Back in November we headed to Dublin to celebrate my Dad's 50th Birthday! We had decided that just the usual birthday celebrations wouldn't be enough and began scheming for his birthday trip back in February. We wanted to go somewhere close enough for a weekend break, and somewhere with lots to do and decided that Dublin would be perfect.
My Sister and I flew out after work on the Friday night with the boys to surprise our Dad who had flown out in the morning; it was so exciting knowing that he had no idea we'd be turning up. The surprise was well worth the wait, and seeing the smile on his face as we walked into the bar was incredible! After a couple of pints (we were in Ireland, what else would we be drinking?!) it was up to bed to prepare for our first day of adventures. In true Suitcase and Sandals style, instead of doing things day by day, I'll be rounding up our adventures!
Where We Stayed
Mum wanted to stay in the hotel she and Dad had stayed in for their tenth anniversary, so we booked into
The Parliament Hotel (formerly The Arlington) which was great. The rooms were clean, and had everything we could need in them! We got a really good deal for our stay, and were minutes away from Dublin Castle and The Temple Bar area of the city which was perfect. The staff were excellent, and put a note in our booking to say that we were surprising out Dad so they shouldn't mention the other rooms. We did have a slight issue with the temperature of the showers on day two, but as we were in a rush we didn't bother to complain about this although with the experience I had with the staff, I think it would have been dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Where We Ate
As part of our hotel booking we got breakfast included which was usually 10 euros. We all had a full Irish breakfast on both days so we were pretty full for the majority of the day which is ideal when you are exploring a new city. Lunch was a spud pot from the Temple Bar food market on day one, and potato wedges from
The Hairy Lemon which were possibly the best wedges I have ever had! Dad chose to go to a gorgeous Italian called
Pinocchio in Temple Bar for his birthday dinner, and the food was delicious. The prices were reasonable, and the restaurant was so busy; always a sign of a good place. I believe they also offer cooking lessons too which would be fun!
What We Saw
We spent the first morning strolling through Temple Bar, and the food market seeing a few notorious sights of Dublin whilst we were there, including the Ha'Penny Bridge and the River Liffy. We wandered up to the Pop and Rock museum which was very interesting and featured some very famous names such as Thin Lizzie and U2. Temple Bar area is a must if you are in Dublin. The cute cobbled streets and various markets and shops were so lovely to stroll around. I'd definitely recommend a trip to The Temple Bar, an absolutely massive pub which looked so gorgeous and festive.
Day two took us to the Guinness storehouse which we had already pre-booked! The tour was self-led and we spent a few hours learning about the Black Stuff before heading up to the bar which has 360 degree views of Dublin, including the Wicklow Mountains. Well worth a visit. As we had a flight to catch late afternoon, the rest of the Sunday was strolling around Grafton Street and visiting St Stephen's Green which I can imagine would be lovely in the summer!
How We Got There
We booked flights from London Stansted to Dublin through Ryanair - some tickets cost us £80 whilst others cost us £40 which shows the difference in price depending on when you book (surprisingly, the cheaper tickets were booked later!). It only takes about an hour by plane, and it was super easy to get to the city centre. Our taxi was around 30 euros for four people, and it took 30 minutes. If you wanted to get a bus into the centre, I believe they run every 15-30 minutes and a single costs 6 euros which is a good deal.
Dublin is a lovely little city, with lots to do and so much to see - I wish we had had a little longer to see more of the city and maybe even take a day trip to see the stunning Wicklow scenery. I'd recommend Dublin if you are looking for a weekend city break, as you can definitely do a lot in a small space of time.
Have you ever been to Dublin?