DUBLIN - Ireland 2014 - page 153

Near Parnell Square
A swanky neighborhood 250 years ago, this is now workaday Dublin with a steady urban
hum. To locate these hotels, see the map on here .
$$ The Castle Hotel is a formerly grand but still comfortable Georgian establishment
embedded in the urban canyons of North Dublin. A half-block east of the Garden of Re-
membrance, it's a good value with pleasant rooms and the friendly Castle Vaults pub in its
basement (Db-€89-129, Tb-€129-149, discounts for 2-night stays, Wi-Fi, Great Denmark
Street, tel. [phone], www.castle-hotel.ie , [e-mail] ) .
$$ Jurys Inn Parnell Street has 253 predictably soulless but good-value rooms. It's
a block from the north end of O'Connell Street and the cluster of museums on Parnell
Square (Db-€69-119 Sun-Thu, €129-149 Fri-Sat, breakfast-€10, pay Wi-Fi in lobby, tel.
01/878-4900, www.jurysinns.com , [e-mail] ).
$$ Belvedere Hotel has 92 plain-vanilla rooms that are short on character but long on
dependable, modern comforts (Db-€69-99 Sun-Thu, €89-129 Fri-Sat, cheaper if you book
online, Wi-Fi, Great Denmark Street, tel. [phone], www.belvederehotel.ie , reserva-
[e-mail] ) .
$ Charles Stewart Guesthouse, big and basic, offers 60 forgettable rooms. But it's
in a good location for a fair price (Sb-€45-59, Db-€59-79, Tb-€85-119, Qb-€85-139,
breakfast-€7, frequent midweek discounts, ask for a quieter room in the back, free Wi-
Fi, just beyond top end of O'Connell Street at 5-6 Parnell Square East, tel. [phone],
www.charlesstewart.ie , [e-mail] ) .
Eating in Dublin
It's easy to find fine, creative eateries all over town. While you can get decent pub grub
for €12-15 on just about any corner, consider saving that for the countryside. There's just
no pressing reason to eat Irish in cosmopolitan Dublin. In fact, going local these days is
the same as going ethnic. The city's good restaurants are packed from 20:00 on, especially
on weekends. Eating early (17:30-19:00) saves time and money, as many better places of-
fer an early-bird special. Many restaurants serve free jugs of ice water with a smile.
Quick and Easy near Grafton Street
(See “Dublin Restaurants” map, here .)
Cornucopia is a small, earth-mama-with-class, proudly vegetarian, self-serve place two
blocks off Grafton. It's friendly and youthful, with hearty €12 lunches and €17 dinner spe-
cials (Mon-Wed 8:30-21:00, Thu-Sat 8:30-22:30, Sun 12:00-20:30, 19 Wicklow Street,
tel. [phone]).