outside Dublin? Dublin is nice, but Ireland is famous for its countryside. Even if you could get to the Wicklow Mountains. They are closeish to Dub, and Soooo pretty! I think I am a bit biased as I prefer the countryside to the city, but in my opinion Dublin is nice, but just another city, but the Irish countryside is something really special!

Many thanks, mousey. Urgghh, I kind of thought that about Ryanair too!

I checked on BA and apparently return tickets for 2 are GBP382 - more reasonable I think. I''d rather pay a bit more and have a little more comfort.

I''d *love* to see the countryside, believe you me. But do you think we''ll have sufficient time? We''ll only be there for 2-3 days though we could stretch it to 4 if we need to. How far is Wicklow Mountains from Dublin, by car? And what would be a good hotel to stay in?

Thanks again.

 

[bee*]

Hi Phoenix! Yay, that's cool that you're coming over here!! Personally from any events that I've been to, I'd stay in the Shelbourne or the Merrion-both are fab. The Shelbourne has just been done up over the past few years and it's beautiful and the Merrion is just understated class. You can't go wrong with either but I have such a soft spot for the Shelbourne.
In terms of flying, I'd go Aer Lingus. Ryanair is definitely a get on, get off type of service and although Aer Lingus's short haul flights aren't a huge amount better anymore, I'd definitely go Aer Lingus if you can.
For sightseeing, my favourite place to go is Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). It's a brilliant tour. The viking splash tours are great fun and you'll see a bit of Dublin on them as well. You can see a lot of the city by walking. The Book of Kells can be seen in Trinity college. Is there anything in particular that you guys like to see or do when you travel? If you can take the dart (our train service) out to Dun Laoghaire, Killiney or Dalkey you can walk the pier and there are some beautiful restaurants around that area. If you do have time to do a day trip outside of Dublin, I'd recommend Glendalough-you can get a bus from Dawson Street and it takes about an hour to get to. There are some beautiful walks and the lakes are gorgeous. Wrap up though as it's so chilly out there in Winter.
For food, what are you into? Shanahans on the Green is the uber nice and tasty but has the price tag to match http://www.shanahans.ie/home.html. My personal favourite is Fallon & Byrnes http://www.fallonandbyrne.com/section/104. Their restaurant is delicious and they have an amazing wine bar in the cellar underneath it. There are plenty of restaurants in town (city center). If you want a "traditional" Irish night, Johnny Fox's is a great night out. My parents had their French neighbours visit for a weekend last week and they adored it up here. Their Hooley night is hilarious and they do amazing seafood. It's also the tallest pub in Ireland and the views from up there are brilliant. http://www.jfp.ie/hooley_show.htm . If you are getting a taxi up here, I'd negotiate a price in advance when you order it as it does take about 40 minutes to get to from the city center.
If there's anything else you want to know, just give me a shout. On the 26th (St. Stephen's Day), some restaurants might be closed but there will also be a lot of restaurants that open. You can definitely buy drink on St. Stephen's Day (only know this as this is the day that my friends and I always meet for drinks in our local to celebrate). Monday 28th is a bank holiday for us over here as well so I'd just make sure that any tourists attractions that you want to see will be open. If not, go to Glendalough that day as the buses run every bank holiday out to there.

 

[Porridge]

Date: 11/14/2009 11:07:08 AM
Author: bee*
You can definitely buy drink on St. Stephen's Day (only know this as this is the day that my friends and I always meet for drinks in our local to celebrate).

D'oh, meant Christmas Day *slaps forehead*.

Stephen's Day will be a busy night in Dublin...we all go mad after one whole day of not being able to buy alcohol!!

bee* answered every question I think! Full of great ideas, that one

If your DH is into Guinness ye can do the tour of St James' Gate!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

You''re going to have so much fun!

I took my husband to Ireland a couple of months ago and when we stayed in Dublin I booked Number 31. It was a bit swanky for me (I like more low-key B&Bs and this was fancy), but their breakfasts were hands-down the best breakfasts we had in Ireland the entire trip (and we stayed in B&Bs every night!).

I think my favorite thing we did in Dublin was go on a traditional Irish music pub crawl. I mean you can go to an Irish pub and listen to performers any night, which is fantastic, but this was a pub crawl hosted by musicians who explained the roots of the songs and took you to traditional pubs. I really loved it.

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/14/2009 11:07:08 AM
Author: bee*
Hi Phoenix! Yay, that''s cool that you''re coming over here!! Personally from any events that I''ve been to, I''d stay in the Shelbourne or the Merrion-both are fab. The Shelbourne has just been done up over the past few years and it''s beautiful and the Merrion is just understated class. You can''t go wrong with either but I have such a soft spot for the Shelbourne.
In terms of flying, I''d go Aer Lingus. Ryanair is definitely a get on, get off type of service and although Aer Lingus''s short haul flights aren''t a huge amount better anymore, I''d definitely go Aer Lingus if you can.
For sightseeing, my favourite place to go is Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). It''s a brilliant tour. The viking splash tours are great fun and you''ll see a bit of Dublin on them as well. You can see a lot of the city by walking. The Book of Kells can be seen in Trinity college. Is there anything in particular that you guys like to see or do when you travel? If you can take the dart (our train service) out to Dun Laoghaire, Killiney or Dalkey you can walk the pier and there are some beautiful restaurants around that area. If you do have time to do a day trip outside of Dublin, I''d recommend Glendalough-you can get a bus from Dawson Street and it takes about an hour to get to. There are some beautiful walks and the lakes are gorgeous. Wrap up though as it''s so chilly out there in Winter.
For food, what are you into? Shanahans on the Green is the uber nice and tasty but has the price tag to match http://www.shanahans.ie/home.html. My personal favourite is Fallon & Byrnes http://www.fallonandbyrne.com/section/104. Their restaurant is delicious and they have an amazing wine bar in the cellar underneath it. There are plenty of restaurants in town (city center). If you want a ''traditional'' Irish night, Johnny Fox''s is a great night out. My parents had their French neighbours visit for a weekend last week and they adored it up here. Their Hooley night is hilarious and they do amazing seafood. It''s also the tallest pub in Ireland and the views from up there are brilliant. http://www.jfp.ie/hooley_show.htm . If you are getting a taxi up here, I''d negotiate a price in advance when you order it as it does take about 40 minutes to get to from the city center.
If there''s anything else you want to know, just give me a shout. On the 26th (St. Stephen''s Day), some restaurants might be closed but there will also be a lot of restaurants that open. You can definitely buy drink on St. Stephen''s Day (only know this as this is the day that my friends and I always meet for drinks in our local to celebrate). Monday 28th is a bank holiday for us over here as well so I''d just make sure that any tourists attractions that you want to see will be open. If not, go to Glendalough that day as the buses run every bank holiday out to there.

I avoid ryanair like the plague...

 

[Steel]

Date: 11/14/2009 10:27:17 AM
Author: mousey
I would go for Aer Lingus over Ryan air if at all possible. I have flown both, and ryan air is just terrible- like being in a cattle cart.
Is there any chance that you could get outside Dublin? Dublin is nice, but Ireland is famous for its countryside. Even if you could get to the Wicklow Mountains. They are closeish to Dub, and Soooo pretty! I think I am a bit biased as I prefer the countryside to the city, but in my opinion Dublin is nice, but just another city, but the Irish countryside is something really special!

Well said mousey!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Ryan Air SUCKS!!!!!!!!! Air Lingus is way better. I'm doing all of this organizaing for our trip so I'll answer more later, but I hate to get that bit in right away lol

ETA haha I guess I didn't need to hur\ry to say this as it is well known lol

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 11:07:08 AM
Author: bee*
Hi Phoenix! Yay, that's cool that you're coming over here!! Personally from any events that I've been to, I'd stay in the Shelbourne or the Merrion-both are fab. The Shelbourne has just been done up over the past few years and it's beautiful and the Merrion is just understated class. You can't go wrong with either but I have such a soft spot for the Shelbourne.
In terms of flying, I'd go Aer Lingus. Ryanair is definitely a get on, get off type of service and although Aer Lingus's short haul flights aren't a huge amount better anymore, I'd definitely go Aer Lingus if you can.
For sightseeing, my favourite place to go is Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). It's a brilliant tour. The viking splash tours are great fun and you'll see a bit of Dublin on them as well. You can see a lot of the city by walking. The Book of Kells can be seen in Trinity college. Is there anything in particular that you guys like to see or do when you travel? If you can take the dart (our train service) out to Dun Laoghaire, Killiney or Dalkey you can walk the pier and there are some beautiful restaurants around that area. If you do have time to do a day trip outside of Dublin, I'd recommend Glendalough-you can get a bus from Dawson Street and it takes about an hour to get to. There are some beautiful walks and the lakes are gorgeous. Wrap up though as it's so chilly out there in Winter.
For food, what are you into? Shanahans on the Green is the uber nice and tasty but has the price tag to match http://www.shanahans.ie/home.html. My personal favourite is Fallon & Byrnes http://www.fallonandbyrne.com/section/104. Their restaurant is delicious and they have an amazing wine bar in the cellar underneath it. There are plenty of restaurants in town (city center). If you want a 'traditional' Irish night, Johnny Fox's is a great night out. My parents had their French neighbours visit for a weekend last week and they adored it up here. Their Hooley night is hilarious and they do amazing seafood. It's also the tallest pub in Ireland and the views from up there are brilliant. http://www.jfp.ie/hooley_show.htm . If you are getting a taxi up here, I'd negotiate a price in advance when you order it as it does take about 40 minutes to get to from the city center.
If there's anything else you want to know, just give me a shout. On the 26th (St. Stephen's Day), some restaurants might be closed but there will also be a lot of restaurants that open. You can definitely buy drink on St. Stephen's Day (only know this as this is the day that my friends and I always meet for drinks in our local to celebrate). Monday 28th is a bank holiday for us over here as well so I'd just make sure that any tourists attractions that you want to see will be open. If not, go to Glendalough that day as the buses run every bank holiday out to there.

bee*,

Thank you so very much for all the infor.

The Shelbourne does look really amazing and it seems they have an early booking discount, so doubly yay!!

Would you recommend British Airways over Aer Lingus? I know one is English and the other Iirsh (ha ha, my DH wants to take the Irish airline - he's just so cute!, but in terms of comfort and better service, which one would you pick?

The viking splash tour sounds great! Do we just book at the hotel? Def want to see the Book of Kells and Trinity College. We like historical things and we also LOVE good foods and drinks. How far is the pier from the Shelbourne? We want to at least stick our heads in and look around the Shanahans. The Fallon sounds great too. We def do want to experience some traditional Irish food and see things that are typically Irish.

I must admit I didn't know that 28th is a bank holiday!

Glendalough sounds great. If we go back to London on the 30th, that'd only leave us with one day in Dublin City, that's just not enough to see Dublin, is it?

Oh, bee*, are most places closed on Sunday 27th too?

Really appreciate your help and all the suggestions.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 1:44:28 PM
Author: Porridge

Date: 11/14/2009 11:07:08 AM
Author: bee*
You can definitely buy drink on St. Stephen''s Day (only know this as this is the day that my friends and I always meet for drinks in our local to celebrate).

D''oh, meant Christmas Day *slaps forehead*.

Stephen''s Day will be a busy night in Dublin...we all go mad after one whole day of not being able to buy alcohol!!

bee* answered every question I think! Full of great ideas, that one

If your DH is into Guinness ye can do the tour of St James'' Gate!

Is the Pope Catholic?! LOL!

That sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the suggestion, Porridge.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 2:51:32 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
You're going to have so much fun!

I took my husband to Ireland a couple of months ago and when we stayed in Dublin I booked Number 31. It was a bit swanky for me (I like more low-key B&Bs and this was fancy), but their breakfasts were hands-down the best breakfasts we had in Ireland the entire trip (and we stayed in B&Bs every night!).

I think my favorite thing we did in Dublin was go on a traditional Irish music pub crawl. I mean you can go to an Irish pub and listen to performers any night, which is fantastic, but this was a pub crawl hosted by musicians who explained the roots of the songs and took you to traditional pubs. I really loved it.

That sounds like so much fun!! How do you get on one of these?

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 4:31:05 PM
Author: Steel

I avoid ryanair like the plague...

LOL!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/14/2009 4:41:13 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
Ryan Air SUCKS!!!!!!!!! Air Lingus is way better. I''m doing all of this organizaing for our trip so I''ll answer more later, but I hate to get that bit in right away lol

ETA haha I guess I didn''t need to hur y to say this as it is well known lol

Thank you, Sara. I know you must be very busy with the move and all, so I appreciate your popping in to let me know.

 

[bee*]

To be honest I haven''t flown British Airways-Aer Lingus always has such great deals on so we just always fly with them short haul. The flight is very short between Dublin and London, literally no sooner than they have the beverage cart go through the plane you''re ready to land.
The bar in the Shelbourne is gorgeous so you''ll definitely have to go and have a drink there. Great selection of wines as well. The viking splash tours actually stop across the road from the Shelbourne so I''d say that you could just get your tickets there. It''s a bit of fun and they actually give a great tour.
Dun Laoghaire Pier would be about 30 minutes train ride from Dublin or you can get the 46A bus about a three minute walk away from the Shelbourne hotel. The bus is nearly as quick as you have bus lanes for the majority of the journey so there''s no waiting in traffic. It really is great out there and you can get an ice-cream from Teddys-they''re renowned for having the most delicious ice-cream.
The reason that the 28th is a bank holiday this year is that we always get a day off for Christmas Day and St. Stephens Day over here-due to the fact that St Stephens Day is on a Saturday and the majority of people would be off anyway, we get the Monday off as our extra day. On a normal Sunday everything tends to be open and I''d say that it should be the same for the 27th. Most of the sites don''t seem to have their Christmas opening hours yet but I''ll let you know if I find out. Here''s a site as well with some of the heritage sites-http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/. I still think that Kilmainham Gaol is by far the best tour in Dublin though. D and I used to go to a different place every week and we both loved it. There''s also a house in Fitzwilliam Street (only a few minutes walk from the Shelbourne) that gives a great tour-it''s an old Georgian house and it''s done up as it was hundreds of years ago. We used to go to it so often as it''s a great way to spend an afternoon- http://www.esb.ie/main/about-esb/numbertwentynine/default.htm. The cafe is delicious there too.
For getting to Glendalough, this bus company seems to be very reliable-http://www.glendaloughbus.com/route.html.
If possible I''d try and have one more day in Dublin if you can. You''ll pick up a lot of the culture just walking around and if you go into any of the pubs, just sit up at the bar and you''ll always get talking to some of the locals. Here''s a link to the Musical pub crawl-http://www.discoverdublin.ie/musicalpubcrawl.html.
I just found a link to a bus company as well that seems to do a great tour-it brings you around Dun Laoghaire and that area, you can get to avoca which has the most amazing food, clothes and kitchen things to buy and then takes you out to Glendalough-this would be a great way of seeing outside of Dublin in one day http://www.discoverdublin.ie/wildcoachtours_wicklow.html.

 

[Porridge]

Phoenix Aer Lingus and BA are partner airlines, so it''s the same flight no matter which one you book with. It will be an Aer Lingus plane.

 

[Delster]

And here is the vote from the Delster jury!

* Aer Lingus over Ryanair (I usually fly Ryanair for $ reasons, but I'd fly Aer Lingus given the choice)

* The Shelbourne for definite!!! And make sure to allot an evening in the bar - bring a copy of the RTE Guide and play spot the celebrities

* Kilmainham Gaol (amazing amazing history)

* The Guinness Storehouse or Jameson Distillery tours - or both! The restaurant upstairs in the Jameson Distillery is nice for lunch - its table service and prices are reasonable.

* The Viking Splash Tour over the other bus tours - it's just a hoot

* Glendalough

* The Croke Park GAA Museum - IMO you don't know Ireland till you know what hurling is!

* The Book of Kells

* The Temple Bar traditional Irish music pub crawl (I have a European friend who's done that tour five times now with different family and friends over visiting and she's still not tired of it!)

For food, the recommendations you already have are all

Fallon & Byrne is a real favourite spot for a coffee or a glass of wine after work on a Friday evening. They do wine tastings too where you choose a bottle of wine from the cellar, pay the take home price, and then settle in in the wine cellar and enjoy your bottle with complimentary cheese and crackers nibbles. Oh and the cellar is candlelit!

Here are a couple more foody reccies... Eden in Temple Bar is modern European food - the Eden Smokies are delicious! The Mermaid Cafe on Dawson St does gorgeous seafood. Dunne & Crescenzi just off Nassau St has authentic Italian dishes and food for purchase. One Pico is just around the corner from the Shelbourne and the food is to die for. And finally, check out Sibín Chic on Georges St for Irish ciusine with a modern twist - it's worth it for the decor alone (and if you like any of the tables or chairs, apparently you can take them with you once you promise to replace them!).

Is your husband's heritage actually from Dublin or from somewhere else in Ireland? If he's interested in researching his history a bit, the 1911 Census only went up online a few months ago - he might like to have a poke through it

The Irish Times genealogy website is supposed to be quite good too.

And especially for you - check out Weldons and the second floor of The Powerscourt Centre

 

[mousey]

When I said Wicklow Mountains, I meant Glendalough. Its beautiful, and close enough to Dublin to be doable.
I have flown BA and Aer Lingus. I don t think there is MUCH of a difference. I would say that BA is slightlu more ''luxury'' feel, but the planes are so small and the flight time so short I don t think there is much of a discernible difference. If it were me I would go Aer Lingus (I also avoid Ryan Air at all costs), and save the extra and spend if on something nice in Ireland.
By the way- Ireland is expensive.... I am always shocked at how pricey it is when I go back. I would say its on par with London (in fact I sometimes think London is cheaper). I have heard that you can get really great deals on Hotels at the moment though (the recession and all...)
I really hope you have a fantastic time.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/15/2009 6:37:01 AM
Author: bee*
To be honest I haven''t flown British Airways-Aer Lingus always has such great deals on so we just always fly with them short haul. The flight is very short between Dublin and London, literally no sooner than they have the beverage cart go through the plane you''re ready to land.
The bar in the Shelbourne is gorgeous so you''ll definitely have to go and have a drink there. Great selection of wines as well. The viking splash tours actually stop across the road from the Shelbourne so I''d say that you could just get your tickets there. It''s a bit of fun and they actually give a great tour.
Dun Laoghaire Pier would be about 30 minutes train ride from Dublin or you can get the 46A bus about a three minute walk away from the Shelbourne hotel. The bus is nearly as quick as you have bus lanes for the majority of the journey so there''s no waiting in traffic. It really is great out there and you can get an ice-cream from Teddys-they''re renowned for having the most delicious ice-cream.
The reason that the 28th is a bank holiday this year is that we always get a day off for Christmas Day and St. Stephens Day over here-due to the fact that St Stephens Day is on a Saturday and the majority of people would be off anyway, we get the Monday off as our extra day. On a normal Sunday everything tends to be open and I''d say that it should be the same for the 27th. Most of the sites don''t seem to have their Christmas opening hours yet but I''ll let you know if I find out. Here''s a site as well with some of the heritage sites-http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Dublin/. I still think that Kilmainham Gaol is by far the best tour in Dublin though. D and I used to go to a different place every week and we both loved it. There''s also a house in Fitzwilliam Street (only a few minutes walk from the Shelbourne) that gives a great tour-it''s an old Georgian house and it''s done up as it was hundreds of years ago. We used to go to it so often as it''s a great way to spend an afternoon- http://www.esb.ie/main/about-esb/numbertwentynine/default.htm. The cafe is delicious there too.
For getting to Glendalough, this bus company seems to be very reliable-http://www.glendaloughbus.com/route.html.
If possible I''d try and have one more day in Dublin if you can. You''ll pick up a lot of the culture just walking around and if you go into any of the pubs, just sit up at the bar and you''ll always get talking to some of the locals. Here''s a link to the Musical pub crawl-http://www.discoverdublin.ie/musicalpubcrawl.html.
I just found a link to a bus company as well that seems to do a great tour-it brings you around Dun Laoghaire and that area, you can get to avoca which has the most amazing food, clothes and kitchen things to buy and then takes you out to Glendalough-this would be a great way of seeing outside of Dublin in one day http://www.discoverdublin.ie/wildcoachtours_wicklow.html.

Thank you soooooo very much, once again, for all these amazing links and very helpful infor.

I think we''re going to try and stretch it for another day. It doesn''t seem that we have enough time to explore Dublin. There''s just so much to see and so many things to do!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/15/2009 8:59:22 AM
Author: Delster
And here is the vote from the Delster jury!

* Aer Lingus over Ryanair (I usually fly Ryanair for $ reasons, but I''d fly Aer Lingus given the choice)

* The Shelbourne for definite!!! And make sure to allot an evening in the bar - bring a copy of the RTE Guide and play spot the celebrities

* Kilmainham Gaol (amazing amazing history)

* The Guinness Storehouse or Jameson Distillery tours - or both! The restaurant upstairs in the Jameson Distillery is nice for lunch - its table service and prices are reasonable.

* The Viking Splash Tour over the other bus tours - it''s just a hoot

* Glendalough

* The Croke Park GAA Museum - IMO you don''t know Ireland till you know what hurling is!

* The Book of Kells

* The Temple Bar traditional Irish music pub crawl (I have a European friend who''s done that tour five times now with different family and friends over visiting and she''s still not tired of it!)

For food, the recommendations you already have are all

Fallon & Byrne is a real favourite spot for a coffee or a glass of wine after work on a Friday evening. They do wine tastings too where you choose a bottle of wine from the cellar, pay the take home price, and then settle in in the wine cellar and enjoy your bottle with complimentary cheese and crackers nibbles. Oh and the cellar is candlelit!

Here are a couple more foody reccies... Eden in Temple Bar is modern European food - the Eden Smokies are delicious! The Mermaid Cafe on Dawson St does gorgeous seafood. Dunne & Crescenzi just off Nassau St has authentic Italian dishes and food for purchase. One Pico is just around the corner from the Shelbourne and the food is to die for. And finally, check out Sibín Chic on Georges St for Irish ciusine with a modern twist - it''s worth it for the decor alone (and if you like any of the tables or chairs, apparently you can take them with you once you promise to replace them!).

Is your husband''s heritage actually from Dublin or from somewhere else in Ireland? If he''s interested in researching his history a bit, the 1911 Census only went up online a few months ago - he might like to have a poke through it

The Irish Times genealogy website is supposed to be quite good too.

And especially for you - check out Weldons and the second floor of The Powerscourt Centre

Wow, these links are amazing!!... very very helpful indeed. DH and I are sooooo excited. We just can''t wait.

DH''s ancestors are actually from County Clare. He wants to go to Dublin, to experience Ireland, for his first trip. I''m sure we''ll get to County Clare sooner rather than later. Thanks for posting the 1911 Census. I think his mom and dad have been tracing their roots quite a bit....very interesting actually.

Those jewellery stores seem really great. I''ll be sure to check them out. What''s a holiday without some bling shopping, heh?!

Thank you, thank you.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/15/2009 8:09:47 AM
Author: Porridge
Phoenix Aer Lingus and BA are partner airlines, so it''s the same flight no matter which one you book with. It will be an Aer Lingus plane.

Many thanks again, Porridge.

It''s good to know this, otherwise we''d have paid more money for BA, to end up on an Aer Lingus plane!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/15/2009 3:21:19 PM
Author: mousey
When I said Wicklow Mountains, I meant Glendalough. Its beautiful, and close enough to Dublin to be doable.
I have flown BA and Aer Lingus. I don t think there is MUCH of a difference. I would say that BA is slightlu more 'luxury' feel, but the planes are so small and the flight time so short I don t think there is much of a discernible difference. If it were me I would go Aer Lingus (I also avoid Ryan Air at all costs), and save the extra and spend if on something nice in Ireland.
By the way- Ireland is expensive.... I am always shocked at how pricey it is when I go back. I would say its on par with London (in fact I sometimes think London is cheaper). I have heard that you can get really great deals on Hotels at the moment though (the recession and all...)
I really hope you have a fantastic time.

Thank you so much again, mousey.

Yes, you're right. The flight will be so short, I doubt if we'd notice any difference whomever we fly with (but for sure we'll avoid Ryanair

).

OMG!! How can Ireland be even more expensive than London?!!

We cringed whenever we had to spend money in London and now that we live in Shanghai, where most things are cheaper than anywhere else we've ever lived in, it's going to be really expensive both in London and Dublin. I wonder if Dublin seems more expensive because of the high Euro?

Oh well....it's only once in a while, so I think we're just going to enjoy it and forget about the cost for the time being. I'm sure we'll have a great time. Thanks very much for all yr kind words.

 

[Delster]

Oh my, Dublin is about as far removed from Clare as you can get!!!

But that just means you'll definitely have to make a second trip

On Dublin's expensiveness, unfortunately every last rumour on the travel forums is true:

RIP for Rip Off Ireland?

Ireland Ranks Second in EU Costs List

Dublin falls in cost of living rankings - still 25th most expensive city in the world though (London is 16th)!

 

[Porridge]

Yeah, it''s pretty frickin expensive! Sorryyyyyyy...

 

[movie zombie]

flight: Aer Lingus all the way
Dublin: big Big BIG with all the problems associated with such cities. you will not need a car...in fact, do not get a rental at all as parking costs are out of sight.
National Museum: a must see. go and then tell me you aren''t in love with 24-k torques.!
if you do decide to get a car, go north and/or west. go see the old places...avoid Tara. while it was the site where kings of old were annointed, it feels dead and hollow now. but the other sites are well worth seeing.
south of Dublin is pretty well like being in the US.
be prepared for rain Rain RAIN: there is a reason the country is green Green GREEN......
see any viking exhibits at museums, etc.
avoid talking Irish politics...........be prepared to discuss US politics.

mz

ps guiness does taste better the closer you get to ireland and there is none better than that which you get there......

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 11/17/2009 9:49:45 AM
Author: Phoenix


OMG!! How can Ireland be even more expensive than London?!!

We cringed whenever we had to spend money in London and now that we live in Shanghai, where most things are cheaper than anywhere else we''ve ever lived in, it''s going to be really expensive both in London and Dublin. I wonder if Dublin seems more expensive because of the high Euro?


Oh well....it''s only once in a while, so I think we''re just going to enjoy it and forget about the cost for the time being. I''m sure we''ll have a great time. Thanks very much for all yr kind words.

What a fun-sounding trip, Phoenix! FWIW, when you get there, Dublin in general will not seem as expensive as London-- just the parts that are part of a five-star international conglomerate will.

The rates of the best-of-the-best hotels tend to be only loosely based (at best) with the economics of the people of the country in which it resides, and more significantly based on the economies of those who can choose to stay at five-star hotels when they travel.

We enjoyed our stay at the Shelbourne a few years back (but I think I remember reading that they have updated since then). Their bar downstairs is indeed fantastic, as well as the location really encouraging you to walk everywhere with great ease. If/when we return, however, I might give the Fitzwilliam a try. The style seemed markedly different; it seemed a bit more contemporary to the Shelbourne''s classicism. Or, in essence, I''ll just second Porridge''s recommendations.

One other thing to keep in mind is that the activities one tends to do in Dublin as a visitor are those that tend to be less expensive than one does as a vacationer in London. I hope you have fun, and when you come back you''ll have to post your experiences and recommendations here!