Fall in Love With the Dublin Intercontinental Hotel [Hotel Review]

This past October, I visited Killarney, Ireland to attend the Travel Blogger Conference (TBEX). On the way home, I spent two nights in Dublin.

I had a free anniversary night from my Chase IHG Visa card, and I decided to use it in Dublin. My choice was between Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre and the Intercontinental Dublin. Both had very good ratings, but the Holiday Inn was more centrally located. The Intercontinental, formerly a Four Seasons Hotel, was located in the Ballsbridge area of Dublin (close to the US and British Embassies) but nearly two miles from Dublin city center. People raved about the elegance and beauty of the Intercontinental. That won me over, and I’m glad I made that choice. So, I used my free night for one of the nights, and 50,000 points for the second night.

They were points well spent – I wanted to relax and pamper myself  after five wonderful but exhausting days attending a conference. A stay at the Intercontinental hotel was just what the doctor ordered. It is exquisite. I liked the Ballsbridge area too and it was such a fabulous place to run! (see, My Run in Ballsbridge, Dublin and the Dublin InterContinental Hotel Jogging Map).

The lobby and surrounding sitting areas are breathtaking. All of the hotel employees consistently went out of their way to be helpful and accommodating.

I arrived early and waited a little while for my room to be ready. In this room off the lobby, you could have breakfast or tea or drinks.

Even the hallways were incredible.

The hotel also had a good bar. I made sure to stop in there for a drink or two during my stay!

This was the hallway on my floor. All of the carpets at the hotel were gorgeous – but this was my favorite.

The beige and purple theme continued in the room, which was considered a deluxe room. There was somewhat of a walkway at the entrance with closets on the left and the bathroom on the right.

The room was quite large. The attention to details, such as the carpet, the molding, the headboard, the pillows, the window treatment, the plush purple velvet chair, the artwork and the dark wood desk, make the room extra special. Oh, and the bed was very comfortable too!

This was the view from my room.

There was a Keurig coffee machine and a minibar in the room.

The closet was spacious and included robes and slippers as well as a safe.

The bathroom was beautifully designed as well – much of it was marble. It had both a shower and a bath as well as a toilet in a separate room. The toiletries were by L’Occitane.

The hotel has a lovely buffet breakfast. You can also order from a menu. However, even if a rate does not include breakfast, guests are welcome to visit the restaurant to make and take away their own coffee or tea. I did that one of the two mornings of my visit. The other morning the hotel treated me to complimentary breakfast.

The hotel breakfast is reviewed in a separate post, as is the hotel fitness center, pool and spa.

It is quite apparent that I really liked the hotel. Although it was nearly two miles from the center of Dublin, I did not feel  inconvenienced. I’ve been to Dublin before so I did not feel a need to do a lot of traditional sightseeing.

I should note that I like to walk a lot and I actually walked back and forth from the Intercontinental to the center of Dublin a few times during my stay. I enjoyed seeing each neighborhood along the way. I did not take any public transportation from the City Centre to Ballsbridge, but I’m informed that public transportation is easy.

Of course, I walked through areas like Temple Bar.

I also visited the EPIC Museum, which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. I hope to write a post about that soon too.

Going to the airport from the hotel was easy. There is an airport bus that stops right outside the hotel. I believe the price was 8.50 EU.