Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Even at the best places, mechanical breakdowns occur: Air-conditioning malfunctions,
sinks leak, hot water turns cold, and toilets gurgle and smell. Report your concerns clearly
and calmly at the front desk. For more complicated problems, don't expect instant results.
If you suspect night noise will be a problem (if, for instance, your room is over a pub),
ask for a quieter room in the back or on an upper floor. Pubs are plentiful and packed with
revelers on weekend nights. (James Joyce once said it would be a good puzzle to try to
walk across Dublin without passing a pub.)
To guard against theft in your room, keep valuables out of sight. Some rooms come
with a safe, and other hotels have safes at the front desk. I've never bothered using one.
Checkout can pose problems if surprise charges pop up on your bill. If you settle your
bill the afternoon before you leave, you'll have time to discuss and address any points of
contention (before 19:00, when the night shift usually arrives).
Above all, keep a positive attitude. Remember, you're on vacation. If your hotel or
B&B is a disappointment, spend more time out enjoying the city you came to see.
Small Hotels and B&Bs
Compared to hotels, bed-and-breakfast places give you double the cultural intimacy for
half the price. While you may lose some of the conveniences of a hotel—such as lounges,
in-room phones, frequent bedsheet changes, and being able to pay with a credit card—I
happily make the trade-off for the lower rates and personal touches. If you have a reason-
able but limited budget, skip hotels and go the B&B way. In 2014, you'll generally pay
€40-55 (about $50-70) per person for a double room in a B&B in Ireland. Prices include
a big cooked breakfast. The amount of coziness, teddies, tea, and biscuits tossed in varies
tremendously.
B&Bs range from large guesthouses with 10-15 rooms to small homes renting out
a couple of spare bedrooms, but typically have six rooms or fewer. A “townhouse” or
“house” is like a big B&B or a small family-run hotel—with fewer amenities but more
character than a hotel. The philosophy of the management determines the character of a
place more than its size and facilities offered. Avoid places run as a business by absentee
owners (their hired hands often don't provide the level of service that pride of ownership
brings). My top listings are run by people who enjoy welcoming the world to their break-
fast table.
