Schoolhouse Hotel

“The Charm of Dublin”

Great place to stay, perfect for walking into City Centre, plus along the canal. Friendly people running everything, comfortable bedrooms ( a little over heated but can be adjusted). Good food, the oysters were the best we had in Dublin. Adequate breakfast. Would definitely come again.

“Lovely lunch, staff & atmosphere”

We were a large group on a busy Saturday, but they staff could not have been more helpful and accommodating. The food was excellent in a lovely relaxed atmosphere. We changed our table number a few times in the week before and nothing was too much hassle. Really recommend.

“LOVELY HOTEL”

Really lovely hotel situated in a very nice area, by the Grand Canal. Lovely bedroom and shower room. Quiet, warm, clean, comfortable and spacious. Friendly staff. I really enjoyed my stay because of the quality of the environment. It was also easy to get to the venues I had booked to see.

“Overall it was a lovely stay.”

Our journey to the hotel from Dublin Airport took around forty minutes using the Aircoach and there's a drop off point directly outside the hotel with a return pick up point situated a bit further down the road on the left. Note that this point is a normal bus stop and does not have any Aircoach lo… more

Our journey to the hotel from Dublin Airport took around forty minutes using the Aircoach and there's a drop off point directly outside the hotel with a return pick up point situated a bit further down the road on the left. Note that this point is a normal bus stop and does not have any Aircoach logo attached but we had no problem on our return journey and the coach stopped - the driver is probably looking out for people with suitcases or backpacks. The return fare was 20 Euros and there is a ticket stand outside both of Dublin's terminals or you can pay the driver if your journey is starting in the city. Do allow for additional time as the city centre traffic can be quite bad at certain times of the day. Location wise the Schoolhouse Hotel is a short 15-20 minute walk to Grafton Street or you could take the bus. It's 2 Euro to O'Connell Street from the bus stop outside the SPAR shop, which is to the right and across the road junction nearby. Remember to have the correct money as the driver does not give change so hang on to your coins just in case. The Aviva Stadium is ten minutes walk away and any fans of the recent Irish crime drama “Kin” can find and pose outside the Kinsella family home. The developing Hanover Quay area is within walking distance too. Check in was quick and efficient and we found all the staff to be friendly throughout our three night stay. The room key (yes key, not a swipe card in sight!) is on a weighty brass hanger and the key is left at reception when you are out. The Schoolhouse itself takes the form of an inverted and flipped letter L and the more modern two storey building housing the bedrooms are hidden from the street view so as preserve the charm of the old building. There's a lift to the upper floor and although our room was facing the busy road we did not find traffic noise to be a problem. Heating and cooling is via the floor level mounted unit and there's a remote control along with a good instruction sheet. If you don’t use the instructions, you will be pressing buttons and getting nowhere with the baffling device. It was pointed out that when set to heat it takes about five minutes until the heat appears so do wait once you have selected the option you want. The large double bed was comfortable and the room is tastefully decorated and spotlessly clean. The en-suite bathroom has a walk in shower, and complimentary shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body moisturising lotion is supplied. Do take care with the hot water tap by the sink as the water gets very hot, very quickly! On two nights we ate at the Schoolhouse Gastro Bar and very nice it was too. The food was lovely and the price reflected the quality, the surroundings and capital city prices, and was good value for money. However the “Breakfast in the Blue Room” option for residents is confusing and turned out to be rather expensive. Looking online after returning home I found a Christmas 2024 breakfast menu that we were not told about. As the hotel and dining areas are fully decorated for Christmas it seemes strange that it was not offered to their residents. It was only when we asked to see the brunch menu that we were told it was weekend only. The 15 Euro per person weekday offering is a continental breakfast but what we saw laid out seemed to be a couple of cereals, pastries high in sugar and fat, toast and jam or cheese slices and ham with few alternative, healthier options. However, the menu, and waitress, said that we could select from four options in addition to the continental breakfast for 5 Euros extra. These included a hot Irish breakfast, smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, and a couple more items. The smoked salmon and scrabbled eggs were delicious but when paying we were charged 20 Euros each even though we had not touched any of the continental breakfast - even when this was mentioned to the person at the cash register and we had told the waitress we didn’t want any of it. Further, post stay, research shows a breakfast menu from March 2024 offering what we actually ate for 13.50 Euros per person. We feel a more flexible menu with healthier and cheaper options would be a great idea. This was the only slight blemish on a lovely stay celebrating my wife's 60th birthday and I would certainly visit again.

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