Favourite Hotels Outside New York by Martin O'Brien

Well-bred Dubliner that scores plenty of bonus points for its location at the hub of the city’s still burgeoning cultural quarter. Remains steadfastly traditional in the face of all that funkiness - probably no bad thing, although the interiors can seem a little ho-hum. Spot-on service though, and an air of relaxed efficiency throughout. 195 rooms (eight suites). Member of The Leading Hotels of the World.

The Russell Room is a formal affair with a menu that covers most corners of the globe; the Sandbank Bistro specialises in seafood, while the Terrace Lounge and Bar have the usual cocktail suspects. Fitness room includes a mini-gym but not a great deal else.

Pedestrianised Grafton Street is home to an assortment of chichi shops, including plenty of designer goodies at Brown Thomas. There’s also Bewley’s Oriental Café, one of the city’s most cherished honey-pots. Across the road in Temple Bar is a variety of contemporary galleries and print shops, lots of bars and cafes (Norseman and Temple Bar the pick of the former; Old Mill and Café Gertrude best of the latter). The National Gallery of Ireland (with works by Goya, Degas, Picasso, Monet, Titian as well as a comprehensive Irish collection) and Dublin Castle just down the road.