Amy Adejokun
Section editor
The Castle is the oldest hotel in the capital and is far more spacious than it seems from the outside. Its architecture is Georgian and some elements of the same style have since been added. In short, it is a pleasant and simple hotel.
Castle Hotel - © Alexis Bidegain/ Easypresse
Castle Hotel - © Alexis Bidegain/ Easypresse
The Castle is located opposite Hotel Belvédère, next to Montjoy square (the only official Georgian square, as seen in its symmetry), at a short distance from the James Joyce centre and the Writers' Museum. The district was one of the capital's wealthiest before the war of independence.
The street of the Castle Hotel runs into the top part of O'Connell Street, Dublin's Bond Street. A short walk will take you to Dublin's river Liffey and various shopping districts. The international airport of Dublin is just 7 mi away.
The colour of the interior is mainly light brown, with light yellow walls. The chairs, imitation leather seats and comfortable beds in the rooms are clean and simply designed. The hotel houses 130 smallish rooms altogether, which are divided into 8 categories: single rooms, double rooms (at least 170 sq ft and called 'Deluxe' if they have a king-size bed), rooms for three (three single beds), family rooms (one or two single beds and a double bed, at least 225 sq ft), rooms for four, etc. The rooms have a television (around a third of the rooms have a plasma screen television), tea and coffee-making facilities and a phone. An ironing board and an iron are also available at the reception. You should be aware that the rooms that give onto the street can be noisy (despite the double-glazing). The rooms that look onto the courtyard may not offer a spectacular view (car park), but at least they are quiet. You will probably notice that the bigger the room, the longer and narrower it is; the double rooms are at least 170 sq ft. As for the small white bathrooms, they are decent, but have very little style. Half of them are fitted with a bathtub (the others have showers), a long towel warmer, a small mirror, a washbasin, a hair-dryer and basic hospitality products. Room service is available from 8:00am until 10:00am and from 5:00pm until 9:00pm.
The Castle opened in 1809 and was renovated in 2009, (remaining open for that entire period, unlike the Gresham which closed for many years), thus making it the oldest hotel in the capital. It occupies several Georgian houses that have been joined to provide more space for the hotel structure, whose latest extension dates from 2009, so it is extremely modern. The only entrance to the hotel is through an old Georgian door. It is difficult to believe that the other seven doors of the adjoining houses, also Georgian, belong to the same U-shaped establishment. The eldest of these was built in 1769. The reception area, formerly a large sitting-room, is a vast space fitted with wall-to-wall carpet, with paintings on the walls and a geometrically moulded ceiling. On the ground floor, you will find a succession of big and comfortable communal areas: a reception area, a conference room, a sitting room and a small dining room with a magnificent Georgian fireplace. The bar, located in one of the wings of the hotel, is the largest communal area of them all: it displays a superb 200-year old fireplace (the rooms on top of it also have fireplaces). Smokers can step out onto the inner court (there are a couple of chairs and tables), which is primarily used as a parking lot. This maze-like building built over 3 or 4 floors also has two lifts.
From 7:30am until 11:00am, guests can have their breakfast in a long, narrow, underground (functional) room that has little natural lighting. Wooden chairs and tables are laid out on its dark wall-to-wall carpet, and, for ?10, you can enjoy a continental or Irish breakfast (the details of the which are given in the menu). Dinner is served from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm here. The meals which are served from 5:00 pm until 7:00pm (a choice of 6 dishes) are lighter (perfect if you want a bite before going to the theatre) than those served from 7:00pm until 9:00pm. There are a host of Irish dishes, burgers, various snacks, and... a small wine list. Lunch is only served on Fridays and Saturdays, from 12:30pm until 3.00pm.
You must pay if you want to use one of the two hotel computers, but Wifi access is free of charge.
beauty salon
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