Radisson BLU Royal Hotel, Dublin, Ireland

Normally before a flight from Dublin we stay at the Hilton Dublin Airport or the Holiday Inn Express. This time around our flight to Zurich didn’t leave very early, so we were more flexible and decided after long discussions to take the Radisson BLU Royal Hotel, Golden Lane in the city center. We booked a rate that included dinner and breakfast.

The hotel is better located than thought. It is ideal when coming from the airport by Airlink. Get off at College Green/Dame Street stop, walk along Dame Street and turn left into South George Street, follow it until you come to Dunne’s Stores Head Quarters and 747 Travel opposite, turn right. This is Golden Lane. The hotel is a few more minutes away on the right hand side. Walking from the stop to the hotel takes approximately 10 minutes.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is also only about 5 minutes away.

The building is very modern. Originally we thought that the whole house belongs to the Radisson, but only the ground floor and one half of it are in fact the hotel. The other half contains offices.

We were impressed by the contemporary and airy lobby. The reception was located to the left and check in is done at individual pots. The receptionist was friendly and quick.

During our stay the hotel was very busy with two weddings and a few business meetings. We spotted all two brides.

We enjoyed the chandelier and carpet, because it looked unusual. Interpreting the shape of the design the lightning could be snakes and the carpet a map.

The restaurant V’ n V and the Sure Bar were located on the same level.

There were a small business center and meeting rooms on the first floor.

Our room was on the fifth floor overlooking apartments, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christchurch.

We had a standard room and were happy about the generous size and the beautiful contemporary design. The colors were mostly brown, grey, white and black.

The King bed was comfortable as were the stylish chairs and writing desk.

The coffee table was multifunctional and could be used as another seating space – it was covered in leather – or as an ottoman for the chair.

There were two other marble topped tables and a large flat screen TV. The choice of TV channels was the only disappointment. There were only regional channels available. There wasn’t even BBC World, which was the least I expected and Sky News isn’t exactly our favorite. Officially there should have been RT, but unfortunately when choosing the channel it showed a black screen and nothing else, no matter when tuning in. Overall, there could be a better line-up of international TV channels here.

There was also a luggage rack and a wardrobe.

24 hour in room dining, coffee/tea making facilities and a mini bar were also available. The prices for the minibar were interesting, ranging between 1.59 Euro to 7.62 Euro (ca. 2.20 USD to 10.60 USD). There were the usual suspects like Coca Cola and Deep River Rock water. We liked the Butler’s chocolate bar with Irish Cream filling. We can happily report it was very tasty.

The in room dining is suitable for Coeliac and vegetarians. For some dishes half portions were also an option. Prices were good appetizers started at 6.50 Euro (ca. 9 USD), sandwiches from 12 Euro (ca. 16.65 USD), mains from 12 Euro (ca. 16.65 USD) and desserts from 8.50 Euro (ca. 11.80 USD). Since we had dinner already arranged at the restaurant we didn’t use in room dining.

Anyone in need of laundry can avail of that too. The laundry of a shirt costs for example 8 Euro (ca. 11.10 USD).

The bathroom was medium in size. The bath tub and shower were separate. There was a sink with enough storage space for our cosmetics. The amenities were a mix of Anne Semonine and a soap by This Works! Radisson’s contract with Anne Semonine is expiring, so This Works! is replacing it. We know This Works! from another hotel. We liked it, so we weren’t too surprised (having heard about the exchange) or had any issues with the new amenities. On the other side we are a bit sad to see Anne Semonine go, since we equally liked the quality, smell and effectiveness of the products.

The shower was great with a large rain shower head. The water pressure was strong and the temperature stable.

When placing our wake up call the member of staff offered to order a taxi for us as well. We refused, since we planned to take the Airlink to the airport.

At the V’ n V restaurant our reservation was acknowledged and we were offered a choice of tables at the large windows.

Declan Dunne is the Executive Chef. The menu reflected the contemporary ambience of the hotel. Most of the ingredients are sourced locally.

We chose a glass of rose wine and an orange juice. Tap water was offered for free.

Our starters were a beetroot and cheese salad and nettle soup. Both were delicious and unusual.

As main course we both had the salmon and a side salad. The dish was rich, but light at the same time. It was tasteful and the presentation was well done. The salad was made with mixed leaves and tomatoes.

As dessert I had Cafe au lait parfait with dates and cinnamon sauce. It was finger licking good. My fiancé had the Orange and grapefruit Gratin, which was deemed also very tasty.

The staff was very busy with four other couples and a large group. Still the service didn’t suffer. One of the three waiters was always on hand when we needed them.

There was also an open kitchen, and I enjoyed watching the chefs.

The meal was delightful, healthy and satisfying. Since a three course were included in our rate we only had to pay for our drinks and the side dish. We paid 25 Euro (ca. 34.65 USD) including tip.

After a good night’s rest and a punctual wake up call we made our way to breakfast.

The buffet was large, fresh and appetizing. There was a wide choice of cold cuts, smoked salmon, smoothies, yogurts, Bircher Berner Muesli, fresh fruits and fruit salad, bread and much more. Another guest wanted to have an omelette. The request was fulfilled with a smile.

Our favorites were the Bircher Berner Muesli and the berry smoothie.

Check out was pleasant and quick.

Would we recommend the Radisson Royal, Golden Lane? Definitely. The reasons?

The Staff is very friendly and attentive.

The dinner and breakfast were excellent.

The lead in room is large, design driven, but comfortable and detailed, like small cushions in different colors or a painting that looks like a photograph.

It’s quirky and creative.

The location is great. On the one side far enough from the hustle and bustle; on the other side near enough to reach all major attractions in Dublin by foot.

Would we stay again at this hotel? YES!
Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? YES!

@ PatJordan,

thanks for your compliments towards the review, yes, I’ve stayed at the Crowne Plaza twice, but no Club Lounge access, due to no status and booking a standard room, while the hotel was nice, we didn’t like it too much, on the other side we stayed a few times at the Holiday Inn Express and loved the value there, clean rooms and the breakfast, albeit basic was always OK when we stayed there. Usually we stay at the Hilton DUB, we receive free breakfast and WIFI due to Gold status, which is our go to hotel when needed, but in this case we had some time before our flight and we found a great deal with the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel that made it possible for us to stay there instead this time around, a great hotel, highly recommended and only a few minutes walking distance from the Airlink bus stop near Trinity College.

Cheers.

April 2016, 1 night / 2 days [Our 2nd stay]

Having stayed two years earlier at the Radisson Blu Royal in Dublin and it had been a positive experience, we decided to try a new room type before flying the next day to Amsterdam, so this will focus more on the room and what has changed between April 2014 and April 2016.

Check in was very quick and friendly.

We booked a Business Class Room and received one on the 5th floor overlooking Dublin and it’s landmarks, like the Central Bank, Dublin Castle, the Convention Center, the Spire and Liberty Hall. The views were beautiful.

The design of our upgraded room was beautiful, modern and inviting.

The Business Class Room was slightly larger than our Standard Room we enjoyed in April 2016.

The stylish coffee table/ottoman was a feature in both room types.

2 bottles of free Deep River Rock water were provided on a wooden tray on the ottoman. It looked attractive and stylish.

The arm chair and the large bed were very comfortable.

A wardrobe offered some storage space and the writing desk was suitable to work for longer hours.

On the credenza was a Nespresso coffee machine, Ronnefeldt teas and Tchibo hot chocolate.

The flat screen TV offered regional channels. News channels included BBC and Sky News. We would prefer a slightly more international choice and believe a business channel like CNBC or Bloomberg and one international news channel incl. CNN for 24h coverage are a must.

During our previous stay the minibar had been fully stocked, which was empty now and could be used to store your own items.

The 24 hours in room dining menu had changed too. It was now modernized and divided into different sections called Graze, Plants, Grains, Sea, Land and Heaven.

Starters, like the Great Irish Board with pulled ham, relish prawn cocktail, crumbled Porter Cheese and crusty bread, cost from 12.50 Euro (ca. 13.75 USD).

Vegetarian dishes, pizza, pasta and curries were from 15 Euro (ca. 16.50 USD).

Main courses began from 17.50 Euro (ca. 19.25 USD) and desserts from 6 Euro (6.60 USD).

We didn’t use the in room dining since we had a reservation at V’n V, the hotel’s restaurant, for dinner. A review will follow for the restaurant, which was equally our 2nd visit there for dinner.

The bathroom was good sized. The bathtub and shower were separate. There was a sink and toilet. Amenities were by “This works”. Water pressure was good. We didn’t encounter any temperature changes.

After a good night’s sleep we went to V’n V for breakfast. In our opinion it was even better than before with more items added, we hope the hotel keeps this up in the longer term future ahead. There was a wide selection of cold cuts, fish, cheese, pastries and bread, fruits, cereals and much more. At the egg station hot items could be ordered and were freshly made, which was a big plus.

All the staff encountered was friendly and efficient at all times.

Check out was warm, correct and efficient.

We like the Radisson Blu Royal in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. It’s a beautiful, modern and memorable upper upscale hotel, located near St. Patrick’s Cathedral and within walking distance to many attraction Dublin as to offer.

Would we recommend this hotel to a friend? YES!
Would we want to stay again in our future at this hotel? YES!