Gemma Tiptonvisits Blooms Hotel in Dublin
SOMETIMES the best hotel rates are to be found on the internet, and it's certainly the simplest way to book, but you can miss out on a lot by not talking to the person who knows the hotel. I came to book Blooms, in Dublin city centre, because, for various (and boring) reasons, I couldn't stay in my own house - and, anyway, I had been intrigued by the place ever since my student days, when its name was mentioned in a voice of hushed awe: "Blooms? That's where the rock stars stay." (And stay they did. Once I even found myself Up There with them, nervously sipping neat whiskey and wondering what you're meant to say to One of the Pixies.)
But then along came the Clarence and the Merrion, and the Morrison, and Blooms began to cater for a different type of trade, the type that is lured by Celtic motifs, bits of bodhráns and signs giving you the mileage to Tipperary in the bar, as well as by the dubious delights of Club M, below. The other lures of Blooms are, however, the price (very reasonable) and the location (absolutely ideal). So with all this in mind I phoned to make a booking.
"Do you have smoking rooms?" I asked, actually wanting to make sure I wasn't going to be in one.
"We do, but we won't."
" . . . ?"
"You see, we're renovating, and when we're finished there won't be any smoking rooms left, although you can always smoke on the balcony. If your room has one."
"Do the renovations mean it's going to be very noisy?"
"I think you'd find Club M much noisier," she replied.
"So do you have a room that has a balcony, high enough to be away from Club M, but also not near the renovations?"
And with that we made the reservation.
My room turned out to be on the fourth floor, with no less than three beds: one double and two singles, one of which was in a separate alcove. There were eight sets of shampoo, soap and shower gel in the bathroom, two hairdryers, a TV and no minibar. The decor was basic but comfortable, and the chief delight was the balcony. It was enormous and set on the corner where Blooms looks down Anglesea Street towards the Liffey, and across the cobbles to Cope Street the view is pure postcard perfection.
Sitting there - I took a chair out from the room - I watched Dubliners and visitors pass by. A clip-clop heralded a couple of horse-drawn carriages, and I had one of those moments when I realised why, despite the weather and the prices, so many tourists just love Dublin.
Down in the VAT House Bar, there were a handful of drinkers, none of them locals, and a couple of very friendly barmen. Deciding to throw myself into being a tourist for the night, I called a friend, and we headed down to the Ha'penny Bridge Inn, one of the few surviving "real" pubs in Temple Bar, where a couple of locals insisted on giving us a list of the sights we shouldn't miss. These included Trinity College, the Spire and the Phoenix Park. Afterwards we went next door, to the Chameleon, for a delicious Indonesian rijsttafel, then back to the VAT House for a nightcap.
Up on the fourth floor I didn't hear a peep out of Club M (I also didn't avail myself of the free-entry-for-residents offer), although I believe those on lower floors can hear the strains of late-night revelry.
Morning's breakfast was standard hotel fare, but, morning, noon and night, the staff were lovely, friendly and helpful.
I really liked Blooms. It's easy to be sniffy about its Riverdance Irishness, and, no, it's no longer the cool hang-out of rock stars, but I have a feeling that when Ireland's current crop of interchangeable ultra-designed, achingly hip designer five-star hotels (with price tags to match) fall victim to the recession, Blooms will remain. And we should be grateful, as behind the ersatz facade it's actually very real.
I'm also getting tired of being asked for an extra €200 a night for a hotel just because it has a spa, or different kinds of pillows, or a tropical monsoon instead of a shower. Go with the right attitude and Blooms is cheap, cheerful and lots of fun.
WhereBlooms Hotel, Anglesea Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, 01-6715622, www.blooms.ie.
WhatThree star city-centre hotel.
Rooms86 bedrooms, from singles to quads.
Best ratesMidweek from €69 per room. Internet offers from €33.50 per person sharing. Classic rooms are cheaper than Contemporary, but the Classics are steadily being upgraded.
Restaurants and barsVAT House Bar serves pub food, and hotel guests get free entry to Club M, the hotel's nightclub.
AccessOld building with no wheelchair access, but the hotel is being renovated.
Child-friendlinessNot really advertised as a family hotel, mainly because of the nightclub. Quad rooms available on each floor.
AmenitiesFree Wi-Fi internet in the lobby only. The hotel's best asset is its location.