When choosing a hotel, we always try to find the right balance of location, price, and comfort. We normally choose the best rated, least expensive hotel in the middle of tourist sights. Our priorities in Dublin were a little different, though. We focused more on price this time.
After enjoying our Disney TransAtlantic Cruise, we found that we could layover in Dublin for a couple of days much cheaper than we could fly directly home from Barcelona. How could we pass it up? To make it work, though, we needed to focus more on price. That is how we found the Croke Park Hotel Dublin.
Location
The prime area of Dublin to stay lies along the south side of River Liffey. The popular tourists sights of Temple Bar, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and more are all in this area. Hotels here put you in the middle of everything. They cost a lot more than ones just a little further out, though. We read multiple reviews of people complaining about noise, too.
Croke Park Hotel is located in a working class neighborhood about 1.25 mile/2 km from the heart of Dublin. It sits across the street from Croke Park, Ireland’s largest stadium. The night before we arrived, a Spice Girls concert filled the stadium with near 75,000 fans. Our timing was fortunate!
While the location was not optimal, it was not bad, either. A long walk or jog, or a 5-6 Euro taxi ride got us right where we wanted. Not bad. We were glad to escape crowds and noise. So, it worked well for us.
Croke Park Hotel
The Croke Park Hotel is an 4-star hotel with a moderate price, due to location. Its amenities compare to Hilton and Marriot hotels. The decor is clean, modern and comfortable. The staff went out of their way to be helpful. Service was stellar.
Our Room
We found the room to be large, comfortable, and immaculately clean. Not too soft beds provided dream filled nights after days on planes and touring. Having multiple pillows from which to choose helps, too. We appreciated the daily water bottles and tea kettle.
Dining
Croke Park Hotel has two restaurants, the upscale Hawthorne and the Sideline Sports Bar. Our reservation included buffet style breakfast at The Sideline. We also ate our evening meal both of nights here.
The breakfast buffet offered an impressive selection including American and British staples. Honeycomb, a large selection of cured meats, cheeses, and fresh fruit were welcome surprises. I normally do not like buffets, but the quality here was excellent.
For dinner, typical pub fare was served. The prices were steep, at least compared to home, but not too bad. We tried unique options like the curry chicken salad sandwich and the Croke Monsieur (their version of a croque monsieur). Our salads, soups and sandwiches were all large and tasty. Hence, we returned for the second night.
Service was excellent. Everyone at Croke Park Hotel displayed courtesy with a laugh and a smile. Even though we ate in the sports bar, noise was not a problem. We could easily carry on a comfortable conversation.
Facilities
Croke Park Hotel offers most of the amenities that American travelers are used to: fitness room, outdoor space, and lounge. A small library was neat and unexpected. We did miss not having a self-serve laundry, but the sink works in a pinch.
Our reservation gave us access to the concierge lounge which was nice. We enjoyed having a quiet place with drinks and snacks when coming in from exploring.
Overall
The Croke Park Hotel gave us exactly what we wanted: a clean, comfortable room, with wonderful hospitality and service at a reasonable price in a decent location. While the location was not perfect, it was not bad, either. We found nothing to complain about.
Recommendations
If you are looking for a luxury, business style hotel in Dublin, Ireland for a reasonable price, then we highly recommend the Croke Park Hotel. For what you save due to the peripheral location, the extra cost of a taxi service is not a big deal.
My only reservation would be if Croke Park was hosting a large event like the Spice Girls concert or the Gaelic Games. It would likely be very crowded, congested, and loud. Otherwise, the hotel makes a great home base to explore Dublin and the surrounding region.
When we return to Dublin, we will stay at the Croke Park Hotel again, definitely!
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