Ariel House, Dublin

...prices but they seem to be full on a lot of weekends in the future …

For the price we paid, the services and the facilities I would recommend Ariel House as a simple and comfortable hotel a couple of notches above the norm.
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We stayed at this lovely hotel/guest house about three weeks ago when we spent the weekend in Dublin to watch the Springboks play Ireland at Lansdowne Road. We flew into Dublin and since it was close to midnight decided to take a cab to the hotel. A cab for 4 people and luggage from Dublin airport to the hotel cost us €35. The hotel itself is situated about 100m away from Lansdowne Road Stadium, about a 1 minute walk. Between the hotel and the stadium is Lansdowne Road Station and here you can catch a train into town (or back to the airport) quite easily. Trains run frequently and are very affordable. The hotel is also 2 blocks from some major bus routes, which can also be used to get around Dublin, or you could walk into town – about a 30 minute walk. There is parking available for hotel guests.

Since the main reason for our trip to Dublin was to bear witness to the tragic defeat of South Africa by Ireland (17 – 12, dodgy try and all), this was a phenomenal location. There was massive activity around the stadium from more than 2 hours before the game and there was much consuming of Guinness, waving of flags and mockery of both Paddy (aren’t all Irishman called Paddy?) and Van der Merwe (comical typical South African). There were loads of South Africans out for the game (several thousand at least) and an excellent local turnout. We were able to tour the city in the morning (getting there from the conveniently located train station) and return (the same way) in time to drop purchases at the hotel and have a preparatory drink before braving the Irish cold, people and beer. The game and the experience were excellent and the Dublin crowd were friendly even though they were biased. South Africa lost on this sad day – we were outplayed. There. I said it. Let his never be mentioned again.

The hotel is a restored Victorian mansion with rooms spread across 3 floors (apparently 37 of them) – definitely not wheelchair friendly. The first impression isn’t a fantastic one because the reception desk is a little boring and gloomy. Nevertheless it is staffed 24 hours a day and they were able to answer most of our queries and requests very well. Immediately on the left of the entrance is a drawing room of goodly size. There are a few antique (old) leather couches in the room along with a table with a newspaper or two for your reading pleasure. There is also a decorative chess set to provide some amusement to those who can play. This room (and the rest of the hotel) is carpeted with the type of carpeting one expects in older hotels and pubs – meaning dark, scary and a bit ugly. There are paintings and pictures hung in abundance throughout the hotel, complimenting the Victorian décor well. They apparently also offer spa, concierge, laundry, dry cleaning, secretarial and room services but I didn’t use any of these.

The other communal room is the conservatory which is used for breakfast. Breakfast spans the usual 3 hour gap, I think from 7am to 10am, and was not included in our room rate and so we had to pay in another £7 per person per day. There was a basic cereal buffet, some canned fruit, fruit juice and yoghurt. We were also immediately offered coffee or tea as we sat down for brekky and this was regularly topped up. In addition to the cold fare one can choose a hot meal from a pretty basic but comprehensive menu. I had the smoked salmon omelette with cheese (accompanied by some fresh toast from a basket on the table) which was quite nice. Everyone felt their food was good, not great but good, and so we left breakfast satisfied on both days. One of my friends tried a meal including black pudding (I’m baffled by why anyone would want to eat a dish made of blood - blech!) – man you Europeans are weird! Not cheap but not bad value for the £7.

The staff in the hotel were mostly excellent. There was only one Dubliner amongst them and the rest appeared to be Eastern Europeans, although there was one guy (assistant manager I think) of Middle Eastern descent (I think). They were all very helpful and the reception desk was staffed whenever we were there. The only hiccup came when one of the waitresses was staffing the reception desk while the assistant manager was in the bog and we had to wait for him to return to call us a cab as the waitress’s English was not up to the task. Overall, a welcoming and helpful group of people. The anecdote which I feel compelled to insert here is that my perception of Dubliners from our brief visit was an overwhelmingly positive one. People were really friendly and pleasant (as opposed the aggressive and insular folk of London). This was best expressed by one of the cab drivers we met who said, in full Dublin accent, “In London the cab drivers rob you do they? Well, here we rob you too … but we do it with a smile!”

Our room was awesome! It was a truly classic, high-ceilinged superior room. We had two double beds which was nice, allowing us to throw coats and stuff on the one and sleep in the other. The room was equipped with a standard tiny hotel television, kettle and hot drink tray, a full length mirror, vanity table, luggage stand, large cupboard and two single couches. Apparently the rooms also have a trouser press, iron and ironing board and hairdryer – but I can’t confirm this since I didn’t use or notice any of those. There was also a telephone next to the bed and a wake-up call service was available. I love hotel rooms with mini-fridges, even though the contents cost an arm and a leg (I often store my own victuals therein), and this one didn’t have one – oh the disappointment. All of the furniture was of good quality if a little worn. We had no problems with noise from the corridor but did have the misfortune to be situated underneath the drawing room which was a little noisy on the first night. We asked the staff to try and keep people quiet on the second night, came home after midnight, and were not disturbed. The most impressive thing about the room was it’s size, which along with the Victorian décor made it most impressive. The en-suite bathroom was simple and adequate, with toilet, basin and a bath/shower. Thankfully they were not guilty of the sadly common cardinal sin of having bath towels the size of face-cloths – the towels were of decent size. What did let them down was their toilet paper. I (and my bottom) have always felt that the quality of the toilet paper tells you a lot about the quality of the venue. Soft and luxurious TP = luxurious and successful venue. Sadly theirs was of the low quality variety and I think let them down a tad. This theory does not make me weird.

I found and booked this hotel on www.expedia.com and I think we got a special deal. Currently (via the same website) two nights in a double room over the weekend is going for £146 but I’m certain we paid less than £100. I tried to get other prices but they seem to be full on a lot of weekends in the future …

For the price we paid, the services and the facilities I would recommend Ariel House as a simple and comfortable hotel a couple of notches above the norm.
 

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