My husband and I decided to stay at The Marker Hotel in Dublin, Ireland for 2 nights this winter on a whim when stopping back through Dublin during New Year’s week after a family wedding in Donegal. It is seriously the nicest, most comfortable, most friendly modern luxury hotel we have ever stayed in (and we are hotel snobs, if you didn’t already realize).  It is clear why this property is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.  The hotel just celebrated its second birthday this April, and is as spotless as if it just opened yesterday.

The Location

The hotel is situated in the sort-of-recently gentrified and renovated Grand Canal Dock, right next to the Bord Gáis theatre, the largest theatre in Ireland. For a listing of what’s on at the theatre, you can click right here.  There are Dublin Bike stations right near the hotel and little cafés and restaurants within a 2 minute walk, including the popular pizza chain Milano.  Temple Bar is about a 10-15 minute walk down the quays and the beautiful, modern Samuel Beckett Bridge is just a short 2 minute stroll, too.

The Room

The room was beautiful, HUGE, and very nicely appointed. We even got a tour of the room, including instructions on how to use the smart TV and the features of the amenities.

The marble bathroom floor has its own heating control – I mean, come on. It’s as if they thought of everything when they designed it and left nothing to be desired.

But, the star of the entire show…is the BED. Holy. It is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in. That is not an overstatement.

The Staff

I had commented on TripAdvisor that I loved the bed, and the Guest Relations Manager actually wrote me an e-mail in return to give me the information regarding what mattresses and linens they had. In case you were wondering: “Our mattresses are from the King Koil brand (http://www.kingkoil.ie/) the specific one we use is normally not for sale in any retail shop but would be the “King Koil Club Pocket 1000 Pillow Top Mattress”.

WHO DOES THAT?

That’s just one example of how the staff at The Marker were phenomenal – so friendly, accommodating and never pushy or snobby, which one sometimes encounters at other hotels of this caliber. I cannot remember any staff member’s name in particular, but everyone who assisted us throughout our stay was really great, from check-in to check-out.

The Food

One thing I think that deserves a mention that, although an upscale property, the room service menu prices were very reasonable! We didn’t order (although those parmesan truffle fries looked SO tempting), but I thought it was a nice aspect.

The hotel bar was lovely and had a great selection of wines by the glass – even a sparkling Albariño, which I have rarely seen. The sharing plate with the hummus, calamari, etc, was delicious and perfect for 2 with 2 glasses of wine.

You can even get a cronut here (if you don’t think they’re totally overrated…)

The buffet breakfast in the brasserie was amazing. The options were fresh and delicious and the service was, as always, fantastic.  The hotel is famous for their  “Le Drunch”, but we unfortunately were not able to partake during our stay. Total bummer.

One other thing we are lamenting is that we were not here during the summertime (or even spring or fall) so the rooftop bar was not open. According to my Dubliner friends and family, the place is a great venue for a night out, with live DJs and yummy cocktails. Next time!

PRO-TIP: IN MORE TEMPERATE WEATHER, THE HOTEL’S ROOFTOP BAR IS A NIGHTLIFE DESTINATION FOR THE WELL-HEELED DUBLIN CROWD.

The design of the common areas (like the facets of a gemstone), the staff’s uniforms (beautiful top hats for the doormen) and the rooms, with dark hallways and beautiful brasserie for breakfast really makes this hotel feel modern, fun and luxurious without being gaudy or dated.

Will stay here every time we are in Dublin from now on. Especially if we can secure the same rate we found of an average of $200 a night. Amazing.  My family lives in D4 and we normally stay near there, but they’ll just need to come to the Grand Canal Dock to see us or we’ll take more taxis now. . . because we have a new home in Dublin at The Marker Hotel.

How To get to The Marker:

The cheapest and easiest way to get to the hotel (in my opinion) is to take the AirCoach from the Dublin Airport, route to Greystones and get off at the Maldron Hotel stop at Cardiff Lane. It’s only 6 euros per person one way.  It’s less than a 2 minute walk to the hotel from the stop once you get off the coach.