I stayed at The Westin, Dublin in February 2007 for a 3 night short break, and having never stayed in a five star hotel I was not disappointed….

When we arrived at our stop the bus driver then directed everyone towards where they were staying, when we said ‘The Westin’ the bus driver looked impressed saying something along the lines of ‘best hotel around that is’….a taste of what was to come!

I would like to take this moment to describe that not a single detail has been left unaccounted for in this hotel, the lift was very grand, and not only that but as soon as you step out of your lift into the hallway there is a table with things such as pads of paper, pens and a telephone, all small details but I feel that small details are what makes a five star hotel. When you reach the hallway from the lift, make sure that you look out the window (which you would think would face outside) but instead it is a window into The Atrium (if you look on The Westin website you can see pictures of The Atrium and can see that the wall is lined with windows).

We were very impressed with the room in which we stayed in, it wasn’t a huge room but was in no way inadequate and was very tastefully decorated. As we walked in there was a cupboard to our left (containing dressing gowns, a free to use safe, drawers and coat hangers with plenty of space for all our clothes and our empty suitcases to fit into). The door into our bathroom was on our left with a large desk in front of us with pens, paper, magazines, a phone, leaflets and information on the hotel and Dublin. Our bed was on our right with two bedside tables each with water bottles and one with a phone, and there was also a cabinet with a large T.V inside. It had all the usual amenities, such as a hairdryer, mini-bar and tea ad coffee making facilities. We also had a comfy armchair. We didn’t have a window but instead large double doors (which for safety reasons couldn’t be opened, this wasn’t a problem as we had air con in our room.) The doors were oddly at the top of a few steps which may sound strange but didn’t take up and room and was really quite nice I thought, our view was fantastic, right onto Trinity College and we could see people within the college playing tennis and other various activities that were happening!

There was plenty of room and it was all simply gorgeous! There was a large shower, and also a big bath with toilet and sink with two mirrors, one handheld and one above the sink. This bathroom really did exceed my expectations and I was amazed that it could fit all of my many many products…Makeup…Bags...Etc!!

Now that I have hopefully given you some idea of what the room are like I will move onto the restaurants and bars.

After we had checked in we went down here just to recharge ourselves with a bit of food and a drink, the bar is amazing! All underground and yet nicely lit, the bar staff are really helpful and the food was gorgeous. We spent a few times here, mainly after coming back from meals for a night cap but the atmosphere was always amazing! The cocktails were out of this world and it was very busy, even for a February. At night there was a live band playing very good music (a first for me to find!) and it was always very welcoming.

We unfortunately never got a chance to eat here although the food looked stunning and the menu was really impressive. We sat at the bar one night, wanting a quieter night than the Mint Bar, the barman was very friendly chatting to us, but also leaving us alone when appropriate. He recommended some really good drinks which was nice and overall from what I could see form the people eating around us I wish we had eaten there as they looked like they were having a lovely time.

The Atrium Lounge was an extremely popular part of The Westin and because of this we never got chance to sit down here for a drink, although it was gorgeous, all soft armchairs and tables intimately placed around the room. The room itself was outstanding and I would recommend grabbing a seat if you can find one as they are quite limited. But overall my impression of this was that it was so busy because it was so good!

The Location of The Westin is one of its many strong points, right in the centre opposite shops and very close to the main centre for shopping. Temple Bar is also surprisingly close so you are within easy reach of all the top restaurant and bars.

The Porters were incredibly helpful, always greeting you, helping you find your way around, and it wasn’t only the guests they helped but the generally public would often come to them for direction and they treated everyone like a guest. I think that this is a very important part of working in a hotel as everyone is potential business!

The Concierge – we used the concierge to book and recommend all our restaurants, and although one of the restaurants we booked with made a mistake it was easily rectified with The Westin.

Thanks for reading!