The Dublin Airport Hilton Hotel was our last accommodation stop-off on our recent Ireland trip. Having left booking flights for our trip to Ireland to the last minute we were faced with either flying home at an eye-wateringly anti-social time or paying a massive premium for the few remaining seats on family-friendly timed flights out of Dublin.
A quick bit of research and we realised that by bracing ourselves for an early start and stopping over near the airport on our final night we could gain an extra day in Dublin at no extra cost compared to flying home the afternoon before. I well worth a few bleary eyes.
Cost, Check-In & Parking
Luckily for us, the Hilton group had a summer sale on and we bagged a double room with cot and a twin room in the Dublin Airport Hotel for a total price of £122.25 – not bad for a Dublin hotel over a bank holiday weekend. If you’re considering a stay at a Hilton Hotel then do check their website for deals – there are some great ones from time to time and you can usually get a discount by booking well in advance.
Check-in at Dublin Airport Hilton starts from 3pm. Having attended an Irish wedding the night before we checked out of the wedding hotel quite late the next day and headed straight for Dublin Airport Hilton on the off-chance that they could store our luggage for us whilst we explored Dublin. Reception staff gave us a warm welcome and despite being three hours early for check-in, found us one of our rooms so we could store our luggage until our extra room was ready
Travelling as a couple with a toddler, baby and Granny, I was impressed that the staff also clocked our party’s needs without having to ask and offered us adjoining rooms – something we had not specified when booking. This made getting Roo to bed in Granny’s room later and packing for our joint suitcases for our early start the next day a lot easier. We were also able to add a travel cot onto our booking at check-in, something we had forgotten to do when booking.
Bags deposited, we headed off into Dublin for a spot of sight-seeing. Driving into Dublin city centre took us around 25 minutes, with buses leaving regularly from near the hotel too for those without their own transport. Our way back took longer – we got caught up in traffic for a major Gaelic Football match – but on the whole it was a surprisingly easy journey. I would definitely consider using the Dublin Airport Hilton hotel for a short weekend stay in the future if I couldn’t run to the considerably dearer prices for hotels in the city centre itself. The only downside is the fact that hotel parking is not free, with each vehicle charged five euros a day for space in the underground car-park located directly under the hotel.
Bedrooms
Our rooms at the Dublin Airport Hilton were a good size, complete with soft, comfy beds, a large TV, desk and table and chair. All the usual extras you would expect from a business hotel such as an iron, hair-dryer and hot drink facilities were available. The bathrooms were quite compact but perfectly usable with an over-bath shower and a good selection of reasonable quality toiletries. The bedrooms and the bed and cot linen, like the rest of the hotel, were spotlessly clean. The cot provided for our 6 month old was a good size although it was a bit stained on the netted sides.
Our fifth floor bedrooms had wide, high-level windows with a birds-eye, if somewhat uninspiring, view over the wasteland opposite and road network which runs past the hotel. Rest assured though that the rooms are completely sound proof with not a whisper of traffic noise reaching us. The view also beat the one of golfers feet we had from our room the nigh before in a considerably more expensive and scenic hotel! Just goes to show!
Something to eat
In need of a quick supper before some last-minute packing and an early night, we tried out the Burnell Bar and Grill restaurant that adjoins the Dublin Airport Hilton and can be accessed directly from the lobby on the ground floor. With a good sized bar area and plenty of tables, the restaurant is surprisingly spacious (lots of room for high chairs and kiddies) and inviting for a business-style hotel and at around 10-15 euros for a main and 5 euros for a pint of Guinness, the prices are fairly competitive for similar style eateries. The menu, whilst not overly imaginative, offers a good selection of staples such as pizza, pasta, steaks and salads and the children’s menu is reasonable. Room service is also available.
The food was, like the menu, of a good bar standard but unremarkable. I opted for a lamb shank which was tasty but disappointingly lost around a third of its meat to fat. The salmon was reportedly pretty good whilst the burger ordered by another member of our party was a little underwhelming given its price. Roo’s toastie on the other hand was very good! The staff were incredibly friendly and we had the bonus of enjoying some great live folk music during our visit -a covert glance about and I noticed we were not the only diners humming along!
Location and Airport Transfer
The main reason we chose the Dublin Airport Hilton hotel for our last night in Ireland was for it proximity to the airport, taking the sting out of an already very early start for our flight the next morning. Dublin Airport Hilton is located on Malahide Road, just a few minutes from the M1 and under ten minutes drive from Departures. It is no coincidence that we bumped into three different pilots staying at the hotel at various points of our stay!
Nearby Malahide Castle.
The hotel provide a minibus transfer to Dublin Airport around every half an hour throughout day and night – something we had taken into account when choosing our hotel and to return our hire car the night before our flight to speed our departure up a bit in the morning (the Avis car park is a bus ride away from the terminal). Unfortunately, despite checking in three hours early, a large party were already booked on the 5am shuttle meaning we either had to leave half an hour earlier (not a great option with two kids already hauled out of bed in the wee hours) or extend our hire car an extra night and drive ourselves the next day. We opted for the latter and were lucky to make our flight after my husband got held up getting back from the rental office to join us for check-in! We were unlucky but if you are relying on the minibus service to catch a flight after a stay at the Dublin Airport Hilton I would recommend contacting the hotel at the time of booking to make sure your name is down on the list at the earliest opportunity.
Having pre-paid and opted for instant check-out, handing back our room-key took seconds. Given our early start, we were disappointed to be missing out on our inclusive breakfast at the hotel. This was made up for though by the large, complementary breakfast bag waiting for us on our departure – an unexpected gesture that made all the difference in clearing the morning fog from our heads and placating our tired toddler.
Overall experience
We enjoyed our last night in Ireland staying at the Dublin Airport Hilton hotel. It’s not a pretty hotel or in a scenic location but it is functional and incredibly convenient for the airport as well as having Dublin city centre within easy reach. The hotel is sparkling clean, comfortable and with every facility you would expect from a good business hotel plus the staff have found a good combination of warm friendliness and professionalism. With an early bird deal or special offer the hotel makes a really good value alternative to staying in Dublin’s very expensive city centre whilst also offering easy access to Malahide, Howth and other attractions to the north of Dublin.
For more information about Dublin Airport Hilton Hotel, pop over to their website. The Hilton Summer Sale we booked our rooms through is on until 1st September 2014.
