DEIRDRE VELDONStays At The Merrion, In Dublin
WE MIGHT disapprove of such profligacy now, but the mention of a stay at the Merrion Hotel, in Dublin, still draws sighs of envious approval. And it’s not the once-in-a-lifetime blowout it once was. If you take into account that this five-star hotel has downsized its rates in harmony with the economy, it’s almost accessible. A recent special Saturday-night event was just the excuse we needed to finally experience it.
The location is peerless. Very little could be better for the soul than flinging yourself down on the grass in Archbishop Ryan Park, in Merrion Square, just abutting the hotel, and sucking up the first warming sunshine of the year. City-centre indulgences and St Stephen’s Green are just around the corner.
Across the street is another great arena of extravagance, the handsome complex of Government Buildings. Throw in the National Gallery of Ireland and you’ve got one helluva prestige backdrop.
The main house is actually four painstakingly restored Georgian town houses that date from the 1760s. Generously proportioned period rooms hoover up space, though, and the hotel has been extended by means of the modern Garden Wing.
Our standard Garden Wing room was a reasonable size and immaculately clean. The vaguely feminine decor spoke of pretty, solid comfort. The bedspreads were vintage heavy, with bobbling, but elegant bobbling.
There wasn’t a sprig of greenery to be spotted from our window, which overlooked a back lane. To be fair, we were in the cheapest of the hotel’s 123 rooms. It can’t be gardens and fine historic buildings from all of them.
In the panoply of superlatives that are bandied about for the Merrion, the most effusive praise is reserved for the splendid afternoon tea. If you’re not staying in the main house, staff escort you through the charming drawing rooms to your bedroom, whence you can view the spectacle. The floorboards creak pleasingly underfoot, and silver tinkles off fine china as your eye is taken by the tiered tea stands, listing with delicate cakes and finger sandwiches.
The sole meal we were going to have on the premises became a small concern long before morning. We found a note from the manager on the bureau recommending we hit the dining room for breakfast earlier than 10am, rather than with the hordes just before 11am. A way of heading off any touch of unpleasantness?
Maybe people are more compliant in five-star accommodation, but by 11am we were easily in the running for being the stragglers in the dining room. Menus were presented with a flourish as we tried to recall whether we had chosen continental or full Irish when booking online. Rates quoted on the hotel website were for room only, so we’d selected a package where breakfast was included. We handed the menus back, mumbling about being on the continental option.
Is there a smoother way to execute breakfast? A slew of single items was listed and priced separately – fried mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and so on. To us it was all a bit unseemly and confusing, particularly after a late night.
We headed for the buffet. It included pastries and cakes, muffins, cereals, a fruit selection and creamy yogurts. A cheese selection was displayed, but there were just two hard cheeses to choose from. The coffee and hot chocolate were just warm, so we sent them back. They were replaced, fresh, with no quibble. Our table – not the best one in the house – was by the kitchen, a good vantage point to watch staggering numbers of staff coming and going.
Have I mentioned the staff? They were exceptional. They could not have been more pleasant and helpful. Nothing was too much bother.
Is the Merrion worth a stay? At these prices for this standard, definitely. Don’t hold off until the next recession to visit.
WhereThe Merrion, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2, 01-6030600, merrionhotel.com.
WhatFive-star city-centre hotel.
Rooms123, with 19 suites.
Best ratesFrom €199, room only in the Garden Wing. Continental breakfast €24. Full Irish breakfast €29.
Restaurants and barsCellar Restaurant and two- Michelin-star Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. Bars include the Cellar Bar and No 23 cocktail bar.
Child-friendlinessChildren welcome. Cots and babysitting services. Children's menus.
AccessDisabled-access rooms available, with hotel access through the spa on Fitzwilliam Lane.
AmenitiesValet parking. Spa with pool, small gym. Business centre.