The Merrion Hotel

Stayed here for Halloween night while visiting for work. Beautiful hotel with a very friendly staff. Great location, we were able to walk to all the major attractions. Most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in, wish I knew what kind it was so I could buy it for my house!
Pricey, but worth it if you’re visiting this area and want a great experience.

Love the Merrion Hotel. This hotel is not in the middle of the city but it’s extremely close and everything is within a few blocks. Of course, it’s a bit on the expensive side but the service was awesome and the hotel itself is breathtaking. The breakfast bar had a variety of American and Irish traditional items and the dinner we ate there was delicious. There’s an old world beauty and really, there’s absolutely nothing I can complain about. Would stay there again if I ever make my way back to Ireland.

Had my first ever afternoon tea there. Shared the 39e sweet and savoury afternoon tea. Everything was tasty with the highlight being the lemon curd and the scones. The afternoon tea ended with 3 different biscuits representing paintings — the details were breathtaking. The staff was lovely. Only drawback was the price to her more tea.

If you can come to grips with the price tag this is the place to be. Excellent rooms, great service and location. We had coffee in the lobby bar each morning and pints in the evening. Concierge was very helpful during our stay. O’Donaghues Pub across the street recommended for a pint as well.

Stayed here for 1 night during our honeymoon. I’ve stayed at some very fancy/​expensive/​5-​star hotels, but I have to say that The Merrion had probably the best service and absolutely the best housekeeping/​maintenance staff I’ve ever experienced.
Emma at the front desk was delightful, the concierge was helpful, the door/​valet/​bell staff were all efficient… this is a very well-​managed, well-​operated hotel.
Our room was flawless! Very elegant and up-​to-​date, but not so modern that the charm or character is lost. And I know it’s weird to highlight the housekeeping staff, but their attention to detail and the little things they added or provided without request were unprecedented, above beyond anything I’ve previously experienced.
We loved The Merrion so much that we’ll probably make a return trip just to experience more of the hotel, the restaurant, the afternoon tea, etc. But additionally, the hotel is in a pretty decent location and within walking distance of plenty of attractions, like Temple Bar.
I can’t imagine there’s a classier, more hospitable place to stay in Dublin than The Merrion!

Sometimes the oldies are the best… I’m all for a nice shiny new and modern hotel — but I also appreciate a well established, elegant and luxurious setting just as much! The 5 star Merrion hotel is one of, if not the most famous hotels in Dublin — and famous for all the right reasons. Four Georgian townhouses were restored to offer this beautiful hotel where many of the rich and famous stay on their visits to Dublin… and after an overnight stay, I can see why they chose it!
After checking in, we had a wander through the opulent lounges where Afternoon Tea is served… the atmosphere is super relaxed and inviting — the perfect place to curl up with a book to pass some time in the afternoon.
Doors from the lounge area lead out to a gorgeous, peaceful garden terrace area… it was a beautiful Summer day and ideal for a glass of wine in the heat. You are literally moments away from Grafton Street but yet it’s so peaceful and relaxing here — it really feels like a different world!
We had gone for a Bed and Brunch deal, € 300 for a stay in a Garden Wing room with a 2 course Brunch the next day each… it seemed a great deal and I was eager to see the room!
While the Garden Wing may be their cheapest option room-​wise, it definitely didn’t disappoint. The soft earthy tones in the paint and furnishing along with an amazingly soft bed made this room super cosy and welcoming.
While we didn’t eat at either of the hotel’s restaurants (we had dinner at the equally fancy Restaurant 41 around the corner!) we did drop into No. 23, their cocktail bar for a pre-​dinner drink… it would have been rude not to :-)
Returning to the hotel later that evening the garden was so pretty lit up with fairy lights on the trees!
I did a separate review for the Brunch under the Celler Bar at the Merrion on Unilocal too if you want to check it out :-)

The staff was first class! Evidently, we are the rare guests and stayed for a week. Every possible need we had was met with a smile. I am one of those individuals who needs a fan to sleep at night and the one I shoved into my luggage didn’t work in Ireland (even with my converter). The hotel staff supplied one for me to use while I stayed. If I had one complaint, I wished there were pillows of varying firmness. My pillow was meant for a back sleeper, not a side sleeper like myself. If you stay here, definitely eat on-​site. The food is pretty impressive. Even when we returned to the States, I ran into people who had heard of The Merrion Hotel and their impressive staff members. Great job!

Afternoon Tea
I have been here twice for afternoon tea and both trips have been delightful and delicious. It is always nice attending something that involves good and tea but do make sure you are dressed appropriately for here as I wore a skirt with no tights and most Middle Aged women looked at me as if I had four heads. My most recent trip to the Merrion was for my Mums birthday with my sister, aunt and Nana. We were greeted with warm and welcoming smiles from the staff which was lovley. We were seated and told about the tea and the menu. I ordered a gluten free cake and pastries and sandwiches and the staff were lovely about it. We began with the green tea which was delicious. Then I opted for a cappuccino which wasn’t anything special– tasted like one from a regular coffee shop. The cakes pastries and sandwiches were to die for! I was in heaven. If you do not finish your cakes etc you do get to bring them home which is great! Both experiences were so good, definitely something you should do if you have an interest in cakes pastries sandwiches and tea/​coffee!

To celebrate 11 years of engagement my fiancé and I went for Afternoon Art Tea at the Merrion Hotel (Lr Merrion St, Dublin 2) at the end of November 2014. Afternoon Art Tea is served in the hotel’s beautiful drawing room which has high ceilings, a fab chandelier and v squishy chairs :)
The hotel has a massive private art collection which is the inspiration behind art tea.
Course one
Savouries include — chicken and pesto on sunflower bread, smoked salmon and horseradish cream on brown soda bread, cucumber and cream cheese on tomato bread, roast beef on white bread and egg mayo on rolls.
Mini scones — fruit and plain served with clotted cream, lemon curd and raspberry jam
Cakes — Battenburg, Lemon bread and Porter cake (You should be able to see the inspiration for the Battenburg and the desserts in the photos…)
Dessert
Green apple macaroon
Vanilla biscuit with Orange curd
Raspberry and Passionfruit tart
You can choose as many different teas as you want from the tea menu! I’m afraid I was quite boring and just stuck with the one — The Merrion Tea blend. Fiancé tried the Darjeeling and The Irish Malt.
Cost is € 39 per person or € 53 per person with a glass of bubbles!
Definitely recommend you finish work early (maybe on a Friday?) and do this for a special occasion!
As fab as everything was I think the highlight for my fiancé was meeting the legend that is Gay Byrne in the bathroom…

Afternoon Tea
I was dragged along for afternoon tea with my wallet in hand. 50 euro pp for the champagne art tea. There was no shortage of sandwiches cakes pastries and the tea was endless.
The tea selection is great and you can swap and try something else. The scones imo were not up to scratch but the others made up for this. The final course was excellent with a wonderful macaroon and each based on an art work in the hotel.
Not a big cake /​sweet person but this is worth a try.
Staff v friendly and the dining area equally as enjoyable.

The Merrion Hotel was a wonderfully luxurious hotel to stay at during our first two nights in Ireland.
Prior to our 8am arrival we knew our rooms would most likely not be ready so we were dreading walking around the city after spending the night on an airplane. The Merrion was kind enough to offer us access to the hotel’s spa so that we could shower before exploring Dublin. I cannot express how much this small gesture was appreciated!
Once our room was available at 3pm we could not have been more pleased. Our rooms were gorgeous and stocked with plush bedding and towels, high-​end bath toiletries, and comfortable bath robes. Everything was very crisp and clean, yet the room had a very welcoming feel.
The lounge is open 24 hours for all hotel guests so if you are in the need of a cocktail or a snack at any hour the hotel is available at your beck and call. We had the pleasure of enjoying cocktails by the fire one evening and it was wonderful. The service is so friendly and attentive. All of the staff was so friendly during our stay and would always go out of their way to say hello or offer help.
Besides the amazing rooms and service we also enjoyed the location of our hotel. The Merrion Hotel is a few minutes (walking) from Merrion Square Park, Stephen’s Green, Trinity College and Grafton Street. The bars in Temple Bar were about 10 minutes away and St. Patrick’s and Christ Church were a 15 minute walk. The only time we took a taxi was to go to The Guinness Storehouse.
Would definitely book a room at The Merrion Hotel in Dublin again!

Lovely hotel with artwork on the walls, amazing service, and afternoon tea.
We spent a fantastic long weekend at the Merrion Hotel. The hotel embodies an «old school» style of hotel service, with loaner umbrellas handed to you as you walk out the door on rainy days, turn-​down service including fresh slippers next to your bed, and attention to every detail that we requested. Given the artwork featured throughout the hotel and the beautiful afternoon tea, we viewed the hotel as a tourist destination of its own rather than just a place to sleep at night.
In short, the Merrion had some of the best service we’ve ever experienced at a hotel.
The lobby and the nearby bar have a «Victorian» period feel with fireplaces, artwork on the walls, and couches for tea or a light breakfast. The basement «Cellar» restaurant has a «hip» medieval feel. There’s an outdoor sculpture garden in the middle between the new and old wings, and the new wing has a more modern feel. There’s artwork everywhere, and the concierge has a book that guests can use to play «hide and seek» with the art located throughout the hotel.
The pool is pretty, and made to look like a Roman bathhouse. It’s not the best pool and health club I’ve ever experienced in a hotel worldwide (my current favorite is Four Seasons Los Angeles), but it’s a good pool.
There are at least two (possibly three) restaurants on the premises, and the staff was extremely accommodating to every request. They ensured that the afternoon tea was entirely vegetarian for us, and allowed us to pre-​pay for breakfast in the Cellar a day in advance (so that upon check-​in, our waiter knew that we wouldn’t receive a bill afterwards and could just leave whenever we were done). Although the restaurants and bar close around 11 pm or so, hotel guests can still order snacks and drinks afterwards in the tea lounge — I used this to taste a flight of Irish whiskeys.
The afternoon tea was a lot of fun. Note that this is not a 30 minute rush — guests should leave at least 2 hours for a relaxed afternoon tea. The first course is savory tea sandwiches, the second course is sweet scones, cakes (some with marzipan frosting), etc., and the «dessert» course is three tea pastries made to resemble artwork in the hotel. Service was great. The sandwiches and cakes were yummy as far as tea sandwiches go, although I won’t say that they were foodie heaven. (The enjoyment is more about the presentation, experience, and relaxation over tea, rather than a 5-​star quality meal.) Overall, we’re happy that we did this at the hotel, although it isn’t something we would do more than once in a trip.
Breakfast at the Cellar was very good, but extremely expensive. Worth it, if it’s included in the hotel package, otherwise just go once during your stay. The cheeses, jams, and yogurts tasted incredible — very different from what we were used to back at home. Dinner here was also good.

For a five star, best in the city (supposedly) hotel, I was greatly disappointed. The service is supposedly very good, which it is for the most part but then a few people manage to drop the ball. You are better at the Four Seasons for service (although their furnishings are a bit dated and shabby-​ish).
— I was placed in a room where I could hear the person blow drying, talking and even see the light when they are in the bathroom or not. I was on business with little sleep and was disturbed for 30 min listening to someone blow drying. The concierge pretended to not know what it could be and said «someone is investigating» even after I told him what it was he downplayed it and said sorry. What on earth is that for five star service and room. The Four Seasons would never have that!
— Room service. I called them to pick up the cart and they asked me to wheel it out. The wheels of the cart was rather tight so it was not easy doing this. Again, the Four Seasons would never ask you to push the cart out yourself. The steak I ordered had a slight gamey taste to it. A shame because the girl who served it to me was excellent.
— What is with the hype? The politicians stay here only bc it is close to the govt building right across the street so let’s not pretend they would stay here if it was say 1 mile from here. The Four Seasons is deemed to be a bit far out further. But at least you won’t be awaken at midnight listening to someone drying her hair for 20 minutes and hearing her every move in the bathroom. You could actually do better, even though this place is reputed to be the best.

Laura and I seem to have the same experience for the tea here. My group of 6 came here for the art of tea and the ambiance of the hotel is impeccable. The staff is helpful and professional. I wasn’t too impressed with our main server who was nice but not the friendliest.
Everyone opted for the € 50 champagne and the champagne. OMG the champagne was SOO GOOD. I ordered the green tea… It starts with an M which was really nice. They poured me the jasmine by mistake for one of the refills and I would advise people not to order it as it was bitter which means they left the tea steeping for too long but the other green tea is phenomenal. The tea service was decent. It didn’t seem that crowded but people were hustling in and out of the place.
As Laura stated, the seating wasn’t very well planned out. My friends who were sitting ‘in’ the plushy couch had to sit on the cushions to be comfortable not to spill anything. The first course was a few finger sandwiches and the usual fare of scones and cakes. The scones weren’t great but the clotted cream was divine. I was practically licking it off my knife. The cakes were pretty but really just average cakes. I thought the sandwiches were really nice though. The piece de resistance was the pastries that are inspired by the paintings they have hanging in their room. They were gorgeous but by the time they came we were all stuffed from tea and the first course all of us left things on the plate. The pastries were nothing special… But as I said this could be because we were so full. They were pretty to look at though. As a birthday gift, they gave not just me but all my guests a free glass of champagne so I think they deserve 4 stars. But had that not been given Id force them 3. The best service was from this dark haired lady who I think is the manager, who dropped off the complimentary champagne. She actually smiled and didn’t try to rush you.
Just a side note: we sat by the service door and because of weather and the water feature they have outside (in the garden) I was eaten alive by Mosquitos. I had to get out of there fast to avoid swelling up like Veronica from Charlie and the chocolate factory. Try to avoid sitting by the door.
I don’t think Id come back to do it again. For € 50 the fare was average at best and the service was below expectations especially considering this is a luxury 5 star hotel that the president of America stays.

This is a nice hotel convienently located across from the govt buildings. It’s a bit pricey and there are a lot of stuffy people wandering around. The staff is very nice, but do not come before the 3pm check in time as you will have to wait for your room. This has happened to us the last two times we stayed here. Good spa, gym, basement pub and fine dining on premises. Many excellent and less pricey eating and drinking options within walking distance. Wifi leaves a lot to be desired and cuts in and out a lot. This is unacceptable for a hotel of this calibre and makes doing business difficult. We came on holiday, but I would stay elsewhere if traveling on business. Comfortable rooms and beds.

Stayed here for a week on a business trip to Dublin. Located in a great area of Dublin, everything is a short walk away. Directly across from the Department of the Taoiseach (High Government Building) on Merrion Street.
Service was impeccable throughout my stay. The room had all the necessary accoutrements one could need. Clean, well kept and maintained throughout. Turn down service each night.
The staff is extremely helpful and polite.
If you’re not adventurous or just plain tired, the hotel offers several restaurant options.
The hotel also offers a health club, pool and spa.
The sitting rooms look awesome to catch up and enjoy afternoon tea. The wood fireplaces add to the ambience.
The Merrion is the choice for visiting diplomats and politicians. One night during my stay, Angela Merkel was in town, along with her motorcade, a hovering helicopter and security detail. I was kindly escorted to my floor that night.

I can give it a 5 for service, cleanliness, charming rooms and garden… but it is a funeral home. I would give it a 2 for vibe. Not for 45 or under. We spent 8 days in Ireland and booked only 5 star hotels… this one was lovely, but «dead» when you walked in every afternoon or evening. Meaning if you want QUIET — this is the place for you. Felt we had to tip toe through the lobby to get to our room. Older guests, business guests for tea… not for the young. Very stuffy.

Absolutely amazing afternoon tea! Max up on delicious cake whilst sipping on a good, never ending, cup of tea in an absolutely gorgeous scenery.
Staff is very pleasant and courteous (I even suspect they are conditioned to answer «you’re welcome» at every «thank you» you address them!
Loved it!

I had heard about their afternoon tea so I decided to take my mother here as it was a special for her birthday.
Okay the staff are nice and nearly friendly. I did wonder about the concierge welcoming me back as I had never been here before but then I do have a face like another person in Dublin or Dalkey apparently.
The afternoon tea was presented nicely enough but the ‘art’ cakes all tasted the same but they did look pretty. I have wondered about this not just here but in other places where I have found deserts to be disappointing and I have no idea why unless the cook has no idea when it comes to the sweet stuff?
Very expensive for what you get and I have been to better places with a better afternoon tea.
Next!

Gave my mother a voucher for ‘Afternoon Art Tea’ for Mother’s Day (amn’t I lovely). Lucky for me, she chose to bring me with her. then my sister complained so we included her too.
The tea is amazing. The sandwiches are divine, though with only one of each I was disappointed I couldn’t have more especially considering the sheer amount of cakes you end up getting.
The final three artisan cakes, based on works in The Merrion’s art collection are simply amazing! I was bowled over. But, unfortunately, I was stuffed and I felt that I couldn’t experience them fully as I was cramming them into my already stuffed tummy.
I will say that the staff is a bit snooty and for that reason I’ve marked this experience down, a fair bit really.
We had a twelve year old with us, she was extremely well behaved and quiet and not in any way bothersome. However I felt our service was neglected simply because of this. Other groups were waited on hand and foot while I had to actually chase down a waiter for more tea. Things became worse when my Dad arrived in a pair of jeans straight from the gym and ordered a coke, we were getting absolute daggers.
It was a really lovely afternoon and I would have loved to give 5 stars but really based on the service I received it doesn’t deserve it. Unfortunately.