When staying in Dublin, Ireland, location matters. If you are flying into Dublin Airport, the Alexander Hotel is the ultimate landing pad. Accessible by public bus from the Dublin Airport, you can literally sleep walk your way from the airport, to the bus, to the hotel in a very short time and let the staff at the hotel welcome you with open arms. The stately stone and brick building, with rounded turret in the front, gives way to stylish rooms within. Not only is the hotel a good value, its two minutes from Merrion Square and a nine minute walk from upscale Grafton Street.
The Alexender Hotel has recently undergone a re-brand, with a name change to The Alex. During our visit, the family-owned property was updating the interior of the guest rooms. The gray color scheme, with pops of green color in the accent pillows, gave the newly refurbished rooms a contemporary look. The rooms are spacious, with handmade King Koil mattress, Irish Rocksford woolen blankets, and Irish marble vanity desk. Our room offered natural light, but black out curtains will keep light out if you prefer.
The large, marble bathroom featured a rain forest shower head. I wondered why a brand new bathroom didn’t have a lot of electrical outlets, but I have since learned that they are not allowed in all Irish hotels as a safety feature. There was a hair dryer in the hall closet, and a full length mirror outside of the bathroom, as well as an electrical outlet to plug in the hair dryer. Like driving on the opposite side of the road, these were small obstacles to overcome while visiting a foreign country.
Art in the rooms was prominently displayed by Irish textile designer Aoife Mullane. The space efficient lighted closet offered a mini-fridge, room safe, hangers and the every important electric tea kettle. Looking back on our trip to Ireland, there wasn’t one hotel that didn’t offer an in-room tea pot. Fortunately for me, I’ve converted to herbal teas, as the Irish have perfected the art of afternoon tea.
Speaking of afternoon tea, if you are a tea lover, pop on over to their sister hotel, The Davenport Hotel, and enjoy tea for two.
After enjoying all that Dublin has to offer, walk back to the Alex Dublin for a relaxing evening and a good night sleep. In the morning, the hotel offers a full Irish breakfast buffet. We were visiting Ireland off season, so we opted to purchase the bed & breakfast package. The hot breakfast buffet included meats, eggs, cheese, fruits, cereal, yogurt, tea or coffee and the wonderfully addicting Irish breads.
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Room rates start at € 149 to approximately €349 per night. If you are traveling by car, parking is available for an extra fee on site. The property also offers meeting space for conference and business travelers. Check the website for current pricing; if you book direct, the hotel offers 10% off your rate. You can also book through Booking.com or Hotels.com.
Post and photos by travel destinations expert Nancy D. Brown.
