The Mont is next to Merrion Square in Dublin’s city centre, under 10 minutes from St Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street.
Planes
Dublin airport is half an hour’s drive from the hotel.
Trains
Hop on Dart trains to travel outside of the city to Bray, Howth and other seaside towns; trains pull into nearby Pearse Station, a four-minute walk from The Mont.
Automobiles
There’s no need for a car in Dublin – walking and public transport are the best ways to get around – but if you’re exploring more of the Emerald Isle, you can park at the Alexander Court car park – two minutes’ walk from the hotel – at a reduced rate.
Other
The Airlink airport bus has a stop adjacent to the hotel. It runs every 20 minutes and costs €7 each way (or €12 for a return ticket).
Worth getting out of bed for
If it’s not a holiday without a spot of shopping, you’re in luck: buzzing Grafton Street and Powerscourt shopping centre are within walking distance of the hotel; the latter houses on-trend boutiques, vintage shops and cafés. Bibliophiles, history buffs and architecture fanatics take note: Trinity College is a short stroll away; cross the cobblestoned central square to the impressive Old Library and visit the Book of Kells.
Fancy a hit of fresh air? Hop on a Dart train from Dublin and set off along the coast for an amble along the Bray to Greystones cliff walk; you’ll need a lunch break at veggie-laden The Happy Pear café, of course. The hills of nearby harbour town of Howth turn bright pink with blooms in spring; wander through the forested trails then swing by the waterfront for a fortifying ice-cream cone.
You’ll not be the only pair to do so, but when in Dublin… traipse through the brightly coloured lanes of Temple Bar to the Guinness Storehouse for a pint-sized tour through brewing history that ends with a draught and a bird’s-eye view of the city. For an authentic-feeling pull of Guinness, sidle up to the bar at Grogan’s Castle Lounge, a few steps from the George’s Street Market arcade.
Local restaurants
Wake up with leisurely breakfasts (and rich cups of coffee) or decadent Saturday brunches at Meet Me in the Morning; order plates of nut-butter-topped toast, pumpkin fritters with poached eggs and halloumi, fruit-laden overnight oats and challah French toast topped with spiced plum compote. More of a pastry connoisseur? Head bright and early to Bread 41 for the freshest of freshly baked morning buns, almond croissants and sausage rolls. A sourdough-centric bakery, Bread 41’s also a good bet for fluffy Friday night pizzas. For lunch, head to The Fumbally and order falafel with minty tzatziki and flatbread or ciabatta sandwiches packed with pulled porchetta. Gastro pub Fade Street Social dishes out a mean tapas menu of blistered Padrón peppers, citrus-glazed duck and miso-drizzled sesame soft-shell crab; budget room for the praline doughnuts with white coffee ice-cream (you’re welcome). Modern Mexican restaurant 777 serves up duck carnitas with plum adobo salsa, roast monkfish al pastor, sweet potato tempura and slow-stewed chicken tinga with crispy tostadas. Delahunt focuses on traditional Irish dishes with a modern twist – go all in with cauliflower soup with lovage and Guinness bread, followed by roast rump with potato and beef-cheek dumplings. Still hungry? Go on now: there’s ice-cream-topped strawberry and almond tart waiting.
Local bars
Saunter over to George Street (name-dropped by James Joyce, no less) to fin-de-siècle pharmacy turned craft-cocktail bar The Chelsea Drugstore, which’ll cure what ails you. It’s former employees researched the healing power of cocoa (we buy that), but the current bartenders shake up creme-de-cocoa-laced whiskey cocktails and coffee-infused rum-based Negronis. Vintage-style Peruke & Periwig in Temple Bar themes its cocktails around well-known tunes, so don’t be surprised if you feel more musical after a Little Red Corvette French martini or a whiskey-based Roe-ing on the River Old Fashioned.
