I thought about writing this post over the weekend whilst I was in Dublin. Although I've been there before briefly this time I spent 4 days there and figured what I know may be of use to others who are thinking of going there for a long weekend or more.

The flights were booked at RyanAir from Liverpool to Dublin, at £24 return including taxes. Then, on a recommendation from my brother, I booked 4 nights at the Earl of Kildare Hotel at £50 per room per night inc. breakfast.

So we drove up to the Airport and parked the car there for the weekend, not much more expensive than all the transport methods we'd need to use and far less hassle. On the plane we also purchases return bus tickets from the airport to Dublin centre at 8.50 euros each. I later discovered that it's usually 10 euros so this was already a saving. The bus into Dublin is easy, the 747 or 748 goes from right outside the airport doors. The 747 goes to O'Connell Street, whereas the 748 drives along the quays in both directions. Both however go pretty much central. We took the 748 and got off at Temple Bar. 5-10 minutes walk and we were at the hotel. The Hotel was well presented, clean and above a bar (also owned by the Hotel). We stayed on the 3rd floor (no lifts), but this was already chosen by me when booking the room as I knew about the bar. We did hear it a little on the Saturday night but it was quiet enough to ignore. The room was nice and large, bath and shower, and TV with british channels on. Anyhow, going into far too much detail here. I just want to explain the basics…

The Hotel – £50 / 75 euros per night for a double room including breakfast which consists of Tea or Coffee, cooked breakfast (Sausage, Egg, Bacon) and Toast. It's situated opposite Trinity College and about 5 minutes walk from Grafton Street (the main shopping street) and 10 minutes from O'Connell Street. And about 10 minutes walk from the centre of Temple Bar. The Hotel was clean and well presented however the staff's attitude was a little uncaring, but if you can ignore that then it's a good deal.

Shopping – Grafton Street is one area, pedestrianised with plenty of shops along. At one end there is also a large shopping centre of 3 floors of shops. O'Connell street has a lot of little side streets with more shops on however Henry Street is the pedestrianised one with a couple more shopping centres off it. Shops include Marks & Spencers, Boots, Clarkes Shoes, Penneys (Primark). There are plenty other well known British shops there, not selling anything different to in their British shops. There are also a lot of other smaller boutiques that are not part of the big chains. Plenty of little nik nak shops as well as the tourist shops selling Guiness merchandise. The shops are open 7 days a week with varying closing times.

Bus Tour – The Dublin City Tour is 12.50 euros per adult and gives you a 24 hour ticket to hop on and off the bus at any of the 19 stops. It goes around the central part of Dublin with live and often quite amusing commentary from the bus driver. It's the best way to get your bearings and to see Dublin. It also goes to the Guiness Storehouse, Jamesons Distillery and the Dublin Zoo. With regards to the Guiness Storehouse, unless you want to take the tour to see how they make Guiness etc. there's no real point in getting off there. All the merchandise sold in the shop can be found in the tourist shops in the centre, sometimes slightly cheaper. We wanted to just have a coffee and was informed we'd have to pay for the tour first! So we didn't bother. The only good part of the tour when I did it before was that you get to go to the Gallery at the top and see across all of Dublin – but that's all. Oh the tour gives you a 'voucher' for a free pint of Guiness from the gallery.

Eating Out – There are many Italian and Chinese restaurants around. Fish in Ireland is very fresh and cooked very nicely however a fish dish can cost on average 20 euros which isn't cheap. The same goes for a steak dish, I didn't see much under 18 euros for a steak meal apart from one special at 14 euros for steak and chips. However the Italian food was well priced paying around 10 euros for a Pizza that even I couldn't finish (and that's saying something!). And for any icecream lovers there's also a Haagen Daas Cafe there too! There are however plenty of restaurants around that you can just walk into and get a table.

Drinking Out – This is where it gets expensive, that includes having a bottle of house wine with your meal. 19 euros was the cheapest for a bottle of house wine, and we drank once in the hotel bar where it cost 10 euros for a pint of beer and a glass of wine. Admittedly I can go out in Cardiff and pay this too, but only at the most expensive bars. We never ventured into Temple Bar at night however but I've heard the prices are pretty much the same throughout, perhaps a few bars may be cheaper around there. So on the second night there I suggested to Dave to pick up some cans of beer from a little supermarket (note the Spar doesn't sell Beer, only Wine!) and have those instead. I think he bought 4 cans for less than 10 euros, still expensive but cheaper than drinking out.

Remember, smoking in all Public Bars and Restaurants is now banned in Ireland. I must admit I found it quite amusing (being a non-smoker) to keep seeing groups of people outside bars having a quick cigarette in the freezing cold. Some bars have even got outdoor heaters to keep their smoking punters warmer! Suffice to say I believe it's a great idea as it means I can go out and into a Bar or Restaurant and not spend the next week coughing like I'm on 40 a day.

Getting the Munchies – Sunday night, 10pm, Dave got the munchies. So we wondered over to Grafton Street and still found the little supermarket open where he was buying his beer. I'm quite impressed with it still being open that late. McDonalds and Burger King were also still open. McDonalds also has a Cafe section where you can get real cups and teapots!

The Healthy Options – There seems to be an abundance of Bagel and Juice bars across Dublin! I think I counted at least 6 different places. Their prices were similar to British prices, about £2.50 for a 400ml fruit smoothie.

WiFi – It seems that Dublin has embraced WiFi access so much quicker than anywhere else I've seen. Even the hotel we stayed in had free WiFi access there. I saw people in the McDonalds cafe on laptops, plenty of bars and cafes said it was available as well. Shame I'd left mine at home!