The Travel Thread

[TippEverton]

....just booked flights for a little off the cuff Dublin weekend in October. I've concentrated on the West Coast so haven't been to Dublin for 20 years. I'll probably do the race meeting at Leopardstown whilst I'm there.

Mrs Eggs, my kids and their other halfs coming. Any advice on accommodation would be appreciated.

I don't want cheap and cheerful, although I know Dublin is expensive anyway. Thinking along the lines of a good bar/hotel where we can get a decent meal after racing and listen to a bit of yidlee diddlee.

Ya, it'll be hard to find cheap and cheerful in Dublin.

If ye do stay in central Dublin, Murrays at the top of O Connell street do a decent bit of grub and always have good Irish music playing.

 

[Eggs]

Ya, it'll be hard to find cheap and cheerful in Dublin.

If ye do stay in central Dublin, Murrays at the top of O Connell street do a decent bit of grub and always have good Irish music playing.

..cheers. I'm not after cheap and cheerful, just tried to book the Arlington by O'Connell Bridge but not available.

Just checked Murray's but I don't think they do accommodation.

 

[TippEverton]

..cheers. I'm not after cheap and cheerful, just tried to book the Arlington by O'Connell Bridge but not available. I'll check Murrays.

They don't do accommodation, that was the suggestion for grub and music, it would be easy get to if you're staying central.

Best of luck with the accommodation hunt.

 

[Ruairi77]

@Eggs
Haven't lived in Dublin in ages but I have friends who stayed in Handel's hotel near Christchurch cathedral. I used to have a drink there back in the day. It's named Handles as the first performance of the Messiah was in Christchurch cathedral.
It's on the edge of Temple Bar but away from the stag party madness. It's also near Dublin Castle and the chester beatty library which is well worth a visit along with the crypt in christ church cathedral, if it's still open to the public.
Trinity College, Grafton St, Stephens green, national museum and national gallery all within 10 mins walk.

http://www.thekeycollection.ie/handelshotel.html
http://christchurchcathedral.ie/visit-us/
http://www.cbl.ie

If you really want to treat yourself, stay in the Shelbourne.
http://www.shelbournespa.ie

edit. I also like the library bar in the central hotel. no idea what accommodation is like there tho. It's also next door to the stags head which is/was a good pub
http://www.centralhoteldublin.com/index.html

 

[bluebrotha77]

@Eggs
Haven't lived in Dublin in ages but I have friends who stayed in Handel's hotel near Christchurch cathedral. I used to have a drink there back in the day. It's named Handles as the first performance of the Messiah was in Christchurch cathedral.
It's on the edge of Temple Bar but away from the stag party madness. It's also near Dublin Castle and the chester beatty library which is well worth a visit along with the crypt in christ church cathedral, if it's still open to the public.
Trinity College, Grafton St, Stephens green, national museum and national gallery all within 10 mins walk.

http://www.thekeycollection.ie/handelshotel.html
http://christchurchcathedral.ie/visit-us/
http://www.cbl.ie

If you really want to treat yourself, stay in the Shelbourne.
http://www.shelbournespa.ie

there is a jurys across the road from the catherdral as well.stayed there once and it is a grand spot.

 

[Eggs]

@Eggs
Haven't lived in Dublin in ages but I have friends who stayed in Handel's hotel near Christchurch cathedral. I used to have a drink there back in the day. It's named Handles as the first performance of the Messiah was in Christchurch cathedral.
It's on the edge of Temple Bar but away from the stag party madness. It's also near Dublin Castle and the chester beatty library which is well worth a visit along with the crypt in christ church cathedral, if it's still open to the public.
Trinity College, Grafton St, Stephens green, national museum and national gallery all within 10 mins walk.

http://www.thekeycollection.ie/handelshotel.html
http://christchurchcathedral.ie/visit-us/
http://www.cbl.ie

If you really want to treat yourself, stay in the Shelbourne.
http://www.shelbournespa.ie

edit. I also like the library bar in the central hotel. no idea what accommodation is like there tho. It's also next door to the stags head which is/was a good pub
http://www.centralhoteldublin.com/index.html

there is a jurys across the road from the catherdral as well.stayed there once and it is a grand spot.

...cheers guys, will look into those.

 

[Ruairi77]

...cheers guys, will look into those.

It's also worth noting that Leopardstown is a good bit out of the city centre. If you're going primarily for the races, you could stay somewhere like the Royal Marine in Dunlaogaire. It's a dart ride out of town but a pain in the backside to get to from the airport.

 

[Eggs]

@Eggs
Haven't lived in Dublin in ages but I have friends who stayed in Handel's hotel near Christchurch cathedral. I used to have a drink there back in the day. It's named Handles as the first performance of the Messiah was in Christchurch cathedral.
It's on the edge of Temple Bar but away from the stag party madness. It's also near Dublin Castle and the chester beatty library which is well worth a visit along with the crypt in christ church cathedral, if it's still open to the public.
Trinity College, Grafton St, Stephens green, national museum and national gallery all within 10 mins walk.

http://www.thekeycollection.ie/handelshotel.html
http://christchurchcathedral.ie/visit-us/
http://www.cbl.ie

If you really want to treat yourself, stay in the Shelbourne.
http://www.shelbournespa.ie

edit. I also like the library bar in the central hotel. no idea what accommodation is like there tho. It's also next door to the stags head which is/was a good pub
http://www.centralhoteldublin.com/index.html

there is a jurys across the road from the catherdral as well.stayed there once and it is a grand spot.

It's also worth noting that Leopardstown is a good bit out of the city centre. If you're going primarily for the races, you could stay somewhere like the Royal Marine in Dunlaogaire. It's a dart ride out of town but a pain in the backside to get to from the airport.

...got it down to Jury's in Parnell St and Trinity City Hotel. Plumped for Trinity City. Not cheap at 250 euros per night but it's only a couple of nights.

I've been to Leopardstown before. Was going to get 15euro Standard but because we're taking the girls I'm treating them to 1888 restaurant which seems value at 70 euro (pretty much what I pay just to get into Aintree on the Thursday).

Cheers chaps.

 

[bluebrotha77]

...got it down to Jury's in Parnell St and Trinity City Hotel. Plumped for Trinity City. Not cheap at 250 euros per night but it's only a couple of nights.

I've been to Leopardstown before. Was going to get 15euro Standard but because we're taking the girls I'm treating them to 1888 restaurant which seems value at 70 euro (pretty much what I pay just to get into Aintree on the Thursday).

Cheers chaps.

ya hotels ain't cheap in dublin i'm afraid.most seem to start at 180 euros upwards.have a good time eggs and don't drink to much guinness

 

[Philw]

Last couple days of my hols in Italy. In Milan atm, and was in Verona over the weekend. Main advice would be stock up on insect repellent - I've been bit to hell..

Verona is beautiful tho!

 

[dannyboy]

Just back from Peru and Bolivia. Amazing places with so much to see and do but a lot of hard work thrown in. Need a holiday to get over the holiday.

 

[dannyboy]

 

[Caolam]

Has anyone been to Toronto recently, Mrs Caolam are thinking of a visit in November. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[abelard]

Has anyone been to Toronto recently, Mrs Caolam are thinking of a visit in November. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Very nice place to live, but not a ton of obvious things to do as a tourist. the food is great (a bit pricey these days in the centre of town, but the suburbs have cheap delicious food from anywhere on earth). The Canadian Dollar is very cheap now, even compared with the Pound, as we've tried and failed to become a petrostate and we've never done anything else save exporting raw resources for everyone else to refine and sell back to us at 10x the initial cost.

It's a great walking city - lots of lively, leafy neighbourhoods with Victorian houses. Can't really miss with any of the big East-West streets north of Queen. Queen, Dundas, Harbord, College, Bloor. Spadina (North-South) is the centre of the old Chinatown - lots of character and interesting food. West Toronto (West of Yonge) is traditionally posher and livelier than East, but there is a preposterous real estate bubble at the moment so a lot of that is changing. Eaton's Centre is a huge downtown mall, if that's your thing, close to Yonge-and-Dundas Square, which is to Times Square what Canada is to America. Transit is grim and backwards outside of the centre of town, where trains are now very crowded.

A great place visit if you like to stroll around, shop, eat, discover new neighbourhoods. Lots of places open 24/7. If you're into seeing tourist destinations, go to Montreal instead, which is cheaper, and has everything Toronto has and more.

Tourists guides try to sell you on the waterfront, but swerve this - it's an industrial yard now utterly blanketed by soulless condos for soulless people. Toronto's real strengths are its old neighbourhoods - The Annex, Little Italy, Cabbagetown, Kensington, Chinatown, Queen West/Parkdale, the Beaches... many more. If you like that sort of thing, I'd suggest making a list and taking the subway or street car. one-by-one

Message me if you like... I can give a lot more detail.

Also, completely neither here nor there, but your name means "Very tall" in Vietnamese, which I always think of whenever you post.

 

[peteblue]

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