not perfect but not bad (Academy Hotel Dublin)

Member Name: mjc121

Product:	Academy Hotel Dublin
Date:	20/02/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: close to main shopping areas

Disadvantages: room was dark window would not open

If visiting Dublin to get to your hotel use the air-coach which departs from the airport every 20 min or so. They are cheaper (depending on your hotel about Euro30 cheaper) and quicker than a taxi. The stop you want for this hotel is O'Connell st. The hotel is then a short walk from this stop (about 2-3 min away).

This is a 2* hotel with 100 rooms.

This is the hotel I used the second time I went to Dublin I wasn't all that impressed with it. This was despite the close proximity to the main shopping areas and to some of the main attractions such as the Jameson distillery and Dublin Castle. Both of which are well worth a visit.

The room was quite small and due to the large amount of scafholding outside it was dark in the room hence the light had to be used during the day in the middle of the summer also the building work started quite early each day. The scafholding also ment the window could not be opened properly. However, this renovation work may now be finnished so this may no longer be a problem.

The walls to the room were fairly thin and you could hear the conversations going on in the next room. On the plus side they were clean, serviced daily. All rooms are on suite, although the bathroom was rather small. There was also the usual tea and coffee making facilities, TV and direct dial phone.
There was no safe in the room and the electricity in the room kept going off until I read the book like thing on the desk saying that your room key had to be put in and left in the slot on the light switch to put the electricity in your room on. Although an admarble way of saving electricity it was rather annoying to begin with.

The restraunt was small and half of it is laid out for breakfast the next morning even at 7:30 pm. Hence there is no way all the guests could fit in. The menu was fairly large but it was rather expencive (main course started at Euro16) for what it was. When I used the hotel restraunt on my first night there was only one person serving so it was quite slow even though there were only four others there. There is room service available but this does cost an extra charge (about Euro4 when I was there)
Naturally as it is in Ireland there is no smoking in the public areas of the hotel. As a non-smoker myself I never enquired whether you could smoke in your rooms.

The staff on the front desk were helpful and friendly and are happy to arrange taxis etc for you.

Recomending the hotel has a yes as I would not say avoid the hotel as the hotel was clean etc and the problems I had due to the renovation work may have been resolved due to it's compleation but I have stayed in better.

review also on ciao under same author

Added Aug '09:


Whilst the above was my experiance of the hotel so will not be changed I have been reliably informed that the refirbishment work has now been finished

Summary: not the best hotel but far from the worst