Also see:
- Booking Dublin: Hotels
- Hotel Review: Radisson Blu, Galway
- Hotel Review: Radisson Blu, Limerick
- Hotel Review: Radisson Blu St. Helen’s, Dublin
- Trip Report: Aer Lingus NEW Business Class BOS-DUB
- Club Carlson: Dead to Me
Getting there and checking in
After flying into DUB and picking up the rental car at the airport, we drove down into the City Centre of Dublin (you can take the N1 the entire way there).
With a little huge amount of help from Google Maps, I navigated my way toward the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel in Dublin. There is a small parking facility attached to the hotel with a discounted rate of 10 Euros per night – which is a steal to park for 24 hours – so I parked there and went to check in.
The check-in could not have been any better. Francois, the desk agent, was so kind, welcoming, knowledgable, and professional (he’s the French one – his words!). He recommended a few good places in the area and we chatted a bit about Dublin. After a few minutes, we were all set with an upgraded Business Class room that included free breakfast. Sweet!
Check-in area at the Radisson Royal Blu Dublin
Restaurant on the ground floor
Lobby seating
The hotel bar where they serve O’Haras stout beer – yum! (Sorry about the blur!)
The property is beautiful. It’s clean, bright, and airy inside with lots of really nice touches. Definitely one of the nicer Radisson hotels I’ve stayed in.
The room
We were assigned to Room 218, which is a Business Class room. I don’t think that means too much except that the room rate includes breakfast. Still, free breakfast is always welcome!
Hallway leading to Room 218
Room 218
The room was bright, clean, and laid out well. It was also the beginning of a trend where the “king” beds were really just two twin beds pushed together in the same bed frame. The room was quiet and the wifi was available in all areas of the hotel – and fast. There were outlets for both types of European plugins, which was great since I only had one type of adapter on me.
View upon walking into Room 218
Bathroom
This Works toiletries
Shower
Tub
The bathroom had both a shower and a tub, and the usual This Works toiletries. The shower was amazing though – it had an overhead rainfall shower that was hot hot hot and with super good pressure.
Iron, ironing board, hangers in closet
Safe, fridge, and coffee cups
Bed
Desk and shelf
Seating area and water
Desk
Nespresso coffee machine
View from the window
The room was an average size – not huge but not tiny, either. All the basics were covered, and the Nespresso coffee machine was a nice touch.
Clean, quiet, good wifi – so far, so good.
And the location is amazing!
You can walk to nearly anywhere you want to be in Dublin within minutes: the Guinness factory, Grafton Street, Temple Bar, Merrion Square, St Stephen’s Green… all an easy walk, and the Radisson Blu Royal is right in the middle of all of it, but the street it’s on – Golden Lane – feels like a quiet side street even though it’s in the middle of the action. Round any corner, though, and you’ll be among the bustle of Dublin.
Breakfast
Very good breakfast. Nice spread of all the usual stuff, and great service from all of the waitstaff. It’s a buffet, but the servers brought out coffee and were good about clearing plates and being available for refills.
As far as hotel breakfasts go, it wasn’t anything too lavish. But plenty of options for everyone’s tastes, and in a really lovely restaurant. I loved it in the mornings here.
Pastries
Fruits
Hot food items with Irish classics
Fresh fruits, granola and yogurt
Fruits and juices
Breads and pastries
Breakfast seating
The spread as seen from my table
You know I love a good breakfast!
Bottom line
A gorgeous hotel in an amazing location in Dublin. The staff here were all wonderful – especially Francois.
The rooms are bright, quiet, and well-appointed. Nothing fancy but easily serviceable. If you’re looking for no-nonsense and a straightforward stay, this hotel is perfect.
I booked this room using 44,000 Club Carlson Gold Points for 2 nights. The room rate would’ve been $440 for the 2 nights, so I saved myself a little chunk of change and got free breakfast to boot. Not a bad upgrade for having status via a credit card!
However, the free night benefit is going away and I’m not sure if this hotel is changing categories or not. I would NOT pay 70,ooo Gold Points per night for this. For that price, there are other chain hotels in Dublin (a new IHG property comes to mind, as well as a few Hiltons) that might be a better value – or a boutique hotel. At the rate I booked, it was a totally good deal. Now it’s kinda meh. I’d recommend looking into all your options now that Club Carlson has gutted the core benefits of its once-generous program.
I considered this to be the beginning of my last hurrah with Club Carlson, and this property was a great place to kick it off!
Has anyone else stayed at the Radisson Blu Royal in Dublin? How was your experience here? How are the other chain hotels in the area – are they comparable to this one?
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I’ve never understood the need for 2 blankets/separate matresses on a king/queen bed in Europe. Always irritated me, does the hotel expect guests not to snuggle under one blanket in the middle of the bed?