This Review of The Merrion Hotel in Dublin, Ireland is from my 2018 site inspection visit, which also included an Irish castle hotel–stay tuned! Visiting the Emerald Isle? See all our posts tagged Ireland.
The Merrion Hotel Location and Check-In
The Merrion Hotel is located at 21-24 Upper Merrion Street, a great neighborhood with excellent dining (the hotel itself is home to Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, the only 2-star Michelin restaurant in Ireland) and some wonderful Irish pubs. The hotel is a short walk to St. Stephen's Green, 13 min. walk from Trinity College, a 20 min. walk to Dublin Castle, and ~13 min. drive to Dublin Heuston train station and a 25-35 min. drive to the airport.
We arrived in the late morning, so our room wasn't ready yet. I extracted a few things my son and I needed and was able to go to the spa to take a shower and change for our lunch at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud.
Virtuoso Benefits at The Merrion Hotel for TravelSort Clients include:
- Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
- Full breakfast daily for up to two in-room guests, served in restaurant
- For Superior King & Twin rooms in the Garden Wing receive; 2 Cocktails and 2 Appetizers served in The Cellar Bar
- All bedrooms and suites reserved in the Main House in addition to our Garden Wing Suites and Penthouse in the Garden Wing receive: A complimentary lunch or dinner for up to two people per room, once during stay, excluding alcohol, taxes and gratuities (in The Garden Room)
- Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability
- Complimentary Wi-Fi
Here's my Merrion Hotel Review YouTube Video:
The Merrion Hotel Rooms: Garden Wing or Main House
It's important to note that The Merrion Hotel's 123 rooms and 19 suites are divided between the Garden Wing and the Main Georgian townhouse. Based on our experience, it's best to book a room or suite in the main house, and not bother with the Garden Wing.
We stayed in a Superior Twin Room in the Garden Wing. Superior Rooms are 366 square feet, and the room itself offered ample space, although it was rather dim and didn't seem luxurious. See my video above for another disappointing surprise.
The most luxurious part of the room was the Italian Carrara marble in the bathroom, although unfortunately the bathroom was rather small, with just one sink, no separate toilet chamber, and no rain shower. So while the marble itself was beautiful, the bathroom logistics were not luxurious.
Bath products were Asprey Purple Water, something I've also encountered in many Ritz-Carltons, and which I personally don't care for, although it's just a matter of personal taste.
I was also able to view a Junior Suite, which is much nicer–most are on the 1st floor, which is what Americans think of as the 2nd floor, as it's one floor up from the ground floor. These have very high ceilings and correspondingly tall windows, so they seem even larger than their 583 square feet.
Breakfast at The Merrion's Garden Room Restaurant
The Garden Room serves breakfast 7-10:30am (until 11am on the weekends). Virtuoso guests enjoy a complimentary breakfast, including the help yourself cold buffet, which features juices, fresh fruit and compotes, cereals, pastries, and yogurt.
There's also a menu, and you can enjoy one hot dish, such as a full cooked Irish breakfast, eggs, French Toast, etc.
Swimming Pool at Tethra Spa
Tethra Spa and the 59 feet (18 meter) long swimming pool is open 6:30am-9pm weekdays, and 9am-9pm on weekends. I tested the water, which is good for lap swimming, but it was too chilly to enjoy relaxing in. Even my son didn't stay in too long, for that reason. We both wished there was a jacuzzi hot tub instead.
The Verdict
The Merrion Hotel is know as one of, if not the best, luxury hotels in Dublin. Because of this, my expectations were high, and I was somewhat disappointed with our Garden Wing Superior Room, from the rather drab hallways and dark interior to the small bathroom, with just a single sink, no separate toilet chamber and no rain shower. Service wasn't bad, but it wasn't excellent either. My ambivalence was compounded by the effect of starting off with a lunch at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, where everything was stellar, and food and service were some of the best I've ever experienced in a Michelin star restaurant. I just wish that Patrick Guilbaud also ran The Merrion, and was able to bring his impeccable taste and hospitality to the hotel.
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