Features
What to expect: Since 1760, this row of four Georgian townhouses has stood on prestigious Merrion Street. With a new but sympathetically designed garden wing, it became a hotel in 1997, and a magnet for well-healed business and leisure guests. Throughout the public areas—the bars, restaurants, and marble-floored entrance hall and lobby—paintings from one of Ireland’s largest private art collections adorn the walls.
Amenity highlights: Guests have complimentary access to the hotel’s heath club, with a 18-meter (59-foot) infinity pool, steam room, gym, and spa treatments (surcharge). Two restaurants serve fine Irish and French cuisine, and drinks and light food are also available in the labyrinthine Cellar Bar, the expansive drawing rooms with adjoining garden, and the resident’s lounge. The business center has two computers with high-speed Internet access (surcharge).
Insider tip: Theater and literature fans need travel only one block from the hotel to pay homage to one of Ireland’s most famous sons. Long before penning his renowned comedies, Oscar Wilde lived at his family home at 1 Merrion Square. Tours of the restored house are offered on selected weekday mornings, and a statue of Wilde is directly opposite in Merrion Square.
Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud - Gourmet restaurant operated by English-speaking French staff. High ceiling and modern paintings. The a la carte menu favors fish, and a fixed-price taster menu fuses French and Irish cuisine with such dishes as Wild Pigeon and Elderberries. Open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday-Saturday. Cellar Restaurant - Semiformal restaurant with Irish tapestries and vaulted ceiling. Cold buffet and cooked-to-order items for breakfast, and a la carte lunch and dinner menus. Fine Irish dishes include Calves Liver with Onion Gravy, Bacon, and Mashed Potatoes. Wine list includes a selection from the hotel owner’s French vineyard. Cellar Bar - In the original Georgian wine cellars, this bar is a labyrinth of candlelit alcoves beneath vaulted brick ceilings. Open all day for drinks; upscale lunch items include Confit of Duck Leg. In the evenings, finger food, light meals, and hot and cold platters are available. Drawing Rooms - Ideal for a quiet drink, a light lunch (finger food, delicate sandwiches), or afternoon tea. Sofas, armchairs, and turf-burning fireplaces; summer terrace seating overlooks garden. Time-conscious guests appreciate the swift service of the Express Continental Breakfast menu, available every morning. No. 23 - This resident’s lounge is an intimate and traditional setting for a drink or light lunch, such as sandwiches or salads. Leather armchairs, candelabras, and oil paintings. Open 24 hours.
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