Two years ago my sorority sisters and I decided to organize a European summer vacation, and this year eleven college friends were able to meet up in Greece over the July 4th holiday! Because I can never just go somewhere and come back, I took a short pre-group-vacation trip to Ireland.
Ticket prices were higher than I was really comfortable with, and I was also trying to swing through France on the way home to catch the final Women’s World Cup match in Lyon. Since I wanted to maximize my time (arriving and departing from different cities) and minimize the money spent (a multi-city itinerary like that would have been just awful, price-wise), I used 60,000 United miles + $91 to book my core flights, which included a 3-day stop in Ireland.
Typically, I try to book international award tickets 10-12 months early, so I wasn’t surprised to see there were no redemptions available in January/February at my price point from San Francisco to Athens in late June. To get around this, I used United’s Excursionist Perk to engineer a short stopover in Ireland before continuing on to my ultimate destination of Greece.
Getting There
Sometimes using award flights means taking an indirect path. Though SFO has a nonstop flight to Dublin, my United Saver Award wanted me to experience LAX first. [insert mega sideeye here]. So, I flew United to LA at 2pm and then switched to my 10pm Aer Lingus flight. I was slightly worried that I might need to pick up my checked bag at LAX and re-check it with Aer Lingus, but the United agents at SFO checked it through to Dublin – score! no need to exit security on my layover!
My joy was short-lived, however. I arrived at LAX to realize that though I’ve flown into LAX plenty of times, I’ve rarely transited there, and their entire system for certain transfers is absolutely, undeniably, 100% bonkers. I had to literally leave the terminal, go to ground transportation, wait for…I don’t know how long (but like 5 minutes would have still been too long for this foolery and it was far longer than 5 minutes) to catch a bus – yes, a BUS – through LAX traffic to the other part of the airport where I, again, went through security – this time without TSA PreCheck, since Aer Lingus doesn’t participate. A process which nobody, in all these years, has thought should be improved. Or at least represented with proper signage at any point. Who. Runs. This. Airport.
Anywho, part of traveling is accepting that everything doesn’t always go that great, and apparently, this was one of those times. I was looking forward to spending most of my 4-hour layover relaxing in a nice airport lounge, but naturally, I had failed to read the fine print (or perhaps they added more fine print after I’d read it), and I arrived at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse to find that Priority Pass cardholders are only admitted to the lounge between the hours of 5am and 11:30am. Seriously. Who writes these rules? People united against joy and light.
Of course, this was the perfect time for a delayed flight. There was nothing for it but to post up in a semi-fancy airport bar and enjoy a glass of prosecco with grilled shrimp. I eventually made it on the plane, enjoyed a comfortable flight (shoutout to Aer Lingus and their quite good economy dining options), landed in Dublin the next day, and fortunately had purchased a flexible regional bus ticket with Bus Eireann, so I was soon on my way to my first destination, Athlone.
Sheraton Athlone Hotel
In an effort to maintain my Marriott elite status, I perused at their hotel options in Ireland, noticing that most of the Dublin properties required a fair amount of my dwindling points. I decided to try the smaller town of Athlone for 2 nights, which boasts a full-service Sheraton for only 17,500 Marriott points per night. I later changed to a paid reservation, since the AAA rate was just 90€/night – I could free up 35,000 Marriott points to use for a more expensive stay elsewhere, and the $205 for this stay would be erased by the $300 credit on the Bonvoy Brilliant credit card.
I arrived on Wednesday to find that the property had given me an amazing upgrade to one of their penthouse suites! It was a fantastic room, with remote-controlled curtains over floor-to-ceiling windows, and a spacious bathroom complete with a luxurious tub overlooking the city. I also had free breakfast as part of my Platinum benefits, and I experienced some of the best yogurt I’ve ever had in my life. I kid you not, Killowen Farm’s Wexford Blackcurrant flavor is literally award-winning yogurt. I knew I had a discerning palate.
Galway & Cliffs of Moher
On Thursday, I had a 50€ day tour scheduled with Athlone Tour Company to the Cliffs of Moher, which included a few hours in Galway. I thought Galway was adorable, especially the Latin Quarter with its stone storefronts and narrow, curving pedestrian-only streets.
The cliffs were absolutely breathtaking, extremely windy…and exceedingly overrun with fellow tourists. I’m sure if I’d either driven myself (no effing way – to both the actual road, and Irish-style driving that occurs on it), or been more of a hiker, I could have avoided the worst of the crowds, but it was still an enjoyable visit anyway. Though I’m still puzzled by the sheer volume of people who decided to ignore the safety barrier in pursuit of the perfect photo. #teamstayalive
The tour bus actually started and ended in Dublin, picking me up and dropping me off along the way, and I was very glad to be located where I was, as it would have been an super long day otherwise. I returned early enough to rest up a bit and then do some light exploring around Athlone, ending the evening with live music and beer at a local pub called Peddler Mac’s.
Athlone
Art, History, & Architecture
Friday morning I visited Athlone Castle, which had engaging exhibits and an informative audio guide. Across the street from the castle is The Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and also the Luan Gallery. I peeked into the church, but didn’t stay long since preparations for a wedding were underway, and then I took a quick look at the gallery, which is quite small and intimate, changing to a new installation every two months or so. It’s a very tranquil space that also has fantastic views of the river.
Dublin
That afternoon, I took the train into Dublin, checked into the Aloft Dublin City (25,000 Marriott points), took a quick walk around the neighborhood and then headed around the corner to Teeling Whiskey Distillery for a tasting.
Irish Whiskey
I had never heard of Teeling, which touts itself as being the first whiskey distiller to open in Dublin in 125 years, but since I was interested in touring a functioning distillery and tasting good whiskey, I decided to try the Teeling tour instead of the more popular Jameson one. It was a great tour that walked our group of about 20 through the history of whiskey in Ireland, the history of the Teeling brand, and parts of their warehouse where the actual whiskey-making process happens, wrapping up with tastes of some truly unique and delicious whiskeys.
About 2 months earlier, I had pre-booked a time slot for the Distillery Select Tasting for 30€, and while I do believe they had a few walk-up spots available, many of the times had already sold out by the time I booked . If you’re at all limited on times, this is something you’d definitely want to arrange early.
I had a bit of a marathon planned for my last day. I had grabbed a 1-day Leap Visitor Card at the airport for 10€ when I first landed (unlimited city transit for the purchased time period – an excellent value), so I started early and caught a local bus to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells exhibit and the Long Room in the Old Library.
Trinity College
I thought the book itself wasn’t the most exciting – the exhibit had a ton of really cool information about how the monks went about the process of hand writing and binding books, which was far more interesting to me than the limited pages on display, behind glass, blocked from view by throngs of people. I would still recommend visiting, but definitely manage your expectations of the actual Book of Kells on display.
Dublin Castle
I had booked a tour of Dublin Castle, which is neat if you’re a fan of castles or State Rooms (which I am) but sadly, the original medieval castle was destroyed long ago, and it was rebuilt in Georgian style. There’s only a small part of the original stone castle still standing, which was still really cool to see, but it really was not what I envision when I think Irish castle.
Tickets for the castle tour open up 28 days before, and they seem to sell out within a week or two for certain time blocks, so if Dublin Castle is on your itinerary, set yourself a reminder! There’s nothing more annoying in vacation planning than wanting to do something and being too late to do it.
The tour included many of the State Apartments, including the Throne Room, the State Drawing Room, the James Connolly Room, and St. Patrick’s Hall, a gorgeous ceremonial room used for the presidential inauguration.
In the James Connolly Room, we learned about the Easter Rising of 1916, one of the most significant uprisings in Irish history, during which nearly 500 people – mostly civilians – were killed. The State Apartments had been re-purposed as a WWI hospital, and the room I stood in during my tour in 2019 is the same room where one of the leaders of the rebellion, James Connolly, spent his last days being treated for his severe injuries. Though he was unable to stand and would not have survived his wounds, he was later moved to Kilmainham Gaol to be tied to a chair and executed by a firing squad for his role in the Easter Rising.
The Winding Stair
I went in search of the Ha’Penny Bridge, and decided to enjoy a leisurely lunch nearby. The Winding Stair had a delicious-looking flexible prix fixe menu posted at the door, which allowed you to choose the number of courses and whether to include wine, at fairly reasonable prices. I chose 3 courses and a glass of house wine for about 35€. The meal was honestly spectacular, not to mention creative, and was worth every euro.
Kilmainham Gaol
After lunch, I went back to the hotel to freshen up, check out, and store my things before making my way to the Kilmainham Gaol for my timed tour. As I arrived, I overheard someone being told that there was no tour availability for at least 2 more hours (you cannot visit the interior outside of a guided tour.) This just reinforced my overall impression of Dublin tourist destinations is that it truly pays to plan ahead unless you have tons of time to try your activity again later.
Visiting Kilmainham was a weighty experience. A lot of the reviews I saw said it was depressing, but I didn’t think so. There’s so much history there and the guide did a great job of explaining the significance of the jail within the larger context of Irish history. One thing I found to be interesting was the design of the Main Hall, pictured below, which is actually quite beautiful with its massive skylight.
Though it was purely a matter of logistics that had me visiting first Dublin Castle and then Kilmainham Gaol, I think experiencing both in that particular order and on the same day made me appreciate both landmarks on a deeper level. At Kilmainham, we were shown the courtyard where many of the leaders of the Easter Rising, including James Connolly, were executed.
Phoenix Park
Since Dublin’s Phoenix Park looked fairly close to Kilmainham on the Google Maps (spoiler alert: it was a lie), I decided to walk there before going to pick up my stuff for my midnight flight to Athens. I really had no concept of how big or wild most of the park is, and it’s incredible to me that it’s in such a big city.
I had the privilege of seeing so many great examples of natural beauty. It’s a beautiful park and I recommend driving into it and walking around and then driving out – instead of entering randomly and walking 3 miles to escape, like I did. The park is absolutely massive, contains the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, as well as several landmarks, is enclosed by a giant stone wall, and if I ever go back it will be with appropriate footwear and clothing and perhaps a clearly labeled map.
Eventually, I managed to find my way out of the park…after 2 hours…emerging in what appeared to be a very nice neighborhood full of lovely homes the ‘burbs, and was able to find the correct bus to take me back to the city center. And THIS, my friends, is why I never leave home without an external charging pack for my cell phone – I would still be wandering pitifully around the outskirts of Dublin and you wouldn’t be reading this now.
I spent a little time recuperating at the Aloft before heading off to catch the airport bus included in my Leap card. I’ve only been to a few other Alofts, but the design of the brand seems very consistent – similar rooms, no formal lobby, and a strong commitment to community space. The Aloft Dublin City is very new and very much on brand, but I think their common areas strike a great balance of being energetic and also having a welcoming and homey feel that can appeal to multiple demographics. I didn’t feel like I was walking into a 20-something’s party, but there were work spaces, a pool table, and a bar available and all were actually being used that afternoon. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay again, and for 25,000 Marriott points, I think it was an excellent value and a great addition to Marriott’s Dublin portfolio.
Leaving the hotel, I walked the 15 minutes or so to the airport bus stop near Christ Church Cathedral, ready to embark on Part 2 of my European adventure: Greece!
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