This review is for the rooms at the Ferryman.
Prices in Dublin can be a bit steep, and the Ferryman rooms are an economical choice. Within easy walking distance of all the sights in Dublin.
Parking: Find a spot on the street, pay the machine and display the ticket on you dashboard. Saturday night after 7pm and Sunday parking is free. Be sure you pay for Monday morning parking. The convention center is just across the river and we were told by another parking lot (who would not take us) that we can park there. When asked, the hotel told us to park on the street.
Check-in: Stand in line at the bar with your luggage and tell the barman(woman) you reserved a room and the name. (S)he will take you up one flight, show you where the breakfast room is (the living room) and how to get in/out of the interior hallway.
Rooms: There is no elevator in this building so whatever you are carrying, will have to be hauled up the stairs by yourself. Up one flight to get to the security door, then up one, two or three more floors to your room. We were three flights up. The stairway is a bit narrow, but not overly so.
Furnishing are very basic. A large bed - excellent, with two pillows each, one small chair, two old side tables and a number of 'throw pillows' to give the place charm.
There is a large closet area to hang clothes and an electric kettle, mugs and tea. These are the only cups in the room, no glasses in the bathroom. Extra blankets on the shelf.
The heater never went on during our stay. The blanket was sufficient to the temperature at night, but getting ready in the morning was a bit chilly.
The en suite is small. The shower is tiny. There is no shelf in the shower, and it's such a small space, it's difficult to bend over to pick up soap or shampoo when needed. There is also no shelf in the bathroom for toiletries. If you have a hanging toiletry bag it may fit on the towel bar. The back of the toilet is also an option, or the closet in the room. There were two hand towels and two bath towels. No wash clothes. Soap and shower gel are provided as well as an extra roll of toilet paper.
The room faced the river, which was a great view. Pub patrons hang out on the street below and from time to time it was noisy. The window has a 'stop' installed and opens about 5 inches.
Breakfast: Served in 'The Living Room' on the first level up from the street, this is a very nice space. There were three staff members working each day of our stay. The first day they were in the dining room and took our breakfast order right away. The second day they were back in the kitchen. We could hear them chatting, but no one came out. We got a glass of orange juice (not very good) from the side board and took a seat. Drank that, got up and collected some jam for our toast. Sat back down. After what seemed like a long time (but waiting always seems like a long time) I went back into the kitchen and asked for a pot of tea. The look I got and the 'we'll be with you in a minute' showed they were not pleased. Neither was I. We had plans and wanted to get on the road.
There is only cold cereal, milk, orange juice and water on the buffet. First day we were asked 'Full Irish'? So we know they have beans, eggs, ham and so on, but never got the full scoop of what they have available. If you go, ask as they do seem to have baked goods and other goodies.
Staff tells us the Living Room opens at 11:00pm as a bar for the general public.
Housekeeping: Someone did come in to make the bed and replace the towels during our stay.
Check-out: When ready to go, bring your luggage and keys to the bar and settle your bill with the barman(woman). If you visit the pub, you can add your food and drinks to the room tab.
Food: The pub serves food ONLY Monday - Friday. Not on weekends. The website does not specify this and we made the mistake first night (a weekend) of going down for dinner about 8:30; meaning we were wandering around Dublin at 9pm looking for dinner.
The room is clean enough, had all the things you need like a bed and shower and the price is good. There were many European guests, German, Swiss, French, etc during our visit. including families and groups. It's a bare bones hotel. If you want amenities, this is not the place for you. read more