Side Trips from Dublin - Dublin - page 164

Service Charges
A reminder: Unless otherwise noted, room rates don't include
service charges (usually 10%-15% of your bill).

Tips

commander of the Great Eastern, who laid the first successful cable
connecting Europe with America. With a sweeping central staircase
said to be the twin of the one on the ship, Tinakilly is full of seafar-
ing memorabilia, paintings, and Victorian antiques. Every room is
unique and in keeping with the Victorian style; most have either
four-poster or half-tester canopy beds. The best have views of the
Irish Sea. The Captain's Suites are quite grand (with enormous bath-
rooms), but even the standard doubles are cozy and charming in the
true sense of the word. The restaurant, Brunel (p. 168), is duly
famous for ennobling the “Irish country house” style of cooking.
On R750, off the Dublin-Wexford rd. (N11), Rathnew, County Wicklow. & 800/
525-4800 in the U.S. or 0404/69274. Fax [phone]. www.tinakilly.ie. 51 units.
€ 208- € 256 ($251-$308) double; € 258- € 326 ($311-$393) junior suite;

€ 436 ($417-$525) Captain's Suite with sea view. Rates include full break-

fast and VAT. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant (modern country house);
lounge. In room:TV, hair dryer, radio.
EXPENSIVE/MODERATE
Brook Lodge Hotel & Wells Spa There may be no
more luxurious place to stay in Ireland in this price range. Brook
Lodge is a revolutionary idea in Ireland—not so much a hotel as a
planned village built from scratch to include accommodations, fine
dining, good pubs (nearby Acton's is a microbrewery), a chapel, a
bakery, landscaped gardens, and a half dozen or so shops selling
homemade wines, jams, crafts, and the like. The hotel itself is luxu-
rious, modern, and comfortable, done up in warm, energized colors.
Rooms have firm king-size four-poster beds, wood-paneled window
seats, deep tubs, quality linens, and contemporary furnishings of
natural elements. The chic mezzanine suites have king-size beds,
plasma TV screens, and contemporary furnishings to rival any New
York boutique hotel. Service is excellent and the personal touch
extends to a decidedly Irish nightly turndown: chocolates on your
pillow and a hot-water bottle between the sheets. The hotel's flag-
ship is The Strawberry Tree restaurant (p. 168). From Rathdrum,
follow signs for Aughrim and then 3km (2 miles) to Macreddin Vil-
lage and the Brook Lodge Hotel. You can often get fantastic dis-
counts by booking online.

346- €

Value