GRAND CANAL HOTEL

The hotel is easy to reach from the airport, the rooms are clean and upon arrival we were allowed to check in before noon. That's where the positives end. The hotel is located at least a mile from Dublin's hot spots, so plan on walking quite a bit. As mentioned in the other review, the room is noisy until 2AM due to people talking outside the bar. The biggest problem was the staff. A clueless, blond, Irish, female staff member failed to provide us with directions to Ireland's famous cliffs (FYI, there are some in Howthe - easily reached by a 30-min ride on the DART). The night before we were to catch an early morning flight, we asked a male at the front desk for a wake up call, which never came (we awoke before the call was scheduled). This is a major issue because the room did not include an alarm clock. A different male, European (non-Irish) staff member at the front desk denied responsibility and claimed their computer system calls the room and lets it ring three times. That did not happen. The staff needs to be trained in how to provide tourism information and MUST address the alarm/wake-up call situation. Both are serious shortcomings.

Grand Canal Street Hotel is located about 1.5 mi SE of Trinity College, along a main thoroughfare leading to Ballsbridge; in the middle of Embassy Row. Surrounded by Georgian townhomes. My room was a double twin, facing the main street. A bit noisy at night with traffic, but it dies down after 2am. Easy to get to from Dublin airport, take the AirCoach which drops you off an easy 1/2 block walk (level, but with some cobblestones) to the hotel. Gasworks pub great for breakfast and meals, but Ballsbridge area close 10 minute walk with more restaurant choices. Good taxi service, and you can also catch the local bus easily. DART station about 3 blocks away. Staff very professional and helpful, with local maps and many reocmmendations for activities, pubs, and restaurants.