Mespil Hotel, Dublin

The Mespil Hotel is located on the Royal Canal on Mespil Road in Ballsbridge, only about 15 minutes walk from St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street (the two main shopping areas of the city) and about 20 minutes from O'Connell Street and the Temple Bar area.

In a previous incarnation the Mespil was a large office block that housed the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. The transformation to a hotel took place in the early 1990's, and ...
...a longer stay then the Mespil also has some fine two-bedroom apartments that are suitable for either couples or families.

The bar is OK, as is the restaurant, which my wife and I have used on a couple of occasions, once for an evening meal and once for a bar lunch. The food was fine without being memorable (my steak was a wee bit tough) and the prices reasonable. About Euro30 for dinner and Euro10 to Euro15 for a bar lunch, obviously ... more

The Mespil Hotel is located on the Royal Canal on Mespil Road in Ballsbridge, only about 15 minutes walk from St. Stephen's Green and Grafton Street (the two main shopping areas of the city) and about 20 minutes from O'Connell Street and the Temple Bar area.

In a previous incarnation the Mespil was a large office block that housed the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. The transformation to a hotel took place in the early 1990's, and has been achieved successfully. (I was dubious when I first heard of the proposal!)

There's nothing special about the Mespil, but at in or around Euro100 per night, and with some special deals on offer if you book over the Internet, it would be a good, comfortable, 3 star hotel budget hotel for anyone either on a business trip or a short weekend break to Dublin. If you're planning a longer stay then the Mespil also has some fine two-bedroom apartments that are suitable for either couples or families.

The bar is OK, as is the restaurant, which my wife and I have used on a couple of occasions, once for an evening meal and once for a bar lunch. The food was fine without being memorable (my steak was a wee bit tough) and the prices reasonable. About Euro30 for dinner and Euro10 to Euro15 for a bar lunch, obviously depending on what you order.

There's a very pleasant reception area with some comfortable seating (couches and easy chairs) with a good view out the picture windows towards the adjacent Royal Canal. The canal makes for a nice walk for anyone into strolling and watching the world go by.

By the way, if you get peckish in the evening there's a great wee Chinese restaurant and takeaway called "Tin Tin" just around the corner in Baggot Street (150 yards) that makes some of the best Chinese nosh in the city. Very basic with formica topped tables and hard plastic chairs, but the food is outstanding and really cheap.

Plenty of buses to the city centre from Baggot Street, or you can always use the small taxi rank at the front of the hotel. About Euro7 to Euro10 will take you to any central location in the city.

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Website: http://www.mespilhotel.ie
Address: Mespil Road, Ballsbridge, DUBLIN 4.
Telephone: 0353 1 488 4600
Fax: 0353 1 667 1244
eMail: mespil@leehotels.com

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© KenJ February 2008

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