I had to travel to Dublin for a couple of days on business & because I work to a tight budget for accommodation, I found it hard to find a hotel in the centre of Dublin on my modest budget. If I wanted cheap accommodation I would be stuck on the outskirts of the city & without a car. Unfortunately on the week before Christmas when it's dark at night, that had little appeal.
I eventually found the Harcourt Hotel on Harcourt Street well below budget at around £53.00 a night (depending on exchange rate). This was located close to the main shopping area of Dublin (handy at Christmas) & walking distance to a huge selection of restaurants.
I arrived at the hotel at 6.45pm & was impressed with the reception lobby; it must have dated form the early 20th century with period furniture, lighting & the general décor. At this point I was quite chuffed with my selection especially at this price!!
I was very quickly 'checked in' & asked the lady for directions to my room, she said 'go out the door you came in, turn right, walk down the street, past a shop & look out for two plant pots outside a door, your room is through the door'. I was rather taking aback, but followed her instructions, entered the door at the bottom of the street to find signs all over the lobby walls with room numbers & arrows. After a tense five minutes (the room numbers are not in any particular order) I eventually found my room number attached to the fire exit door.
When I pushed the door open it led to a brightly lit corridor outside, as I walked down the corridor it led to a brightly lit patio in the main garden, at the bottom of the garden was a small concrete building, not unlike a large two car garage, my room was within this building!!
I entered the room to find only one table lamp working, the light form the outside patio was so bright it lit up the bathroom without its own light!! I quickly freshened up & before I walked into the town for a meal I asked the receptionist if someone could fix my broken lights. 'No problem sir, consider it done', she said.
I returned two hours later with no lamps fixed, but was so tired I decided it was tomorrow's problem & went to sleep. Well I tried, the noise form the street on the opposite side of my room wall was so noisy with the sound of traffic & drunks that it took ages to get to sleep. On top of that, the bathroom door wouldn't stay closed & the lights from the patio outside were so bright it lit up the room. I had to place my trouser belt through a chair & tie it to the bathroom door to keep it closed so that I could sleep. The fact that my only neighbours in the other room decide to have an argument at 3am in the morning also kept me awake, but I suppose these things happen even in five star hotels!!
When I got up the next morning I made a bee line for the shower, only to find there was no shower, only a bath. It was then I found out there was no bath plug, there was no sink plug either, so with the prospect of having no ablutions, I had to 'cobble' together a make shift plug out of the soap packet they supplied!!
On my way to the breakfast room I asked the lady in reception if she could organise two plugs & fix my lights. 'No problem sir, consider it done' she said.
Breakfast was due to start at 7.30am, pity no one told the staff!! As I had a taxi booked for 8.15am I was a little anxious that by 7.45am they just starting to lay the tables. The morning staff was as about as friendly as a demented Dalek & the food (mainly cold) was to say the least, average.
When I retuned later that night the lady in reception informed me that I had already checked out!! I informed her that I was still here & had still to pay my bill as I was staying another night!! She took some convincing but gave me the key to the room all the same. I returned to the room to find two plugs, for the shower & bath but still no lights fixed.
I asked the lady in reception for the third time if someone could fix my lights, 'No problem sir, consider it done' she said. Later when I returned from having a meal, my lights were still not fixed!! I didn't bother to stay for the following morning's breakfast.