Dublin Hotels

Guidebooks

Fodor's Ireland 2013

The Clarence

At a Glance

Pros

stylish Octagon Bar
the owners might be on-premises
Tea Room restaurant

Cons

rooms a bit small
some rooms suffer from street noise
paying a premium for "cool."

Write a review

Fodorite Reviews

Average Rating:

Fodor's FindsLowest Price Guarantee

The Clarence Review

Temple Bar's most prestigious hotel, and occasional home to your potential new best friends/elevator buddies, co-owners Bono and the Edge of U2, this renovated 1852 grand old hotel is the place to be to sample Temple Bar's nightlife, even if your pals are too busy rocking to hang. The design of the public spaces reveals a subtle palette of natural tones and materials, and maintains the unique shapes and Arts-and-Crafts style of the old hotel in the Octagon Bar and the elegant Tea Room restaurant. Guest rooms, with Shaker-style furniture, are a bit underwhelming, decorated in a mishmash of earth tones accented with crimson, royal blue, gold, and chocolate. With the exception of those in the penthouse suite, rooms are small. The laissez-faire service seems to take its cue from the minimalist style, so if you like to be pampered, stay elsewhere.

Contact Information

Address: 6-8 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin, Co. Dublin, Dublin 2 | Map It
Phone: 01/407-0800
Website: www.theclarence.ie
Location: Temple Bar

Hotel Details

44 rooms, 5 suites.
Credit cards accepted.

Write a review

Fodorite Reviews

Average Rating:

Room

Décor

Service

Value

Sounds better than it is

My husband and I recently travelled to Dublin. We were so excited to be staying at the Clarence...it was getting good reviews and it must be cool right, Bono owns it. The room was mediocre. The bed was uncomfortable and the temperature was all off. It was very noisy as it is close to Temple Bar and on a main street. The restaurant and Bar were so highly rated. We chose not to eat in the restaurant because it was expensive and the menu was not all that great. We did have a few drinks in the bar, but again, more hype than it was worth. We didn't hate it, but for the price, would not stay there again.

by gesellpartyof5, 12/16/08