GEMMA TIPTONstays at the Four Seasons in Dublin
THE FOUR SEASONS in Dublin is a building I have never been madly fond of. Its scale makes it seem like an oversized doll’s house, as if it was designed in centimetres but accidentally built in inches. Seen from the outside, it has always seemed surprising to me that Bewleys, in the beautiful 19th-century building across the road, is the inexpensive hotel, while the Four Seasons is positioned as the fivest of five stars.
Inside it all changes, as you are immediately enveloped in a timeless type of rich comfort. Downstairs the walls are hung with some fantastic contemporary Irish art. On the upper floors this gives way to botanical and equine prints. The carpets are thick, the flower arrangements extravagant and the staff discreetly and confidently professional. It’s all a bit overwhelming, in the sense that, subtly, you find yourself changing your behaviour to suit your surroundings rather than feeling that the hotel is bending to accommodate you.
Our room was large, with a view that looked past AIB’s enormous Bankcentre (where, apparently, a staff to fill Athlone comes to work each day) and to the port beyond. From our small balcony we could see a docked cruise ship that more than matched our hotel for size.
We were in a Moderate Room, which is Four Seasons-speak for “least expensive”. The twin beds were surprisingly narrow, and they shared just one reading lamp between them, and (while I’m being picky) the bedroom furniture was of the antique-looking veneer variety rather than the real thing.
In the bathroom were beautiful soft robes, though no slippers, and delicious L’Occitane goodies.
With all the doors closed we were exceptionally well insulated for sound, which to me is the heavenly pleasure of a good hotel.
As I never seem to be able to leave work behind, I checked out the internet. Wireless is available – at €22 a day. This made me rather cross, as, given the cost of the room, it seemed a trifle mean. They will shine your shoes overnight for nothing, but that didn’t quite make up for it. I have a feeling that, until recently at least, a good deal of the hotel’s customers have been business travellers, signing their bills to expenses. Perhaps if more people are paying with their own money, charges such as these will become inclusive, or at least dropped a little. The nice and helpful porter told me that the hotel had a free internet service downstairs, in the business centre, but I still felt grumpy about it.
He also told me about the lovely pool, spa and gym, and went and fetched a bucket of ice for me – an onslaught of kindness under which I felt compelled to lighten up.
It made us wonder, as we sipped our drinks later, in the bar downstairs, exactly who the hotel’s target market might be. A look through the book of Four Seasons hotels around the world showed us pictures of rooms in Amman, Milan and Lisbon that looked more or less like ours in Dublin. It used to be the selling point of the Four Seasons group, along with the luxury, that you could check in anywhere and feel at home.
We mused that perhaps it was a bit like the cruise ship we could see from our window, the safely comforting feeling that in your bedroom, at least, there would be no surprises, whatever city lay outside your window.
After our drink we wandered around Ballsbridge, looking at tourists and locals and trying to see Dublin through the eyes of its visitors. Did they mind the rain?
Back at the hotel we let its seductive extravagance envelop us once more. It’s not to my taste, yet it is well put together. The sheets, in particular are spectacular: soft but crisp. (I decided that, should my ship ever come in, high-thread-count sheets with a touch of starch in the wash would be a must.) My friend described them as confusingly pleasant.
Breakfast next morning was heaven, with fresh figs, honey and delicious tiny cakes being just what I wanted. The lovely dining room looks out on a small garden, and the china is Wedgwood. We read the papers feeling as if we were in a cocoon, before reality caught up with us and we paid, collected the car from the free car park and drove off into the waking Dublin day.
Will the Four Seasons’ idea of luxury survive these economic times? Or will people start to reassess what they want their money to buy? I’m not sure, but I’m still dreaming of those sheets.
WhereFour Seasons Hotel, Simmonscourt Road, Dublin 4, 01-6654000, fourseasons.com/dublin.
WhatFive-star hotel in Ballsbridge.
Rooms197.
Best ratesRooms from €185. BB from €225 for two. Three-night stay, room only, from €390 for two.
Restaurants and barsSeasons Restaurant. The Café for lighter meals. Lobby Lounge, the Bar (old fashioned) and Ice Bar (Thursday-Saturday only).
Child-friendlinessTell them you will be bringing children and treats will be waiting for them in the room. Children's menus, child-sized bathrobes and babysitting can all be arranged.
AccessSome Superior and Deluxe rooms are equipped for wheelchair use.
AmenitiesPool, spa, gym, valet parking, business and secretarial services, banquet and conference facilities. Free transport into central Dublin.