How To Spend: 48 Hours In Copenhagen
Last weekend I hopped on the very short Ryanair flight to Dublin and spent a girly weekend with a friend sightseeing, relaxing and, in true Irish style, having a night out on the razz. Read on to find out what I got up to, see just how much you can see in one weekend, and get some ideas for your own trip to Dublin.
Where to Stay
On Saturday afternoon we checked into the beautiful Gibson Hotel. The Gibson hotel is the home of the hilarious TV show First Dates. I wish we could get the Irish version in the UK as I love our version!
Handily situated next to the 3 arena and ‘The Point’ Luas stop, The Gibson hotel is in the perfect location for both concerts and getting straight into town for a night out.
Throughout the weekend we enjoyed some amazing food from the hotel menu. There’s everything you could possibly want, and, for those who want a healthy option, they are more than happy to make small amendments to breakfast items such as just having scrambled egg whites, which was great for me. The staff are uber friendly and accommodating and you can even have breakfast in bed. Which we did, and felt very very fancy about!
Where to Eat in the Hotel
For lunches and dinners, you can head to the Coda Eatery for stylish informal dining and amazing food. Guests can choose a tipple from the wine wall (heaven) and after dining, head outside to the heated terrace to enjoy the view.
After a few glasses of wine in the Hemi Bar and a tour of the hotel, where we saw the living wall covered in plants and the huge U2 mural, we left our fabulous bedroom and headed out via tram (Luas) to the town centre, to paint the town red green!
Hotel Amenities
Over the weekend we tested out as many of the hotel’s amenities as we could and got the 411 from Kevin, one of the lovely hotel staff, for a list of the cool places to see in Dublin.
It was such a lovely way to celebrate our joint Birthdays and we had a fantastic time at the hotel. Neither of us could recommend it more highly. The Gibson hotel is only a 10-minute Luas ride (from directly outside the hotel) to the centre of the town, and it costs €2.00. I much preferred staying in the docklands area rather than right by Temple Bar as it means you aren’t kept awake all night by loud music and drunk revellers and can relax in peace.
The superior rooms are huge, which plenty of space for everything you need. They come equipped with tea and coffee making facilities, a hairdryer and an iron and ironing board and you can snuggle into the biggest bed I think I’ve ever seen. The bed must be a super king, as my king size bed seemed positively tiny in comparison when I got home.
The 24-hour gym, while quite small, has running machines, cross trainers and bikes. There are also weights, kettlebells, medicine balls, rowing machines and a weights bench. You can easily get a good full body workout in. Which you may need to work off some of the food and drink you indulge in during your stay!
Relaxation Room
The relaxation room was amazing and my favourite part of the hotel. There’s a steam room, sauna, foot spa area, relaxation chairs with soothing music and the best bit of all…. two outside Japanese style copper baths where you can sit outside on the balcony, in a lovely hot bath, and watch the clouds go by. How amazing is that? You can just go and use them all for free, you don’t have to pay anything extra.
Who is it Good for?
Whether you’re going on a date, having a loved-up weekend or partying with a friend, the Gibson Hotel is the perfect place to stay in Dublin.
To celebrate hosting First Dates Ireland, The Gibson have an extra special offer on at the hotel. Enjoy an exciting break in Dublin’s coolest hotel with an overnight stay in a Superior Room for two including breakfast, three-course meal in either the Coda Restaurant or Hemi bar and two love potion signature cocktails from just €210!
The Gibson Hotel Point Square Dublin 1 Eircode D01 X2P2
Tel: +353 (0)1 681 5000 Fax: +353 (0)1 681 5051 Email: info@thegibsonhotel.ie
Website: http://www.thegibsonhotel.ie/
WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK
Where to eat: Pitt Bros BBQ
Possibly one of the coolest BBQ restaurants around, Pitt Bros is located in George’s street and is an all-American BBQ restaurant. They’ve gone for American diner-style red leather booth chairs and wooden tables, and the food is all kinds of delicious.
Choose from pulled pork, buttermilk chicken and waffles, ribs or the feast I went for, the Mac Attack Nachos. These bowls of amazingness are nachos topped with pulled pork, burnt end beans, mac and cheese and chipotle mayo! I did feel like I should have been rolled out of there on a stretcher, to be honest. Pitt Bros is an excellent place for a late lunch that will keep you full long into the evening. The mains cost €9-15 and the sides €3.50.
Address: Unit 1, Wicklow House, Georges Street, Dublin
Website: http://www.pittbrosbbq.com/
Where to eat: Elephant and Castle
We had heard about Elephant and Castle’s famous chicken wings and they didn’t disappoint! My friend, self-appointed queen of the buffalo wing, was happy to share a couple with me and they were delicious. The sauce was hot and buttery and the portion huge.
I had a tasty burger and fries and finally, we found a decent glass of wine! Glasses of wine with a meal isn’t really a big thing in Dublin, so it’s often quite hard to find something drinkable but this was great. The staff were really friendly and didn’t rush us at all so we savoured our wings and wine until we were stuffed. We did go on a Monday afternoon and the place was busy, so be prepared to wait a while if you go on the weekend as it will no doubt be heaving with wing lovers. This is a must try, but go with an empty tummy!
Address: 18 Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Where to eat: Koh
Koh was a tip from Kevin from the Gibson hotel, who said it was his girlfriend’s favourite, so thanks, Kevin’s girlfriend for having good taste! Koh is a modern Asian restaurant with a mostly Thai menu. The authentic Thai flavours tasted particularly good with the locally sourced Irish ingredients and the prices were pretty reasonable (for a Londoner anyway).
The food at Koh was delicious, we went for green curry and rice and the Pad Kraproa with Beef. They were both delicious and if you’re looking to try something new from a Thai restaurant then definitely go for a Pad Kraproa, I’d never tried it before and I really loved it. I know it’s basic, but I adore a Thai green curry and Koh’s was cooked to perfection, with the perfect amount of spice. Some of them are so bland! Perfect Saturday night dinner location.
Address: 6, 7 Jervis Street, Millennium Walkway, Dublin 1
Website: www.koh.ie
WHERE TO DRINK
You will surely want to go to the famous Temple bar just to see what the fuss is about, so I suggest having one drink there, perhaps a small drink (NOT the wine, just don’t do it to yourself) and have a look around. Then escape to a less touristy pub or bar as there are so many options, from pubs with live bands, traditional pubs with no music where you can sit and chat or full-on nightclubs to party the night away.
After Temple Bar we decided it was only right to have a look round as many different pubs and bars as we could in the area, for research purposes obviously.
Where to drink: Dame Tavern
Dame Tavern was the second stop on our impromptu pub crawl for two, the live music was great and we had a bit of a shimmy around the dance floor. People were very friendly and I really liked the atmosphere. Good choice of tunes and a great singer, he did an acoustic version of No Diggity which was amazing!
Where to drink: The Stag’s Head
The Stag’s head is a very traditional pub with stained glass windows, many bar stools and tables and no music (that I could hear at any rate). Being an extreme lightweight I think I was already pretty jazzed at this point of the night, as all I remember was it was much like a typical London pub, as they often don’t have music and it’s where people go to meet friends or just have a chat. There were a lot of people wearing flat caps, not sure if that’s mandatory!
Where to drink: The Exchequer
This was a fancy bar compared to the other pubs we went to, a lot like a London Gastro Pub (it might have been a gastro pub come to think of it, it was about 1 am by the time we got there). They had a great selection of wines and cocktails, and this is a great girly place to go for a night out. The Exchequer
And Then…
After that, I have to be honest, I lose track. I can’t imagine why! My favourite by far was Dame Tavern, the live singer was amazing and we rocked out to covers of Chuck Berry and Ed Sheeran for a good hour or two. All of the bars were filled with lively music and friendly people, it was the perfect Dublin night out. However, we also heard about a place called Bad Bob’s which sounds awesome! Next time for sure.
So then we wandered around, seemingly baffled why there was no Luas available (may have been as it was 3am). On realising the time, I apparently announced that I desperately had to have a croissant. As you do. After a croissant was located (yes I actually found some), it was back to our lovely cosy hotel room, a little nightcap on the amazing terrace we had outside instead of a balcony and then off to sleep.
Sunday and Monday Sightseeing
After our night of partying on Saturday, Sunday and Monday were spent sightseeing. On Sunday we wandered along the river, took lots of photos and went shopping, as we never get time to in London.
After we shopped ‘til we dropped we went to The Church which is a bar in the Temple Bar area with a great outside area, it was so sunny and we relaxed with a few al fresco glasses of wine to perk us up until we had the energy to go and find a late lunch.
On Monday we walked around Trinity College, located in the heart of Dublin City, through the cobbled stones to see the magnificent Old Library building which displays the Book of Kells.
We also did the typical tourist thing and visited the Guinness Storehouse Tour. There are 7 floors of interactive experiences. From learning how to pull your own pint to displays of past Guinness advertising. You work from bottom to top. When you do reach the end you are rewarded with your own pint of perfection in the world-famous rooftop Gravity Bar. A tour with a free drink can never be a bad one! I definitely recommend this as the tour is really interesting and the view from the Gravity Bar is just amazing. Tickets cost from €14 per adult.
Address: Guinness Storehouse, St James’, Dublin 8
And then, very sadly, it was time to get a cab back to the airport and head home to London.
I had an amazing time in Dublin and I hope if you go in
the future you will too. Let me know if you go!
Leave any other recommendations of places to go in Dublin in the comments x