Hotel The Burlington

The hotel is located in a quiet residential area along with a great many beautiful properties just over half a mile from the centre of Dublin. The international airport is between 20 and 45 minutes from the capital, depending on the traffic.

There is a large car park with over 350 spaces in front of the hotel, but be warned that parking here will cost you ?10 per night. Internet is free throughout the hotel. The conference room can accommodate up to 1,500 people.

Built in 1972, this large, U-shaped building overlooks a very busy road, and you shouldn't let its rather unsightly seven-storey rectangular façade put you off! At the entrance to the hotel you'll find a 24-hour concierge desk, before heading on through the large marble entrance to the far more appealing surroundings of the comfortable oblong sofas next to the fireplace. To the rear is a large lobby where you'll receive a pretty warm welcome, and there is even a guest relations service to take care of your every need from 6:30am to 3:00pm, though the staff do seem very busy. To one side stands the large and trendy Bellini's bar, with a huge bar counter at its centre displaying a vast array of bottles and large picture windows around the edge enhancing the lighting for a welcoming atmosphere. There is also a rather cramped gym with 6 machines, though this is only open to guests staying in the Executive rooms on the same floor.

The hotel has a total of 500 large and almost identically designed guest rooms, which come in three different categories, namely Standard (renovated in 2008), Executive and Suite (of which there are six, plus the Presidential Suite). All rooms have a television (90 of them currently have plasma-screens, with the rest to follow shortly), tea and coffee-making facilities and a telephone, and the beds in the rectangular standard rooms are on casters for greater flexibility. In terms of furnishings, the rooms are welcoming, with carpeted floors and a large, light wooden desk and various storage units. The black and white bathrooms are equipped with a large (plastic!) bathtub, a black marble unit, a large mirror, a hair-dryer, a magnifying mirror and hospitality products.

The hotel has two restaurants and two bars, but they are never open at the same time and the menus are identical, consisting of a selection of rather unoriginal international dishes. Breakfast is served from 6:30am to 10:30am during the week and until 11:30am on weekends in a large room which can accommodate up to 220 people. The decor here consists of beautiful Victorian lamps, moulded ceilings and wooden tables and chairs arranged on two separate carpeted levels, and the room itself leads through to another smaller room where the various enticing buffet stations are laid up. Large picture windows allow you to admire the surrounding greenery as you enjoy your breakfast, and the room is spacious enough to be able to move around in groups without too many problems. The substantial breakfast consists of continental or Irish breakfast, with a choice of 10 hot dishes, as well as white cheeses, cereals, pastries, etc. For lunch, you can grab a sandwich in the bar or lobby, whilst dinner is served in a large, rectangular, air-conditioned room with light parquet flooring and pale yellow-green walls. These could be very pleasant surroundings, but in spite of the limited number of guests the restaurant caters for, the setting is rather noisy, and the menu is somewhat limited here too. The hotel's second bar is done out in a traditional Irish style and is only open when the main bar is too busy.