Hotel Abbey, Dublin
I've never been able to work out whether the Hotel Abbey is properly the Abbey Hotel or the Hotel Abbey. It seems they're not sure either: the sign outside says "Abbey Hotel" while their main literature sports a designer-cool AH logo, reflecting perhaps their stated mission to be "a small hotel with large hotel standards".
By all accounts, from the travellers I've talked to, they achieve that. This is the kind of small hotel that offers home comforts with a personal touch, at a price within the range of the budget traveller, but that prides itself on keeping its standards on a par with the big boys. With an ideal city centre location across the road from the fine offices of The Irish Independent (and formerly The Nation), The Abbey is perfect for the holiday traveller and has built up a large following of regular guests.
Location, charm, attention to detail and a fair price, not to mention two good bars; the only gripe I'd have with the Abbey is their branding - two titles and three different logos suggest something of a crisis of identity, or perhaps it's just a sign of the improvements that have been made along the way.
Accommodation
Double and twin bedrooms are all ensuite with TV, telephones, hairdryer, complimentary toiletries and trouser press - all the comforts that you would expect to find in a larger hotel. All rates are for bed and breakfast.
Eating & Drinking
Like many a small hotel, the bar is the focal point of the Abbey (and, probably, its revenue). Mojos, AKA The Abbey Bar and formerly The Black Abbot, is a very pleasant place in an intimate traditional style - all pews and nooks. It runs through the building from Middle Abbey Street at the front to The Lotts at the back, where it rises to two levels.
They do an excellent lunch and a wide-ranging evening menu, at good prices for the city centre. Also breakfast up to 1 o'clock.
An aside: the one time I had lunch in The Abbey was as a guest of the State. Juries from the Four Courts are fed on rotation in a number of local venues (in our case The Abbey and Wynn's Hotel), so if you happen to see a group of twelve good men and women and true, accompanied by an obviously plain-clothed peeler, grab the nearest table and eavesdrop.
Reservations
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