Review: Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport, Dublin

For the work-cum-mini-vacation part of my visit in Dublin, I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport. This turned out to be a perfect fit for me, and I couldn't have hoped for a better stay than what I had here. Here's a review.

Index of posts

Hotel review

The hotel is located on the way from the airport to the city, but is actually about 7 or 8 km from the city centre. However, it is well connected by buses and taxis, which is why I chose this hotel. Given that it was relatively low-priced at about Euro 120 a night (last minute booking), compared to hotels in the city that were upwards of Euro 225 a night, I'd save close to 100 Euros a night even after factoring in transport costs.

En route from Dublin airport to the Holiday Inn Express

There are a lot of hotels that tag "Dublin Airport" to their name (including the Holiday Inn Express), though none of these are attached to the airport or even in airport's immediate area. However, they are located within a 2-4 km range, and operate free shuttles to and from the airport, throughout the day.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - airport transfer shuttle

I took the shuttle to the hotel, which shares a wall with the Crowne Plaza (another IHG hotel) right next door. The hotels are located inside Northwood Park, a large gated community sort of place.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - entry to Northwood Park

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - Northwood Park

The shuttle stopped at the Crowne Plaza, where I had to get down.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - Adjacent Crowne Plaza Hotel

A further walk of 30 metres brought me to the Holiday Inn Express, located in an unassuming building.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - hotel building

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - lobby

The front desk was manned by only one person (this seemed to be the case pretty much on all the occasions I passed by, though naturally there were different people in shifts). Colm was the hotel's general manager who was also on duty attending the front desk, at the time of my arrival.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - front desk

A word about Colm, who turned out to be an extremely pleasant host and was greatly helpful in setting up a sort of itinerary for visiting town. He went to the extent of suggesting that I might not have exact fare for the bus ride, and offered to change notes into coins.

He also gave me the option of a drink or points as a welcome amenity. Just before check-in, I'd received an update on my booking, for a free drink in addition to the welcome amenity, so I chose the points.

Opposite the check in desk are some individual couches for guests who need to wait.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - lobby

Right next to the waiting area is a small space that serves as a business centre, with a couple of seats, PCs and a printer.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - business centre

And adjacent to the front desk is a small bar, manned by the front desk themselves. This leads to a larger seating area that also serves as a "lounge" of sorts (there is no executive lounge at HIX properties), where one can relax and watch TV, with or without a drink.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - bar-and-lounge

I went up to my room on the third floor, which was undergoing housekeeping works at the time. But it wasn't really an issue, at least for me, since my plan was to drop my bags, have a quick refresh, and head out to work.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - hallway to rooms

Here's a look at my room. Though small, it was perfect for my purpose. Most importantly, it looked fresh and clean (almost to an excessive degree!).

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - bedroom

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - work desk

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - bathroom

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - toilet and shower cubicle

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - coffee maker and mirror

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - bedroom artwork

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - luggage storage areas

There wasn't much of a view from the room, but then, I spent hardly any time in my room, so this wasn't much of a factor for me.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - view from room

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - view from room

After a quick refresh, I headed out to Dublin city, which in retrospect, isn't as large as I expected it to be. The key spots to visit, and many others, can easily be covered on foot once you're at the Spire on O'Connell Street.

The Spire, O'Connell Street, Dublin

I returned rather late in the evening, and Colm was at the front desk again. Given how tired I was, I immediately took up his suggestion to encash my e-voucher for a drink at the bar. Mine was a pint of the local hero - Guinness!

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - bar

Some football (of the soccer variety) was playing on TV, which I watched with some of the other hotel guests at the bar.

Breakfast the following morning was at the Express Start, which sort of serves as the restaurant. Other than this, the HIX doesn't sport a restaurant - one has to head to the Crowne Plaza next door which features an oriental restaurant, in addition to a bar.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - breakfast area

It was quite full, given it was a weekday. I was also quite surprised by the number of folks dressed in business attire - I wouldn't have imagined this hotel to host too many business people, given its distance from the city centre which is also the commercial hub.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - breakfast area

Breakfast itself was self serve, with simple but delicious food that included scrambled eggs, breads and toast, baked beans, cheeses, fruit and yogurts.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - breakfast

There was also a separate coffee counter, and a juice counter with two varieties of juices.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - breakfast

I picked something rather simple.

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - breakfast

The hotel also has a vending machine for soft drinks and snacks, which is open round the clock...very useful!

Holiday Inn Express Dublin Airport - vending machines

Transport from hotel

As I mentioned earlier, the hotel is about 3 kms from the airport and 7-8 kms from Dublin's city centre. That said, the hotel runs shuttles every half hour throughout the day (hourly, late at night) to the airport and back, which addresses one part of the transport problem.

As regards getting to the city goes, taxis and Uber cabs are available through the day, and can cost roughly 25-30 Euros one way. Alternatively, there are bus services running from just outside the main gates (a 400m walk from the hotel), which stop right in the middle of O'Connell, and cost Euro 2.70. Sure, this takes 20 minutes longer than a cab would, but is completely worth the views and the cost savings.

Conclusion

I found the hotel to be absolutely perfect for a solo traveler like myself. Vinay stayed at the same hotel a few months back, and he too has only positives to say about the hotel. Sure, this isn't the most convenient for large families, but I think for one or two people, this is a great fit. One other advantage of not being inside the urban area is the absolute peace and quiet one gets at this hotel. Finally, if all their staff are of similar disposition as Colm, the manager, I think it is safe to say that the staff are extremely friendly and helpful.

Overall, a fantastic stay, and a hotel I'll definitely be returning to, if and when I get to Dublin next.

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