Christmas in Dublin

Guest: Kendra (Kansas City, MO)
Date of Stay: 12/23/11 Review Submitted: 01/02/12

We just returned from a week stay at this apartment and it was lovely. We were met at the airport and driven to the apartment where Liz was waiting to welcome us. The preparation for our arrival was very thoughtful, even including a Christmas tree and box of decorations! The apartment was clean and comfortable. The location was great - right on a city bus line and about a 15 minute walk to city centre.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

A great pied-à-terre in Dublin

Guest: Arizona Marilyn (Arizona)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 05/23/11

My sisters and I took our mother for a long awaited trip to Dublin, and the Cork street apartment was our base of operations. This was the nicest VRBO property I have ever stayed in. The place is lovely, with comfortable and functional furniture, excellent electronics and a close to the center, but not crowded, locale. The photos are accurate, but don't reveal all the little touches which make this place so special. A drawer full of adapters, a basket with brochures of practically every attraction in the Republic (including bus maps), wooden and flocked hangers for a variety of clothes, a sturdy coat rack in the front hall for all those umbrellas and raincoats, a variety of CDs and a player for them, lovely scented lotion and soaps in the bathrooms, a great assortment of usable cooking gear, spices and of course the fresh grocery basket; I could just go on and on. Liz is a great hostess and made us tea. She did a thorough job acquainting us with the apartment and area, with plenty of written information in handy notebooks to refer to later. A panicky phone call the next day was immediately answered and solved the mystery of what I was doing wrong with the washer. The location has a convenience store on the corner, a full grocery store a half a block down the street, bus stops practically in front of the building and a lovely plate window looking out over a green space with an enormous tree. One morning as I was having breakfast I heard horse hoofs and looked out to see a decorated horse drawn carriage obviously heading for a wedding. Another reviewer complained of ambulances all night, this was not our experience. We did hear some emergency vehicles, but not many considering we were in a major city. The bedrooms out back have a view of the Gravity Bar atop the Guinness museum. Responsive management, good location, comfortable furnishings, RELIABLE WiFi ( easier claimed than usually found), IPod docks in the kitchen and each bedroom. Ok, I will stop. You can't go wrong here. We loved it.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, age 55+, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, families with young children.

Strongly recommended. A great place to stay with the most helpful and responsive owners...ever!

Guest: Rick (Sydney, Australia)
Date of Stay: 03/19/11 Review Submitted: 04/04/11

My wife and I and our adult daughter stayed in the apartment for 6 nights from 12-17 March and then for a 7th night on 21 March. We found the apartment to be a good size, well fitted out with very comfortable beds and a well equipped kitchen and in a good location. It is no more than 20 minutes walk into the city centre and there is ample public transport (not to mention Dublin's 17000 taxis!). There are good shops nearby which are open for extended hours. This is all great but to be honest is probably what you would expect on renting an apartment like this and reflects the description on the website. What really set the experience apart for us was the exceptionally friendly and helpful approach of the owners Cathy and Liz. I have never come accross such responsive hosts. I felt as if Liz spent her life huddeld over her mobile so she could respond to texts as soon as she received them! There was lots of good material provided in the apartment from guide books through to personalised instructions and recommendations of things to do but again the outstanding point was their flexibility. First we needed the apartment for a week but with a four day gap between days 1-6 and day 7. Clearly not a conveneient arrangement for owners but our request was accomodated immediately with no extra charge. Second we decided half way through that we did want access to the car park (having previously said we didn't). The nearest "zapper" to open the garage door was down in Galway but Liz immediately arranged to acquire a new one and make it available to us in Dublin. And when I say immediately I mean immediately! Really friendly and really helpful and clearly wanted us to enjoy ourselves in their apartment. With owners like these the flat perhaps not surprisingly felt like home from home with lots of homely touches, great equipment and a wonderful starter pack. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Perfect short stay apartment in Dublin sums it up!

Guest: Tom (NYC)
Date of Stay: 02/19/11 Review Submitted: 03/03/11

We recently stayed here at this apartment for our first trip to Dublin. Four of us managed quite comfortably and really enjoyed our time here. Bright sunshine poured into the apartment in the morning. The terrace was a nice escape for some fresh air before leaving for our adventures for the day. The apartment had all amenities, was very clean, and well stocked with a great basket of goodies and then some from the owner. Our correspondence with the owner prior to our arrival was always on point with great recommendations. There is a convenience store directly across the street, ATM machine, and transportation around the city was never a problem. Buses, and taxis were always around and if we walked we were not far from Christchurch, Temple Bar, and other fun areas. Our meet and greet person was fantastick, bubbling with energy and excitement about things to do in Dublin. The LUAS tram is nearby making journeys outside of Dublin very easy to do. We made trips to Galway and to DunLaoghaire. Definitely would stay here again.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.

Great Place to Stay

Guest: Wynn and Cindy (Florida)
Date of Stay: 06/06/10 Review Submitted: 06/17/10

We stayed here in Dublin in June. It was a great place to stay. The owner left a well-filled welcome basket of foods that lasted most of the week. It is a well-equipped, clean place to stay in a typical urban neighborhood. Along with the welcome basket, it was a lot like staying at Aunt Molly's. There are a couple of food stores within a block, and once you get accustomed to the public transportation system, it is relatively easy to get around. The weather got sunnier as the week went on, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. The Shakespeare Festival at Trinity College was especially entertaining. We would definitely stay there again on our next trip to Dublin.

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Far surpassed our expectations

Guest: BridgetCG (Indiana, USA)
Date of Stay: 05/15/10 Review Submitted: 06/11/10

My sisters and I took our dad on a trip to Dublin and it was important to us that we stay somewhere that was centrally located and allowed us to cook and the apartment was both. First of all, our plane was delayed a day coming in and Liz was SO accommodating. She even sent her lovely son Robert to come pick us up from the train station when we finally arrived. The apartment literally has a bus stop right outside of the door so getting around was a breeze (plus, Dublin's public transport is amazingly efficient- we never waited more than 5 minutes). That was especially helpful because my dad has a lot of health problems and can't walk very far. Even if you opted to walk, it was VERY close to shopping/restaurants. The apartment itself isn't done justice by the pictures. The kitchen comes stocked with all the utensils you need. There was internet and cable. The beds were VERY comfortable. Also, the apartment is located in a building that's gated and requires a key for the front gate so we felt very safe. There is even a BEAUTIFUL roof-top veranda that gives a panoramic view of the Wicklow Mountains. The apartment was very clean and Liz even had some essential grocceries (eggs, bread, milk, etc.) waiting for us when we arrived. At first we were thinking of renting 2 hotel rooms for the 4 of us, but after doing some research we found out that doing that would be more expensive than staying at this apartment and with this option, we also saved money by having the kitchen because we were able to make our own breakfasts and dinners rather than eating out every day. Plus, there is a washer and dryer there so we were able to pack light and do a load of laundry mid-week. I HIGHLY reccommend staying here.You would be foolish not to.

Recommended for:Girls getaway, families with teenagers, adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, people with disabilities, sightseeing, families with young children.

Cork Street Apartment- The Perfect Place to Stay in Dublin

Guest: Chance187 (Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/29/10 Review Submitted: 06/10/10

This really is the perfect place to stay! The apartment itself is extremely spacious and very well equipped. There are many personal touches that make you feel you are in a home, not just a rental apartment. The location is fabulous as it is a short ten minute walk to the Luas Tram that wizzes you into the centre of town in about fifteen minutes. The apartment is near grocery stores and amenities. Great take-out pizza across from the grocery store on Cork Street. As you walk to the tram, you walk through a lovely residential area of townhouses that are well kept with lovely little gardens. I felt very safe in this area, but would never travel late at night by public transit anywhere. The owner was extremely helpful and left many brochures about the area. It is also very nice to be picked up and welcomed by the meet and greet person. The welcome basket was much appreciated with its bread, milk, eggs, bacon, fruit, pasta, chocolate etc. It's so nice to have a few groceries to begin with as you don't have to run out to the store right away. All in all, we found this apartment to be extremely comfortable, convenient and relaxing. It met all of our expectations. We highly recommend it! Karen and Stu, Canada

Recommended for:Families with teenagers, age 55+, tourists without a car, families with young children.

Fair price- scary neighborhood

Guest: 1st time in Ireland (New York, US)
Date of Stay: 08/18/08 Review Submitted: 08/06/09

This apartment is located on the outskirts of Dublin in a questionable area. I would not recommend this rental to a family as the neighborhood is not safe with sirens blaring all night long. The cabbie did not want to leave us on the street until we entered the complex and kept asking to make sure we were in the correct place. The rate was fair and the apartment was clean but unavailable when we arrived due to the owner just waking and her and her daughter frantically trying to clean. The dryer did not work properly when we stayed there. Spent a fair amount of time just getting into Dublin as apt. is not conveniently located to the city. We took mass transit once, but returning at night is a scary experience and we live in NY! On the plus side, it was nice to have access to a kitchen so we did not have to eat out all the time in Dublin.

Owner response:Sorry HomeAway - but these guests stayed in the apartment for a few days last August 2008 - ONE YEAR AGO. We wonder their comments arrive now - in August 2009? We are so surprised because at the time they seemed so happy with the apartment and during their stay we even sent SMS/txt msgs to enquire after this, (as we do, to check that things are all okay). To our FUTURE GUESTS: we ask you to note that this family's comments are NOT about the apartment itself and its comforts, but appear to be more about the safety of Dublin in general at the time. Some clarifications: The apartment is NOT located on the outskirts of Dublin - a look at a Dublin map will clarify this. Our location is excellent for whizzing around Dublin central. We think they did not use the regular bus service that stops just outside, and it sounds like they depended on the Luas tram only - this would have been a very circuitous way of coming & going. The family arrived on an early bird flight & came to the apt without recalling our 2PM OR AFTER check-in time. It is always risky for us to match dawn flight arrivals, especially with a simultaneous check-out. Expectations run high and of course we had to rush to facilitate them at 8am in the morning. The family had a need to continue a daughters athletics training by long runs in the city centre at unusual times. WE urged THEM to note street safety issues for unaccompanied running by a 15 y/o at odd hours. This advice would be respected by most visitors to any large city! There is a large maternity Hospital further away at Dolphins Barn which means that ambulances yes, can indeed move with urgency along Cork Street at times. We truly DO enjoy looking after our guests and are always working towards this. We do not enjoy aggressive guests such as recent visitors who although only staying for 3 days - trashed & truly soiled the apartment and then stole various items! These comments ONE YEAR LATER make us question again - why the time delay? Perhaps the family should have contacted us directly to express their opinions first and allow us respond to them before they have rushed to post globally their comments. The Cork Street Apartment is lovely to stay in, and has offered many guests & families great convenience, easy access to lots of fun & romantic city centre activities, and we keep a close eye on this workability, it is our business! Thank you.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers.

Lovely Find in Dublin

Guest: travel mom (Ohio)
Date of Stay: 03/22/09 Review Submitted: 04/03/09

The Cork St Apt was a lovely home to our family of 4 in the early spring of 2009. The property was in excellent condition w/ a lovely "gift basket" of staples ready for us upon arrival. The owners were delightful to work with and very helpful...esp as this was our first VRBO experience. The location was great...easy cab ride or very easy bus ride (right outside the front door) into city centre. Walking is also an easy alternative during the day. There are so many sites to visit right close to the apt....esp the museums, but do take the DART rail service both north and south along the coast. Absolutely beautiful and a nice break from the busy activity of the city. We found it easier to get to pubs by 6pm if we wanted to sit and eat a dinner....they crowd up quickly, but are worth the wait!!! Busy city, friendly people, so much history, lots of shopping, & wonderful learning curves. "Layer" clothes....it can be cold!!!! I bought several colorful scarves!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, romantic getaway, age 55+, tourists without a car, sightseeing, families with young children.