Category: Travel

Hotel bedroom

Where to stay in Dublin on a budget

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Having déjà vu? I’ve updated this blog post with new hotels (and references to covid-19) to do my bit for the Irish tourism industry.

Visiting Dublin on a budget? With average hotel prices in Dublin clocking in at €155.75 a night (compared to the European average of €115.54), chances are most of your budget won’t go on pints of Guinness but will instead be swallowed up by your hotel bill. Despite its reputation as a notoriously expensive city, cheap hotels in Dublin DO exist.

Fear not – booking a budget hotel in Dublin for under €100 a night doesn’t mean you have to stay in a grimy hostel (with your new bunkmates – a lively hen party from Liverpool) or a soulless airport hotel miles away from the action. Continue reading “Where to stay in Dublin on a budget” →

Wanderlust inspiring wellness holidays

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Is it just me or was that the longest January ever? Even though it’s now February and some would argue that it’s officially spring (FWIW – it’s not), it’s hard to shake the winter gloom and all that comes with it. One guaranteed way to beat the winter blues is to book yourself a holiday so you’ve got something to look forward to. An even better way to beat the blues is to make it a wellness holiday where health, relaxation and your overall wellbeing take centre stage. Continue reading “Wanderlust inspiring wellness holidays” →

Christmas events in Dublin

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To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, there’s Christmas events happening all across Dublin this month, from carol concerts to craft markets and free festivals.

Whether you’re visiting Dublin in December or you live in the city and you’re not sure what’s happening near you this Christmas, look no further – here’s a round-up of fun events in Dublin for Christmas 2017, including a few free and family-friendly options if you’ve got kids in tow.

Last week I did a round-up of non-Christmassy things to do in Dublin in December so, if you’ve had your fill of baubles and lights already, check it out.

Continue reading “Christmas events in Dublin” →

5 Things to do in Dublin this December

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Can you believe it’s December? I’m in shock. I used to be more of a Grinch about the festive season but the older I get, the more I love this time of year – yes, even the dark evenings. I particularly love Christmas in Dublin. Sure, it’s no Fifth Avenue but I love the Christmas lights on Grafton Street, the cosy open fireplaces in bars and the excuse to wear a ridiculous amount of layers and give up on your appearance. More than anything, I love counting down to going home for Christmas and the feeling of wrapping up everything I need to do before the festive season really begins.

With this in mind, I wanted to do quick post about 5 things to do in Dublin in December which is really a list of 5 things I myself hope to pack in this month. Some are brand new and others are new-ish but I just haven’t gotten around to checking them out. Next week I’ll do a roundup of Christmas events in Dublin so I’ve skipped really festive events.  Continue reading “5 Things to do in Dublin this December” →

Things to do in Dublin: Get a history lesson at EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum

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EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin’s CHQ Building, just celebrated its first birthday and I got the chance to join the festivities – and take a quick tour around the museum.

As I mentioned before, I’ve lived in Dublin for a long time but I’ve really been trying to inject a bit of magic back into my relationship with the city by being an urban explorer every chance I get and doing things I think are reserved for tourists.

Anyway, EPIC has been open on Dublin’s Docklands for the last year, making it the city’s newest museum. Even though the idea of a museum devoted to Irish emigration (a subject that’s loomed large over my life and everyone I know) piqued my interest, I had never bothered to visit.

Around the time it launched, I recall seeing the Che Guevara posters and scoffing to myself that the Argentine revolutionary couldn’t possibly have had Irish roots. Well, let me eat my floppy hat. Guevara was in fact the great-great-great-great-grandson of Irish emigrant Patrick Lynch from Galway. This isn’t the only genealogical surprise you get at EPIC; you quickly find out about the Irish ancestry of all sorts of pop culture people, ranging from Johnny Rotten to Rihanna. Continue reading “Things to do in Dublin: Get a history lesson at EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum” →

Staying at the Sandymount Hotel, Dublin

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There’s always something special about staying at a hotel in the city you live in. It feels like a real treat, a brief blast of indulgent escapism from your normal life of doing the dishes, grudgingly sorting out the laundry and throwing together dinner from last night’s leftovers before settling down to your ‘Sex And The City’ boxset.

This weekend I got to indulge in 24 hours of escapism when I stayed at a Dublin hotel I’d shamefully never heard of before – The Sandymount Hotel, a family-run home-from-home that’s been in business since 1955 and that’s right beside the Aviva Stadium. (FYI if you’re attending a match or event at the Aviva, this is THE place to stay, as I soon found out on Saturday morning as I bravely battled through the deluge of enthusiastic rugby fans heading in the opposite direction.) Continue reading “Staying at the Sandymount Hotel, Dublin” →

Travel accessory review: STM Grace Deluxe laptop bag

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Since I started freelancing I’ve left a trail of at least three broken handbags in my wake. I’ve broken the straps of two favourite handbags and one overnight bag all because I’ve been lugging my laptop around inside them (along with my usual OTT collection of Things I Can’t Leave Home Without). When you’re freelance, no day is the same and regularly when I have meetings in town, it’s just easier to take my laptop with me so I can set up shop in Starbucks between meetings rather than running home to do a bit of work. Sadly, handbags are not made for the weight of a not-so-slimline device and laptop bags are so…functional looking so I’ve avoided buying a proper bag. Hence, the strap situation.

So, I’ve had my eye out for a sturdy-but-stylish bag that can carry the laptop, as well as my purse, phone, notebook and all other non-essentials. Most importantly, because I’m superficial (jk) it has to look good and not, y’know, like a laptop bag. Enter Australian brand STM’s Grace Deluxe laptop bag, my current favourite tech/travel accessory. Continue reading “Travel accessory review: STM Grace Deluxe laptop bag” →

Visiting Dublin: my 5 favourite places

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I’m baaaaaack! After a brief (ahem) hiatus, I’ve decided to bring myself kicking and screaming into 2017 with a new blog. And what better to write about than the city I’ve called home for almost – gulp – a decade?

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that most of the time you don’t appreciate what’s on your doorstep and, even though I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the place, writing this post about Dublin and just picking out the pics really did make me see Dublin through the eyes of a tourist and appreciate it a little bit more. Which was nice.

Continue reading “Visiting Dublin: my 5 favourite places” →