Michael Parsonsstays at the Royal Dublin Hotel in central Dublin
IF YOU NEED a hotel in central Dublin for a pre-Christmas shopping trip, then a room for €79 is a pretty good deal. That's a mere €39.50 per person sharing - extraordinarily good value for a three-star establishment in the heart of the action on O'Connell Street.
The Royal Dublin, part of the Best Western grouping, has been a prominent fixture on the capital's main thoroughfare since 1963. It's one of those hotels that everyone knows of but many have never visited. Yet it's a busy place, popular with tourists because of its location and competitive pricing. (The hotel would also serve as a suitably discreet venue for southsiders wishing to conduct an affair. You'd be highly unlikely, and most unfortunate, to meet someone you know.)
A clunky website quoted a best rate of €89 per night, but a call to the hotel secured a lower rate from Eric, an exceptionally helpful and charming American. Breakfast is €10 extra. But hurry: this bargain won't last. Literally. It's available for just another month, as the hotel is due to close on December 21st. It's part of that forlorn, doomed block at the northern end of the street shared with the old Carlton Cinema and other buildings all earmarked for development.
Despite the millions poured into its "improvements", O'Connell Street has all the charm of Pyongyang after a failed experiment with capitalism. Presumably some of the guests avail of the neighbouring entertainment, amusement and gaming halls that include Dr Quirkey's Good Time Emporium. Reassuringly, there's also a Garda station next door.
But on a November evening a wind that could have frozen over the Volga cleared the street of undesirable hoodies quicker than a water cannon.
Like many budget establishments, the Royal has a fondness for pretentious names. Raffles Bar, decorated with stained-glass images of those usual suspects famous Dubbelin writers, adjoins the quite unprepossessing Café Royale.
But with the city at your doorstep you are unlikely to want to dine in either. Despite being located in a stretch of the city that really never sleeps the hotel is surprisingly calm and peaceful. A newly refurbished bedroom with smart bathroom on the second floor at the rear of the building may not have had a view of the big street's action, but it was comfortable, warm and spacious. There's no rip-off mini bar. A room in a similarly central London or Paris hotel would be half the size and quadruple the price.
With a rate this low, the hotel should appeal to people from the provinces planning a night or two in Dublin. Admittedly, it won't attract the tweedier sections of the country set, for whom a night in town forever means the Shelbourne, but for the plain people of Ireland the Royal Dublin is perfectly, adequately comfortable.
And, anyway, with a recession it's time to eschew the fripperies of Grafton Street and go bargain-hunting with the proles in Clerys, Arnotts, and yes, Boyers and Guineys. It's far from Gucci the nation was reared.
The hotel is just a few minutes' walk from the Luas stop at Abbey Street, which connects to Heuston Station. The Royal Dublin is also a good option for anyone spending the night in Dublin before catching an early flight. The Aircoach service has a pick-up stop just outside the door. (Coming from the airport, it stops at the Gresham Hotel, directly opposite.) This is a more agreeable option than being marooned in a hotel in the dreary tundra of Collinstown the night before a flight.
Oh, and on the subject of Christmas, the hotel is a popular venue for office parties. For its final season, from now until it closes, the Royal is staging Oscar-themed Christmas party nights. Groups from "10 to 300" can avail of a four-course dinner, bar extension until 1.30am and dancing to "music of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s". Prices range from €39.50 to €59.50 per person. Guests can also take up "special accommodation rates", but if you organise a party of 20 people the hotel will offer you a free room for the night.
WhereRoyal Dublin Hotel, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1, 01-8733666, www.royaldublin.com.
WhatThree-star hotel in the heart of the capital's main street. A good-value, no-frills option ideal for shopping or theatre trips and business meetings.
Rooms120 en-suite guest rooms.
Best rates€79 for a double room, or €84.15 for two, including breakfast, if booked 21 days in advance.
Food and drinkRaffles Bar offers a carvery service each weekday at lunchtime and snacks throughout the day. The Café Royale Brasserie is open seven days a week from 7.30am to midnight; it serves breakfast as well as an a la carte selection of meals.
Child-friendlinessNo special facilities for children.
AmenitiesConference and banqueting facilities: the hotel offers meeting rooms with private bars and also caters for weddings. There are six rooms that can cater for small boardroom meetings of 12, or much larger events of up to 220 people. There is no gym or spa.