Hilton Hotel Dublin Airport, Dublin Ireland - Part 5

- Reasonably prized food and beverarges / Quality of food

 

Burnell's Restaurant serves modern European Cuisine with a few Indian dishes, the bar has snacks and sandwiches. A mix of both is available at in room dining.

I realized soon, that at  least for me, it is better to keep to the British fare or pizza. I tried one of the curries and Spaghetti Bolognese, but found them both bland.

My favorite dishes there are the ham sandwich, chicken supreme (also my better halfs) and seabass. EW also loves the peperoni pizza and chicken and cheese or fillet steak. The parfait and ice cream are also very delicious and another favorite dessert is the sticky toffee pudding. Favorite drink for him hot chocolate and babycino. I love the cafe latte and capuccino, but don't drink coffee in the evening, so mostly it's out of the question for me. All coffee products are from Costa.

Breakfast on weekends is served from 06.30 to 11.00 hours. We haven't stayed there during the week, so I don't know, when it stops, but I guess it is earlier, probably around 10.30 hours. Its buffet style and offers a good choice of cereals, cheese, yogurts fruits and vegetables, ham, bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, cold cuts, smoked salmon, pastries and bread, milk, one type of smoothie and juices. Coffee/tea and orange juice are served at the table by the waiter/waitress.

Normally we arrive on Friday evenings and have either dinner at the restaurant or in room. When we have dinner at the restaurant we have either a two course meal each or share a dessert. The cost, depending, what we had, was between ca. 60 Euros/ca. 82 USD and 100 Euros/ca. 137 USD.

In Room dining comes in between ca. 40 Euros/ca. 55 USD and 60 Euros/ca. 82 USD.

 

 

- Location

 

The Hilton is located at the corner of Malahide Road and Northern Cross in the North of Dublin. What makes the location so attractive is the proximity to the airport and the safe neighborhood. Near the hotel is a Chinese Restaurant, a Eurospar and a Tesco, which has open 24 hours a day. 

©2011

Hilton Dublin Airport, Dublin Ireland, Part 4

Recognition as frequent guest / higher tier holder of Hilton Honors Loyalty Program

 

As mentioned earlier, we already received recognition as frequent guests before we even achieved a higher level at the Hilton Honors loyalty program.

As a gold member we never had problems receiving an upgrade, for example, booked a Double Room and received a Deluxe Double. We always get free breakfast, either to take away or at the restaurant and free internet access. When arriving at our room, a gift is waiting for us. Sometimes its cookies, other times its chocolates or muffins. All are delicious. Once we also had a fruit platter.

Because the staff knows our preferences, they provide us with only one type of hanger. We never used the others.

Slowly, but securely the staff also knows, what sweets are especially successful with us.

Since we have achieved gold around a month ago we stayed in rooms without wear and tear. The In Room dining and the restaurant menu have changed quite frequently in the last months, so some dishes we really liked were gone, for example Bangers and Mash. When asking for it, the person responsible checked with the chef, if he/she could rustle it up for us, and it was never a problem. We appreciated that very much.

The receptionists also know, we prefer to have two key cards and like to keep them for our growing collection. Another big plus is that no matter when we arrived our room was always ready.

 

Staff

Well, to make it very short. The staff, no matter, who you encounter, is friendly, efficient and tries to make you comfortable. A big compliment not only to the front of house, but also to the back of house, especially the cleaning ladies and gentlemen. They do a great job, which is often overlooked. The rooms are spotlessly clean and should you meet a room maid on the floor they always greet you.

©2011

Hilton Dublin Airport, Dublin Ireland, Part 3

Rooms

 

There are three room types bookable:

 

- Double Hilton Guest Room

- Double Hilton Deluxe Guest Room

- Family Rooms.

 

The color scheme of the modern rooms is brown and red. They come with two pieces of art, one a photograph of a seascape, the other is a contemporary print.

All rooms with an uneven number overlook the air-conditioning units and an apartment block; even numbered rooms overlook the city and Clare Hall Shopping Center .

The size for the Double Guest Rooms and Double Hilton Deluxe Rooms is the same (26 square m / 280 square ft). The Family Rooms are slightly larger with 33 square m or 355 square ft.

All rooms have a flat screen TV, a wardrobe, safe, minibar, comfortable writing desk and double bed(s), alarm clock, hair dryer (hidden in the writing desk), further storage space, a coffee table with chair and ottoman.

The bathrooms offer a bath tub and shower combination and until now Crabtree & Evelyn amenities, which is going to change to Peter Thomas Roth worldwide, hopefully by the end of the year.

 

Guests staying in the Double Guest Room receive two bottles of water for free. The chair doesn't have a cushion, and there is no body lotion in the bathroom.

 

The middle rooms, I mentioned earlier, have a brown cushion, but still no body lotion.

 

The Double Deluxe Guest Rooms offer four bottles of water, a red cushion, same color as the chair, and body lotion.

 

I can't comment on the Family Rooms. Obviously we don't have kids, so the need has never arisen.

 

There are also a few corner rooms. They are larger than the Double Deluxe Hilton Guest Rooms and have a foyer. Access to the elevators is very easy. The corner rooms are just opposite.

The hotel offers also a suite, but I guess that's kept for the bride and groom, if they celebrate their wedding at the property or Diamond holders.

 

We liked all the rooms we had so far (Double, middle, Double Deluxe and the corner rooms).

Some show wear and tear, like scratched furniture, difficult to open / close bathroom doors, etc. Once or twice I encountered a telephone that had been moved from another room to the one we were staying in and had still the old room number on it. It can be confusing, if the guest doesn't remember in which room he or she is staying in.

Rooms on the first and second floor located over the bar/restaurant can experience some noise from the live music on Fridays/Saturdays, but otherwise the hotel is very quiet.

Overnight rates start from around 60 Euros / ca. 85 USD for the Double Rooms without breakfast to 115 Euros / ca. 160 USD.

The Deluxe Double starts from around 80 Euros / ca. 110 USD to 135 Euros / ca. 190 USD.

Of course sometimes the rates are higher, depending on how far in advance it’s booked, how many other guests/groups have booked, if you use prepaid rates, special offers and so on.

The hotel offers also a business package, park & fly, breakfast included or breakfast and dinner included.

©2011

Hilton Dublin Airport, Dublin Ireland, Part 2

The hotel

 

When entering the L-shaped hotel to the right is Burnell's Bar & Restaurant, an internet corner and the elevators. The reception is straight ahead. The lobby is modern. There is also a small seating area, monitors showing the departures and arrivals and a large clock behind the reception.

There is a dedicated counter for Hilton Honors (HH) members. The check in for them is always very quick, because the guest's details are already on file and printed out, so in the end it doesn't matter, where you check in. All the staff is well versed in the loyalty program.

We also know most of the reception staff. Generally there are always two on duty. During the night it's only one. If you stay frequently with them, they recognize you after a certain time and are genuinely happy to see you again and pleased to welcome you back. They show interest in you as well, wanting to know how your day was, where your next flight is going to, or if you just returned from travel, if you have any plans regarding achieving a certain level with Hilton Honors, or if you want to collect/spend your points.

Even if they show interest, it never takes more than two minutes to check us in, and we like that.

They always check, if we need a wake up call and make sure the shuttle is booked for us.

The interest of the staff and our loyalty to this property paid off for us.

Once our flight was leaving early in the morning, and we had to take the shuttle before breakfast was served. We had booked a room rate without breakfast, but because I told one of the receptionists a week or so earlier our goal with Hilton this year was to achieve Gold status for the first time ever, we were given the take away breakfast for free, even though we had only Silver at the time. It was a nice touch and made our day so much better. Normally only Gold and Diamond - the highest tiers of Hilton Honors - holders receive room upgrades, if they are available. Because we were staying so often with them, we received already little upgrades, for example when booking the entrance (double) room, we could be sure it was as requested on the higher floor and a few times received a middle room. They are between the Double and Double Deluxe Room and not officially bookable. I'll explain the differences later. Sometimes we also received a little sweet surprise on our room.

The hotel also has on site parking. It costs 5 Euro a day. A separate lift, which is marked as such, leads to the car park.

The public toilet is located on the ground floor to the right, shortly after the elevators and the reception.

There are meeting facilities (9 flexible meeting rooms and 1 ball room for up to 350 people) and a fitness center, called Living Well Express Gym, on the first floor.

The hotel offers also wedding packages, starting from 55 Euro / ca. 77 USD per person (assuming there are 100 guests).

The hotel offers also a shuttle to / from Malahide, a nearby town, in the evenings (don't remember if it's daily or only weekends, because we have never used it). Guests can go there for a change of scenery, enjoying the marina, dining and pubs.

On Fridays and Saturday from 21.30 hours the hotel offers live entertainment, going on until the bar and restaurant close.

Besides the restaurant and bar the hotel offers 24 hours room service too.

©2011

Hilton Hotel Dublin Airport, Dublin Ireland - Part 1

The Hilton Dublin Airport is our home away from home, having stayed there around twenty times. I  thought it would be a good idea to tell you, why its our favorite. There are going to be a few parts, starting with how to get from Dublin Airport to the hotel. 
If you arrive at Terminal 2, please use the walkway between Terminal 2 and 1, you arrive at Departures and have to go down to the Arrivals Hall. Below you find the description from Terminal 1. If you have stayed at the Hilton Dublin Airport, you might want to share your experience. It's always good to hear from fellow travelers. :)

Free Shuttle to/from the airport

 

Let me start with finding the bus stop for the Airport Shuttles. Since Dublin Airport grew, it's a little bit trickier to find.

The easiest way is coming from Terminal 1. Follow the signs for Buses/Taxi. When outside the Terminal, you see stops for the Airlink/Aircoach to the left. Ignore them and cross the street. You see another building. It's a parking garage and has an atrium with a supermarket. Go through the atrium. When outside, you see a church on the left. You must go in that direction, crossing a few more streets. Pass the church on your right and go through two covered walkways. The Hilton bus stop is right in front of the last walkway. Other buses that stop there are for the Metro, Bewley's and Carlton Hotels.

The van arrives every half hour, sometimes its 45 minutes, depending on flights arriving/departing. The first shuttle from the hotel leaves at 04.00 hours , the last van from the airport to the hotel 01.40 hours. We never had problems with the schedule. The shuttle always arrives. It rarely is delayed.

We had a different experience with another airport hotel. The service didn't prove so reliable.

The Hilton Dublin Airport has two vans, one for larger groups and one, if a smaller number of guests are expected.

Should there be too many guests going from the hotel to the airport, the hotel organizes a taxi to bring all of the passengers to their destination.

Having stayed here so frequently we know nearly all drivers. There are around five. Each has a different personality, but all have customer service and safety as their first priority. They are all friendly. When arriving they greet you with a hello and a smile, open the door for you, help you with your luggage and store it in the back of the van. Some are willing to chat. It's all depending how outgoing the guest and the driver are.

When arriving at the hotel the driver parks the car in front of the entrance opens the door for you again and unloads the luggage. There is no bell captain, so you have to take care of your own suitcase(s).

Last but not least it's essential to book the shuttle from the hotel to the airport. At times it can get very full.

©2011

Kiev

Kiev is a hilly and sprawling city. In my opinion, but others can disagree, the city is a mix of Mediterranean, Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empire styles. All streets are signed in Cyrillic, so for non Ukrainian/Russian speakers, orientation can be difficult.
Having prepared ourselves we definitely wanted to see St. Sophia's and St. Michael's of the Golden Domes. The Hyatt Regency, where we stayed, made it easy to explore both. Our room had even views over St. Michael's, but you can read about the hotel more in my previous review.
We spent the first evening exploring the hotel and a little bit of the surroundings - it was pleasantly warm, even when the sun went down.

On our first full day we went to Independence Square.  It's within walking distance, which makes the Hyatt Regency and the Intercontinental just opposite St. Michael's of the Golden Domes perfectly situated. There were some kind of ceremonies and celebrations going on. There was also live music and dance. Most performers were teenagers, and the songs were in Ukrainian, so we didn't understand a word, but the rhythm was good. Most dancing groups came from universities. The repertoire ranged from classic ballet to tango and modern dance to hip hop/break dance.
We explored the area further with its grand buildings and used a pedestrian bridge to cross the street. A warning here. Overall the city is save. We didn't encounter any thieves - security is very high with CCTV cameras everywhere and also security personal. It makes it also difficult to take photographs of the luxury cars or buildings, but that is not the warning. If you're under way as a couple or in a ladies group there are some men, who have tame pigeons. They try to put them on your arm and/or shoulder. Your partner is then asked to take a photograph. If you do, they want money (100 Ukrainian Hryvnia or ca. 9 Euros or 12.50 USD). They can be especially persistent, if you are women only. For some reason it seems those men believe when a woman says no she means yes. If you tell them often enough you aren't interested, they go away, though. It's a nuisance, but nothing more.
By the way the day was hot, but there are little stands, that sell beer, liqueur, water, coca cola and other soft drinks nearly on every corner. Prices are okay for the convenience, ca. 0.90 Euros / 1.25 USD for a 500 ml bottle of water. It can be higher, depending, if you prefer local water as we did or international water like Evian. For those who want a piece of home, there is also a McDonald's at Independence Square.

The next full day was again hot and sunny. We spent it on the grounds of St. Michaels of the Golden Domes. It's a Ukrainian Orthodox monastery, still in working order. Entrance is free. Only if visitors who want to see the museum and bell tower, have to pay, if memory serves me correctly, 8 Ukrainian Hryvnia or around 0.70 Euros/ 1 USD, for the entrance.  I also went into the church. It's different - much more opulent - to any Greek Orthodox church/cathedral - we have visited. It was beautiful, though.
The museum explains the history of St. Michaels. Unfortunately St. Michaels wasn't as lucky as St. Sophia's. The cathedral was completely destroyed and looted by the Russians in the 1930ies. Ukrainian Orthodox and Russian Orthodox isn't the same, which I didn't know until travelling to Kiev. It's similar, though. Besides trying to force communism on the Ukrainians, the Russian government also wanted to unify the religious believes.
The history of St. Michael's dates back to the 12th century. The museum exhibits archeological artifacts found on the grounds during excavations, newspaper articles - mostly in Russian and Ukrainian - old photographs, prints and sketches. It is very difficult to find much in English, but most of the exhibition is self explanatory. The majority of the visitors are from the region.
Some of the looted items, like mosaics have been returned to the Ukrainian government, others are still in Russian hands.
After the fall of communism, and the Ukrainians gained independence, they started rebuilding St. Michael's. The bell tower contains a lot of bells with different weights and sizes. Every hour they start to ring and play a pre-programmed melody. The whole thing works full automatic. Besides admiring the bells - one is sponsored by the Klitschko brothers, the World Champion Boxers, who hail from the Ukraine - we enjoyed 360 degree views over Kiev.
The gardens are inviting, too, and they are big. Of course we did see also monks, who live in the compound.

After St. Michael's we just arrived in time to visit St. Sophia's opposite.
St. Sophia's Cathedral is a museum. The entrance price is depending, what the visitor wants to do. Access to the garden costs the least; access to all that St. Sophia's has to offer is the highest. It cost around 100 Ukrainian Hryvnia for two.
We visited the gardens and the former living quarters of the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Christians. There is also St. Sophia's itself, a bakery and so on. St. Sophia's nearly had the same fate as St. Michael's but was saved thanks to protests from the French government at the time.

On our last day we went exploring the city. We passed St. Sophia's and found a street market, selling everything from paintings to Ukrainian souvenirs. There is also a restaurant and a small lane, easily to overlook. It leads to a museum (couldn't find out which one) and a small chapel. We saw luxury shops, government buildings, a theatre, St. Andrew's and the Golden Gate. It dates back to the 11th century and was part of the city wall.

We enjoyed visiting Kiev and made us interested in seeing other Ukrainian cities as well, like Odessa or Donetsk and of course return to Kiev.

©2011

The Priest

The background to this story goes back to early July, when my better half asked me, if I could write a ghost story. Well, I read a few to get an idea how to approach the subject. One of the results was published earlier, titled A visit to the theater.
I read a story about a priest, who appears at a lake. It seems the ghost priest is not very talkative and nobody knows why he is appearing. It got my fantasy going, this is the result.
For those who don't know Samuel Richards, here is a short explanation to make some of the content easier to understand.
Samuel Richards is a successful author. He is famous for The Corrigan Saga, beginning in Ireland during the Great Famine and continuing until the present.
He is married for the second time. His first wife died. To find out more how it happened, you can read Adrianna's Destiny and The Impact.



Why was he here? Damn Honey Bunny!
Sam was in a dark mood. His agent had taken up an invitation on his behalf to give a lecture to the Historical Writing Society in Maine.
He had clearly told Honey Bunny he had no interest, and what had she done?! The whole opposite! The dark sky and the rough sea reflected his mood well.
The society held a work shop at Ogilvy House, a faux Victorian castle, built by a timber magnate at the turn of the 20th century. Now it was a hotel. Sam admitted the location was dramatic and romantic at the same time and under different circumstances he would have enjoyed his stay.
At the moment he hated it, though, and felt like running away. He couldn't let down the Writing Society, and Honey Bunny had built on Sam's guilty conscience, when she sent him his flight tickets and a note what was expected of him two weeks before the event.
If Honey Bunny would have been with Sam, he would have strangled her. Sam left an angry voicemail on her cell. Of course there had been no reply to it. Honey Bunny and Sam had started their respective careers at the same time and knew each other well, so Sam bet Honey was going to call him after his return to Sao Paulo. By then he had calmed down enough, and they would chat as if nothing had happened.
Sam decided to go for a walk, following the path along the coast. He put on his warmest coat and went out. Sam managed to shake off any admirers quickly. Only Mrs. Lionis, the busybody of the organization, proved difficult. "Mr. Richards, it's going to rain soon. Why don't you join me with coffee and cookies in the library? I bet we can snatch a seat by the open fire." Sam didn't care for coffee, cookies or company. "Maybe later, Mrs. Lionis. I'm back before the rain starts." "You know your way around, Mr. Richards? I don't want to start a search commando for you." Sam gritted his teeth. "Mrs. Lionis, I have lived in the area for seven years. Don't worry." "If you wait a moment, I'll join you." "NO! I mean ... I'm looking for a moment’s solitude, you know, getting inspiration for the Corrigan’s ..." Sam grabbled for the right words. He didn't want to hurt Mrs. Lionis feelings. She looked crest fallen. "Sure, Mr. Richards." Sam sighed with relief. He left quickly before Mrs. Lionis or somebody else decided otherwise.
Sam had walked for quite a while, when he arrived at a natural bay. He watched the sea. It was time to turn around, if he wanted dinner. He didn't want to go back. Because he was unhappy and deep in thought about his first wife, he hadn't heard or seen the other man. Maybe it was because of the dark clothing the stranger was wearing. Sam didn't know what it was, but something was odd. It turned out the stranger was a priest. That didn't explain, what was unusual. The priest was deep in thought, too and murmuring under his breath. If Sam heard right, it sounded like Latin. "Hello, Father." Sam greeted the priest. There was no reply. Sam tried again, feeling slightly spooked. "I'm sorry, son, if I've overlooked you. It seems we were both looking for a quiet place. Have you any problems, Sam?" Sam hadn't noticed the priest had used his name, otherwise he would have wondered how the stranger could have known it. "Not really. I'm just sad..." Sam didn't finish. "Well, I'm here, because I try to figure out something." "Can I help you?" Sam asked the grey haired gentleman. "Keep me company for a moment." The priest was searching in his jacket and with a satisfied: "Ahh!" withdrew a flask. "I think you can do with a strong sip! I've made up my mind, by the way." Sam unscrewed the cap and smelled. Whisky! The priest smiled. "The finest Glenlivet." He confirmed. Sam was a whisky aficionado and could not refuse. He took a gulp. "Take another one, Sam. You are going to need it." Sam's eye brows went up. "I have a message from Adrianna." Sam thought he hadn't heard right, and it must have shown, because the priest said: "Yes, it's true. She asked me to tell you not to worry and stop feeling guilty. She is always with you, and she is happy you are together with Hue. It was her time to go." Sam was outraged. "Who are you? A charlatan? Do you want a story or money?" "No, I'm Father Brennigan and I'm just a messenger. Adrianna said you would be here, and her wish was to let you know she and the unborn baby are alright." "You are either a liar or mad, and I won't listen to you!" Sam's eyes were blazing. He was angry somebody would abuse the death of his wife Adrianna to gain access to him. Sam turned and started to walk away. "Hue is pregnant. She is going to call you this evening to tell you the good news. It's going to be twins, a boy and a girl. Adrianna says the pregnancy is going to be plain sailing, and the twins are going to be born natural." This prophecy made Sam stop in his tracks. He was loosing his temper completely. "Keep my family out of this, bastard!" The priest stayed calm and replied absolutely serious: " Sam, I know more about you than you prefer. Adrianna said, you could be stubborn, so as a sign, that I'm not lying, I'm going to tell you of one episode only you and Adrianna know about. The names you choose for the two oldest children of Lisbeth Corrigan and Socrates Rokou are the names your children would have had, if you and Adrianna had any." Father Brennigan was right. Sam shivered. It felt like icy hands were touching his spine. He turned. The man had vanished.
When Sam returned to his room in complete shock, the telephone was ringing. As predicted it was Hue, telling Sam she was pregnant. Sam didn't understand it. He needed a drink. Fast! Sam went downstairs to the bar, ordering another whisky. The bartender filled the glass to a quarter. "More." Sam ordered. The bartender complied, adding a little bit more. "More." Sam requested. "Sure?" The bartender asked concerned. Sam gave the affirmative. The bartender topped it up nearly to the rim. Sam emptied the glass. "Thank you." "Mr. Richards, you look as if you have seen a ghost." "Maybe I have, Mrs. Lionis." Sam told her about his adventure. "Can you describe Father Brennigan?" Mrs. Lionis was quite startled, when she heard what the priest looked like. "Let me speak to my colleagues and do some research. I'll come back to you."

Later that evening Mrs. Lionis presented Sam with a manila folder. "Is this your fellow?” She asked. It contained a print out of a black and white photograph, showing the priest, Sam had seen just a few hours before. He nodded. "Francis Dougal Brennigan, born 17th of October 1867 in Edinburgh, Scotland, died 17th of October 1929 in Portland, Maine. Irish-Scottish family background, came in 1886 to the US, studied for priesthood and worked in the poorest neighborhoods of Portland until he died. Father Brennigan tried to save children out of a burning building, sustained fatal injuries, when the house crumbled under the fire with Father Brennigan inside and succumbed to them on his 62nd birthday. He was very much beloved and sorely missed. Anecdotes describe Father Brennigan as warm, no-nonsense and whisky loving. Local folklore has it that he appears around his birthday at the bay, deep in thought and grumbling. Normally he ignores people." Sam was white as a sheet. He never had believed in ghosts before, and there was no rational explanation what had happened.
It struck Sam as odd that his wife and Father Brennigan had birthday on the same day, only one hundred ten years apart. Both died around their birthdays in the Portland area, and Sam had himself Scottish and Irish ancestors.
He double checked with his family and friends, if Adrianna had mentioned baby names to them, but nobody knew about the connection between Leon and Minna Rokou in the Corrigan Saga.

Six months later Salvador Conway and Eleni Dale Richards were born. Eleni first, Salvador eight minutes later without Hue needing a Caesarean section.

Father Brennigan was never seen again.

©2011