lwildernorva

UNFORTUNATELY, NO LONGER A CHOICE PROPERTY!

Have now stayed here three times with the first stay 11/29/12-12/3/12 (the other two stays are described briefly in edits at the end of the main review). The hotel is in the Docklands section of Dublin, an area as I understand it of some renovated buildings but mostly new construction clearly fueled by the Celtic Tiger economy of the 1990s/early 2000s. The Clarion is one of the newer buildings, a seven-story structure located on the north side of the River Liffey, approximately a mile east of O'Connell Street and Temple Bar and a mile west of the O2 arena (one of the main concert venues in Dublin with a range of acts from Lionel Ritchie, Donny and Marie Osmond, and Eric Clapton to Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Pink, and One Direction). No neighborhood safety issues although those unfamiliar with Dublin might find the walk along the Liffey at night crowded with drunk young partygoers, and the neighborhoods going back from the river are a mix of office buildings and new condos that I suspect are somewhat emptier than they were several years ago before the economy tanked. Easy ride in from the airport (the Airlink is 6 Euros and takes less than 30 minutes, and when I took a rental car the last day of the trip to make an unplanned trip outside the city, I found it was only a fifteen-minute ride from the hotel to the Hertz location at the airport, although admittedly at 4:30 in the morning).

We had two sixth-floor suites overlooking the River Liffey with balconies overlooking the city. You must request the separate key for the balcony from the front desk and then sign a sheet emphasizing the safety issues presented, but the process was quick and easy. Also, if you only need one room, try to get a corner suite. My room, 601, on the corner, was slightly larger with a bigger balcony than the adjoining room we also took, 602. Very comfortable bed. Lots of windows. Separate shower and bath. Two TVs in the suite, one in the living area, one in the bedroom. A fold-out queen sleeper in the living area. Be aware that there is no door separating the bedroom from the living area, just a pass through. Terry cloth robes in the closet. No microwave, no refrigerator but tea and coffee making facilities. The staff interactions were all very pleasant and helpful. With a "do not disturb" sign on the door, never any knocks on the door from housekeeping, and it appears they came to the room well after noon to do the daily cleaning.

The Luas light rail system runs two blocks behind the hotel and there's plenty of bus service, but if you're willing to walk, you can reach many attractions on foot. Dublin's almost flat as a pancake, and the longest haul for us was the walk to the Guinness brewery which was a little over 2 miles away. The area around Guinness away from the Liffey does require a walk up a hill but is well worth touring (the tour is self-guided) and not just for the beer at the end--definitely check out the views from the Gravity Bar at the top of the brewery, about 100 feet up, a round structure with all glass floor-to-ceiling windows all the way round. You'll take great pictures there.

There are some decent dining/pub options nearby--we tried the Ely wine bar and the Harbour Master pub that are no more than several blocks away. The hotel is located on one side of a pedestrian mall that runs from the Liffey to the Luas stop two blocks back (there's a small cross street) and has several food options, including Milano (a very dependable chain of Italian restaurants--you'll find a number of them throughout Dublin), The Bagel Bar (another Dublin chain--ate breakfast there several days over my three trips to this hotel and thought it was good), and a Marks & Spencer food shop where we bought some sandwiches and snacks one day. The parking garage is located a little over a block down and across from the hotel along this mall next to a little sandwich shop called Seven Wonders--when you come out of the garage, do a quick check of your surroundings because it's one of most nondescript entrances I've ever seen and there are several similar entrances facing the mall.

If you need your fix of the NFL, the Woolshed Baa (no misprint) & Grill will hook you up. It's on Parnell Street about a mile from the hotel. We knew we were in the right place when the doorman out front asked us, "here for the American football?" This place would put a lot of sports bars in the US to shame. Two large screen projection TVs (much more than life-sized) and plenty of small screens on the second floor (the first floor shows European sports). The food is exactly what you'd expect from a sports bar so don't expect a classic Irish experience here, but it was a lot of fun, especially because there are enough Irish in there watching the NFL games that you don't feel you've stumbled into a solely American enclave.

Temple Bar for nightlife and Grafton Street for shopping are no more than 1.5 miles away. The Docklands area south of the river is about a half-mile away and has fewer pub options than Temple Bar but plenty of newer restaurants (including another Ely location), and the shopping areas along Henry and Talbot Streets provide a lot of shopping options much closer than Grafton Street and have many more local department stores than the tourist oriented shops along Grafton.

The pool as well as an attached fitness center, sauna, and spa are all part of an independent operation in the basement of the hotel building. You ride the elevator to the basement, and your room key is your complimentary pass into the spa/health club; there's also a separate street entrance for locals. As with the rooms, the spa/pool/health club are above the standard you'd expect of a domestic Clarion.

Breakfast is not included with an award redemption. There's a good Irish breakfast buffet that costs 12 euro and has all of the elements of the "full Irish": eggs, bacon, sausage, broiled tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, fried potatoes, fresh fruit, several types of cereal, toast, pastries, juices, coffee, and tea. The buffet area turns into the Kudos restaurant at night, and adjoins the Kudos bar, where we stopped late on Friday evening. The bar was nice--and it is a bar, no faux Irish pub here. Relatively busy for a hotel bar, but there may have been business types unwinding after meetings at the hotel all day.

The suites we took were on an 8K redemption but listed for roughly $225/night on the website. The IFSC is easily the nicest Clarion I've ever stayed in and would be worth 20-25K but at 8K, it's an absolute steal.

FIRST EDIT: Returned here 6/14/13-6/16/13. No major differences to report, but a second visit with perhaps more objective eyes probably reveals a little fraying around the edges I might have let pass unnoticed last fall. Again, nothing major that would make me change my opinion about the value of this hotel, but I noticed the wear in the carpet and the small areas that need painting or that look dinged, signs of age and use at this property.

Stayed in room 301, overlooking the river but not the large suite I had on the last trip. Smaller balcony, no living room, but still lots of windows, a comfortable bed, and a very nice bathroom with both shower and bathtub.

The second trip confirmed my earlier feeling about Kudos--not very many people there this time, suggesting the crowd I saw on my earlier trip really was a function of business meetings at the hotel.

This is still an outstanding 8K redemption value. You can get a week at this hotel for less than $250 if you can buy the points through Daily Getaways. A room next Saturday night at this hotel will run you 200 euro--or a little over $250.

SECOND EDIT: Stayed again from 6/24/13 to 6/27/13. I add this information only because my room on this visit, 502, is probably most representative of the rooms you're likely to get at the IFSC. Smaller than either of the rooms on my previous two stays with a bathroom only with a combined tub and shower instead of the separate facilities from my first two trips. On the front side of the hotel overlooking the Liffey and again requiring a request for a key from the front desk to access. My opinion remains that this is an outstanding 8K redemption, and if I have any disappointment from this visit, it would be only that I've clearly slid down the pecking order of rooms. If you get the suite described in the first part of this review, consider yourself extraordinarily lucky, but you'll be happy if you get the room I got on this most recent stay.

An extra dining possibility as well: Dublin Wine Rooms, located down the Excise Walk (the pedestrian mall I mentioned in the description of my first stay) and on the ground floor of an office building almost directly across the Luas light rail line--decent food with both a small plates and big plates menu, a bit pricey (6 oz. Hereford filet with sides was €23, fine selection of wines by the glass or bottle, service a bit inattentive but engaging waiters and waitresses once you do get their attention. There's a small deli attached if you want to get some sandwiches for an outdoor lunch along the Liffey. Another option, next door in the same office building, which I did not try, is Bar Italia. Looked comparable to the Dublin Wine Rooms in atmosphere and clientele.