Mods, was unsure which forum this should be in so please move this if you find it more appropriate for IMHO.
Well, the time has come to add another country stamp to our passports.
Kal and Washte are coming to Dublin!!!
Can you give us an idea of taxi fares from the airport to town?
We are looking to come about the 14th January and leaving Saturday 17th. The hotels we have looked into are the Comfort Inn and the Arlington (which has a medieval theme!). What are your opinions about these places?
What would you recommend we do to occupy ourselves? What is ‘unmissable’?
We would also love to get together with you Dublin Dopers for a pint or three.
If you get hungry for Chinese food while you’re there, go to The Good World (I think that’s the name) - it was wonderful. I was in Dublin ~3 years ago and had a lovely time. I plan to visit again someday. Enjoy!
There’s a CityLink bus right outside the airport terminal. It leaves every 15 minutes, and it takes about 30 minutes to get to downtown Dublin. Buy the return ticket, it’s valid for a month or so. 10 euros.
I can recommend the Avalon House, right in the middle of the city, decent beds, good pricing.
Have fun, Dublin’s one of my favourite cities in the world. I’ve only been to it twice, but it’s tons of fun. The best pubs in Europe, without a doubt.
The last time I was there I stayed here. Very near the city centre and reasonably priced. Can’t really comment on food since it seemed the only places we ate were kebab houses. Visit the Guinness brewery and the Jamison distillery.
Oh, and the Kilmainham Jail tour is great for historical context (it’s where the leaders of the 1916 Rising were imprisoned and shot without trial, precipitating the popularity of the independence movement). Also, Dublin Castle is OK if you’re at a loose end. Actually, a lot of that tour is quite boring, but the Viking castle they found embedded in the foundations of the current castle is pretty damn impressive.
I’ll second Kilmainham Gaol. You don’t have to be Irish to leave that place with a lump in your throat. There’s something very morbid, yet serene about the courtyard where the executions took place.
Two black crosses on either end, and the Irish flag in the center of a narrow courtyard, surrounded with walls at least 10 meters in height. The atmosphere is depressing, yet the sense of history is overwhelming.
On a lighter note, I HIGHLY recommend the Guinness museum as well. It was recently remodeled in an old warehouse, and it is without exaggerating a work of modern art. I was awestruck.
I really wouldn’t recommend the Comfort Inn. Going all the way across the sea and stay in a generic US motel? The Arlinton looks a lot more fun. Or whatever everyone says. I always used to day trip there from parts outside, so have no personal experience. Don’t miss out ogling The Book of Kells in Trinity College
Most of Dublin’s attractions would probably be slightly more convenient to the Arlington. The Comfort Inn is also in a sketchier neighbourhood, although I personally prefer the nightlife in its area - the pubs around there have more of a local/ traditional feel whereas the Arlington is right smack in the middle of Trendy Dublin, which makes me puke, but YMMV.
We aren’t too bothered about being in the trendy bit of Dublin. Besides, Kal is not known for doing trendy…
The Alington’s medieval theme is what attracted me to it. The Comfort Inn is what the travel agent recommended for its low price. But as mentioned by Tapioca Dextrin, why go to Ireland to stay in an American hotel?
Good grub. Great beer. A comfy place to snooze. A few places to visit (like the gaol). Just looking for a nice get-away and meet a few fellow Dopers.
Hey, jjimm, reccommend a tattoo studio? Where did you get yours done? Never know what we may get up to
We’ll being going down to book everything in the morning. We can then arrange to get together. Really looking forward to this!
Think of my wife and I while you’re there. Taking a trip to Ireland is on our list of things we’d like to do if we can ever put together the time and money. Of course, getting there from England is a little easier than getting there from Chicago.
Lurky: We’ll send you folks a postcard, my friend. One of the things that Washte loves about living in the UK is that all of Europe is within easy reach. For a gal with wanderlust like her, that’s a very good thing.
Twisty: It would be very cool if you could meet us at the airport, thanks for the offer. I’ll email you tomorrow after we sort it all out.
Everybody else: Thanks for the suggestions. Our normal method of travelling anywhere is to book the flights and sort out hotels separately (or just look for one when we get there) - this time though, the travel agents have some really good prices on mini-breaks that work out cheaper than our normal way of doing things.
I’m not too keen on it being in a ::shudder:: trendy part of town, but the Arlington’s got that Medieval theme. Mmmm…Armour…
Unfortunately the one where I had mine done (Sacred Art) shut down that day. I was the last person their chief artist tattooed there. Nothing to do with me, I hope. There’s meant to be a good one in Bray, Co. Wicklow, but that’s about a 40-minute train journey, and I think you have to make a reservation.
