The best all round airport hotel (Bewleys Hotel Dublin Airport (Dublin))

Member Name: Dinah93

Product:	Bewleys Hotel Dublin Airport (Dublin)
Date:	24/09/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lovely rooms, free shuttle bus, reasonable food

Disadvantages: No room service, late wake-up call

*Background*

My fiance is Irish born and bred, and despite moving to England to live we still travel back fairly regularly. The flights back to England are at a very civil 6.20am, so always necessitate an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. Usually we stay in the centre of Dublin, however this one popped up on our search this time so we looked at the description online, and were very impressed.

We booked Bewleys through hotels.com, who offer a lowest price guarantee, as it was one of the cheapest on there during the sale. We paid £45 for a double room for one night. We picked Bewleys as they seemed high quality and advertised a 24 hour free shuttle bus service, great for us at 3.30am as we usually have to pay for a taxi.

*First Impressions*

Arriving at Bewleys I was initially disappointed. The outside of the building is a drab 1970s block, around 10 storeys high. The modern glass tower they have on the website is a relatively small section where the entrance is. However on entering the hotel we were surprised at the quality. A 3 storey height reception and lounge area greeted us, where around 60 people were casually eating snacks and dinner or checking in. There was a restaurant off to the side, and the whole area was light and modern.

*The Room*

Our room was on the 8th floor, and offered a fantastic view out over Dublin. The rooms were well insulated and quiet, with thick drapes to block out the light, and air conditioning systems. The hotel overall was a comfortable temperature.

The room was very smart and seemed quite recently refurbished. The bathroom was clean and well appointed, and not pokey like in many places. We had paid for a double room, and actually got an extra single bed. The double bed however was two singles pushed together, which was a bit uncomfortable as they kept working themselves apart as you moved in the night.

The beds had white linen, and big thick duvets and pillows. The linens were in great condition, no marks or stains. We just felt these were very clean, well kept beds and they felt like a real luxury to snuggle down in.

There was a desk and a TV in the room, tea and coffee facilities, hairdryer, as well as two wardrobe cupboards, a trouser press, and an iron and ironing board. I thought this was a good number of things to provide, and the iron was in great condition, good enough to iron my suit trousers with.

The room had windows running the full length of the end wall, and a small two person table and padded chairs. This area was helpful for using if you had work to do, wanted to eat your dinner, or to give the kids a place to colour or what have you.

Overall we were very impressed by the quality and size of the room, although I was a little scared of the sheer height of the room when looking out the windows!

*Ambience*

The hotel was nearly full when we visited, yet still very quiet. The lobby and dining areas were busy, but as the hotel is out near the airport almost all these visitors were smart travellers or business people, and the atmosphere was pleasant while not being rowdy.

*Food*

Unfortunately the hotel does not operate a room service option, so we had to go downstairs to get dinner. You can order dinner and take it upstairs or eat it in the restaurant. The restaurant is modern and nicely done out, with subdued lighting. Prices were comparable to any chain restaurant in Ireland, around 16 euros for a standard main. We were very satisfied with the food, although the portions were huge and we struggled to finish it all.

*Wake-up Call*

We placed a request for a wake up call at 3am, however this came through at 3.45am. Luckily we had used an alarm as well, but I did feel this was quite lax and could have caused us to be late for our flight.

*Shuttle Bus*

The shuttle bus service runs roughly every half an hour to Dublin airport. There are no set times so the hotel advise you to get to the lobby 45 minutes. The bus was full even at 4am so I wouldn't advise cutting it fine in case you can't fit on the first bus. The bus however was modern although had no seat belts like a minibus or coach. The all the windows are blacked out, and you can't see out, which made me feel very sick.

*Location*

The hotel is out by the airport. This makes it great for an early morning flight. However it is not convenient for people wanting to stay in Dublin for the weekend, as you would have to get taxis into town (around 25mins and 30 euros each way) or get the shuttle bus to the airport and then the airport bus (45mins and 10 euros for up to 2 adults and 2 children if you buy a family rambler ticket inside the airport).

*Overall*

We were very impressed by Bewleys at Dublin airport, and intend to stay again. While we were disappointed by the lack of room service and the missed wake up call, the quality of the rooms and free shuttle bus service at an excellent price more than made up for it.

Summary: Wouldn't stay anywhere else when flying out of Dublin