Vacation Rentals Spain » Dublin

Doing Dublin on the cheap!

Rebecca — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:52:30 +0000

Dublin has been voted the friendliest city in Europe and it’s true to say that the biggest draw to the Irish capital is its people. Dubliners may not be the chicest of Europeans (especially not on a Friday night after too many pints of Guinness!) but they are, in general, genuinely warm, witty people who love to socialise and make foreigners feel welcome. You may not see what is so special about this less than glamorous city on first sight with its grey climate and run down jumbled architecture, but after a few days here you too will have fallen in love with Dublin for its laid-back, fun-loving, unpretentious vibe. A fairly recent influx of foreigners and foreign money has given the place a face lift and it can now add modern and multi-cultural to the list of positive adjectives that describe it.
Here is my very brief guide to visiting Dublin on a budget:

When booking your accommodation in Dublin you have a wide range of hotels, hostels, self-catering apartments at your disposal. My advice would be to look for a cheap B&B in Dublin and enjoy staying somewhere smaller than a hotel, with a homely feel and breakfast included in the price.
The local bus and train networks are pretty efficient and cheap to use although they stop running fairly early, so you have to rely on taxis to get home after a night out. This can be quite a drain on your funds, so booking centrally-located accommodation is always best.
Make the most of the many tourist attractions, including the National Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art. These places are great if it’s a rainy day but as soon as the sun comes out you should head to one of the beautiful landscaped parks such as St. Stephen’s Green which is considered one of the city’s top attractions. Merrion Square is an equally attractive green area of the city with a park area lined with Georgian townhouses.
For cheap eats head to one of the city’s most popular budget eateries such as the Bangkok Café on Parnell Street which is tiny (best to book a table) but serves up delicious Thai food at reasonable rates, Belgo – a great little Belgian restaurant serving up the classic Moules Frites and delicious Belgian beers or Milano if you prefer Italian food.

A trip to Dublin doesn’t have to be an expensive affair; a little careful planning can make a small budget go a long way and hopefully these money saving tips will leave you with enough cash to enjoy a pint or two; a national pastime in Ireland.

The Muse in Concert – Alternative rock in Dublin!

Paolo — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:09:28 +0000

Experience one the best groups of British alternative rock at the Muse concert in the O2 Arena in Dublin on November 6, 2009. These English lads must have something special as they are able to attract throngs and fill massive venues with thousands of people such as the O2 Arena in Dublin. This is part of their world tour which hits the United States and a number of European countries after the release of their new CD Teignmouth: The Resistance. This, the most recent album comes after “Showbiz” (1999), “Origin of Symmetry” (2001), “Hullabaloo” (2002), “Absolution” (2003), “Black Holes and Revelations” (2006) and “HAARP” (2008), and was self-produced and recorded by the band in an Italian studio last year.

Putting his signature touch on this album was a man who has worked with big names like Massive Attack, U2 and Oasis: Mark “Spike” Stent. And it would seem that the name of the group, Muse (which has its etymology in Greek mythology), could not be more apt, as the band has served as inspiration for novelist Stephenie Meyer in her books like, Twilight. Whether you are a super-fan of Matthew Bellamy’s band or have only recently fallen victim to this Brit bands charms, you won’t want to miss out on this unforgettable night at the O2 Arena in Dublin. Are you ready to move your body to the guitar rhythms of Muse?

Fringe Festival Dublin

admin — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:16:50 +0000

Whether you are into comedy or drama, into music or dance – the programme of the Fringe Festival Dublin 2009 offers something for every taste! Many of the performances have an alternative touch and so have the venues where some of them take place: Experience acts on the Liffey Boardwalk or on a Dublin bus! Of course, there are also a huge number of performances taking place in more conventional theatres and cafes throughout the city! So make your selection from the festival programme which runs from the 5th until the 20th of September!
The Fringe Festival Dublin is an annual event which has been taking place since 1995. Originally it was part of the Dublin Theatre Festival. Due to its overwhelming success, the Dublin Fringe has been run as an independent festival since 2006 and offers you anything you could expect in a celebration of the arts: Somewhat traditional theatre and dance performances in theatres or stages which are set up in Dublin’s most popular cafes, plus dance and comedy acts which take place in more unconventional settings throughout the city of Dublin!
One of the main venues is the Spiegeltent – according to the organisers, this “exquisite salon” boasts “Weimar era decadence” and indeed: this venue has experienced great popularity with the festival guests for the past six years. And this is unlikely to change at the 2009 edition of the Fringe Festival Dublin as this year sees the Spiegeltent´s last appearance. So hurry up and book one of our budget hotels, hostels, apartments or bed and breakfasts in Dublin close to George’s Dock which is where the Spiegeltent is set up. If all this has not quite convinced you yet, let the numbers speak for themselves: In 2008, almost 120 shows took place in over 40 venues, with theatre dominating the line-up, followed by dance performances.
It is therefore only fair to say that between the 5th and the 20th of September, all of Dublin will be celebrating – at the Fringe Festival Dublin 2009! Plan your Dublin city break now and become part of this unique event –