An honest review of one of Dublin’s top-rated coastal hotels

Dublin is full of historic hotels, but few have a view quite like Haddington House Hotel in Dún Laoghaire.

Once a girls’ finishing school, this collection of Victorian townhouses is now one of the finest hotels on the coast, with sweeping sea views, top-notch service and a cocktail bar trussed up like a Hollywood boudoir.

Its crowning glory, though, are the six suites with roll-top bathtubs, right in the middle of the room.

Metro checks in to see what a night here is like.

Location

It’s a 20-minute train ride from Dublin city to Dún Laoghaire. 

You’ll be taking the DART, an electric rail service that runs the length of Dublin’s coastline, from Malahide or Howth in the north, to Greystones in the south.

Dún Laoghaire town centres around a harbour filled with sailing boats (and cruise ships in the summer).

It has an elegant boardwalk, coastal parks and several of Dublin’s most popular swimming spots. And Haddington House is at the heart of it all.

The Forty Foot, immortalised by James Joyce in Ulysses, is a five-minute cycle. You can borrow one of the hotel’s bikes free of charge to nip down. 

The location offers the best of both worlds: seaside charm and the city justa jaunt away.

First impressions

From the outside, this four-star hotel looks like a massive Victorian townhouse.

The facade is a bit dowdy, and the paint could do with a refresh.

But inside, it’s all moody, vintage charm and almost theatrical interiors: draped velvet, jewel tones and and dark, Gothic florals.

The lobby is a cosy place to hang out and have a drink or a coffee. For most of the year, fires blaze in the grates. This is Ireland, after all.

Staff are delightful and go out of their way to help.

The rooms

The Haddington recently underwent a €4.5million renovation that took the room count from 55 to 40 and increased the size of many in the process.

There are eight room categories, from cosy to suite.

All are decorated in a curious colourway of teal and gold with William Morris wallpaper, tasselled lampshades and glossy antique furniture.

The jewel in the crown is the Adelaide Suite, which has one of the aforementioned bathtubs and a huge bay window overlooking the sea.

An Art Deco-style chaise longue provides the perfect perch to gaze at people strolling on the boardwalk and James Joyce Tower in the distance.

The bathrooms are all old-world elegance, tiled in white with freestanding porcelain sinks and spacious rainfall showers.

There are some nice Irish goodies in the minibar but there is no turndown service, which is a shame for a hotel of this calibre.

The facilities

This is a small hotel so there aren’t many amenities: no pool, no spa, no gym.

Still, it does make the most of its setting on the water.

As well as the bikes you can borrow free of charge, the hotel provides straw bags and beach towels so you can join the Dubliners who swim (some of them daily) in the Forty Foot.

Perhaps the nicest touch are the hot water bottles left in the rooms. Take one with you if you’re brave enough for a dip.

At reception, you can also pick up a ‘swim passport’. This allows you to tick off the local spots and receive a stamp for the trouble of submerging yourself in the frigid Irish Sea.

Food and drink

After braving the elements, a pre-dinner cocktail at Parlour is a non-negotiable.

There are low tables, sumptuous armchairs and a menu of speciality cocktails including a banana creation called Tropical Empress, which was named ‘best cocktail of the year’ in 2023.

The spicy margaritas are excellent, as are the mocktails — particularly Marshmallow Party.

The restaurant, Oliveto, is an airy, cheerful space that’s popular with locals.

There’s a heavy Italian influence: we’re talking seafood spaghetti, sausage rigatoni, arancini and house-made focaccia.

It’s hearty, decent grub, though prices are on the steep side, even for Dublin. €44 for steak, €34 for sea bass.

The service, again, is impeccable.

How much does it cost?

Cosy doubles start from €195 per night. The Adelaide Suite (the top end of the ones with the tubs) starts from €455 per night.

All rates are breakfast included.

Honest verdict

It may lack the ritz of Dublin behemoths like The Shelbourne or The Westbury, but the Haddington is a great place to stay.

The location gives travellers the best of both worlds, and is perfect for second-time visitors who want to see more than the Guinness Storehouse and Grafton Street.

المصدر: Metro UK