Family hotels in Dublin: bringing the kids to the capital

If you’re visiting Dublin with the kids and interested in sightseeing then you can’t get more central than the Trinity City Hotel. As the name suggests, it’s located right across from Trinity College.

It’s always great to be in the heart of the action and the benefit of a city centre hotel is that when anyone is tired and in need of a nap, whether it’s your two year old toddler or your eighty-two year-old granny, then you can easily pop back to the hotel for some quiet time.

The hotel knows that every family is different and are happy to change their family rooms to suit your particular family’s needs, whether you need a combination of single, double, queen or sofa beds, this hotel is happy to cater if you contact them in advance of your arrival.

There is a convenience shop around the corner which is perfect for stocking up on those essential snacks needed to keep everyone happy during any lengthy sightseeing visits.

If you’ve driven to the hotel then there is valet parking available at an additional charge which means that you can unload the luggage and the kids while someone else worries about the car for you.

Another city centre hotel worth checking out is Jurys Inn in the Christchurch region of the capital. This hotel perfectly suits two adults and two children/teenagers who are interested in exploring some of the world famous attractions like Kilmainham Gaol, the Viking centre of Dublinia or the incredible Epic Irish Emigration Museum. Your teens will love showing off all their history knowledge from school as you wander around.

I’d recommend the short stroll to Temple Bar during the day. Avoid it in the evening though as that’s when the hoards of hen and stag parties often descend on this lively Dublin spot. While in Temple Bar, check out ‘The Ark’ creative arts centre in Temple Bar as they run fantastic family events, many of which are perfect for older kids. Most of their events need to be booked in advance so check out their website before arriving.

When in Dublin city centre, make sure you visit the popular Grafton Street where the kids will love watching the buskers entertaining the passing crowds. Get the kids to pick their favourite entertainers and reward them wt to pick their favourite and reqward them with some coins in their guitar case.

In the evening, when you’re fit to drop, head back to Jurys Inn and enjoy a relaxing meal in the hotel restaurant. The kids will feel very grown up dining alongside their parents with their very own three course kid’s menu. Costing just €8 for those three courses, the kids can enjoy dishes like Margherita pizza with a choice of toppings followed by Eton Mess. Meanwhile Mum and Dad can enjoy tasty dishes like Kashmiri chicken or Sea Bream washed down with a glass of Chardonnay contemplating the fun they had exploring Dublin.

If you are looking for a family-friendly hotel and have more than two children then the Maldron Hotel at Newlands Cross is perfect for you. Located just off junction 9 of the M50, this hotel has large family rooms that comfortably sleep two adults and three kids under 12 years.

Feeding the family in Dublin doesn’t have to cost the Earth, in Maldron’s Grain and Grill restaurant, you can avail of a great family meal deal, two courses for two adults and two children for just €55 (when kids eat from the kids menu). If your kids are fussy and don’t like anything on the ‘young diners’ menu, then they can request a child sized portion of many of the dishes on the adult’s dinner menu.

Talking of saving money, car parking at the hotel is free and if you want to bring a picnic on your day out in Dublin then head to the handy Aldi store located right next door to the hotel to stock up on some lunch time essentials.

There’s serious fun to be had outside the city centre so head to Sandyford and visit one of Dublin’s top family-friendly attractions, Imaginosity Dublin’s Children’s Museum.

The four-star Clayton Hotel in Leopardstown is a mere eight-minute drive from this popular family attraction which means that when you’re done having fun, the kids are less likely to fall asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel which can be a parent’s worst nightmare.

If you still fancy heading into the city centre, there’s a LUAS stop on the doorstep of the Clayton hotel which means that you can be strolling around Stephen’s Green in 20 minutes.
If you’re looking for fun for all the family (parents included) then consider leaving the Clayton Hotel and driving 12 minutes to Dundrum Shopping Centre where Mum and Dad can get engage in some serious retail therapy and bribe the kids with a trip to the cinema or a game of Rainforest Adventure Golf afterwards.

You may not want to leave the hotel on Sundays though, as kids under twelve eat free with a paying adult and the menu is excellent. Check out the seriously tasty chicken wings. Everyone is guaranteed to have menu envy if you order that dish.

Whether you bring the family to Dublin for a soccer match in the Aviva Stadium, a show in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre or a concert in the 3Arena, then the Sandymount Hotel is the perfect home-from-home. All three major venues are walking distance from the hotel which means that you can park the car in the Sandymount (for free) and not worry about expensive parking at the venue or fighting your way through the traffic before and after the events.

If you don’t fancy walking to the 3Arena, the hotel does provide a very useful courtesy bus which may well be the perfect transport option if everyone is tired after dancing the night away to Shawn Mendes.

This classic Victorian hotel is bursting with character, in fact my daughter calls it the Alice in Wonderland house as there are numerous corridors and staircases meandering through the building.

If you fancy some fresh air, then remember to pack the buckets and spades as it’s a short stroll to Sandymount Strand where the kids can run and burn off some energy thus increasing the chances of a good night’s sleep for Mum and Dad.