Morrison

Don't visit the Guinness Storehouse just for the history and the complimentary pint of the lovely dark brew! Get into the restaurant and sample the delicious Irish stew cooked in the stuff! It's excellent and would be especially welcome on a chilly or wet day – and you do get some of these in Ireland.   

I booked three rooms at the Morrison in Dublin for a stag weekend. It was fantastic and the food in the restaurant was very good. There's a bar called Cocoon not far away, which is owned by Eddie Irvine – perfect for an espresso martini to get the night going…

Three top recommendations for a stay in Dublin:

The Elephant & Castle  (18 Temple Bar) is a fantastic little cafe to grab a tasty brunch. You can have anything from a full breakfast, soup, omelette, burger or sandwich accompanied by tea, juice or even a beer if you fancy it. Great food and atmosphere, this place is an ideal spot to load up on energy for a day's shopping!

We also discovered Avoca which is a delightfully quirky craft and gift shop (among other things), and there is a cafe on the top floor which is the perfect place to rest your weary shopping feet for a lovely afternoon tea (the cakes are home-made and heavenly) or a healthy lunch from their appetite-inducing menu. We stopped for afternoon tea and a chocolate tiffin cake and it is on the to-do list for our next trip.....

If you are looking for a place for an extra-special meal out then look no further than Fire restaurant, at the Mansion House on Dawson Street. The setting is divine and stylish, the service is attentive and the pan-European style food is incredible. It isn't cheap but they do a pre-theatre menu which we opted for where you get three courses for under €30 which meant that it was also great value for money. We enjoyed goat's cheese tarts followed by succulent melt-in-the-mouth steaks and then a coconut cheesecake. I would definitely return!