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Hotels

• The Clarence Hotel, in the lively, bohemian Temple Bar neighborhood, is a sleek accommodation on a par with the Royalton in New York or the Hotel Montalembert in Paris. The 49 elegant guest rooms are done in blonde oak and a color scheme of royal purple and gold. Standard rooms are small, so you're best advised to book a deluxe bedroom with a view over the River Liffey and across the city. Note, the hotel is not air-conditioned. Deluxe doubles from about $280 USD.

  800-628-8929
  www.theclarence.ie

• Brooks Hotel stands out among the city's many small accommodations for the fact that it receives the constant attention and involvement of the family that owns and operates it. There are 75 well-appointed and meticulously maintained bedrooms that offer all the hotel amenities and services one could expect in a top-class hotel. Public areas are light and cheerful. Doubles from about $270 USD.

  Ph: +353 1-670-4000
  www.sinnotthotels.com

• You can expect the privacy and intimacy of a small country hotel at Number 31. The 20 high style bedrooms are housed in a stately Georgian mansion located in a quiet neighborhood. Thick walls and high ceilings add a sense of privacy. Elaborate breakfasts are individually cooked to order. Doubles from about $125 USD.

  Ph: +353 1-676-5011
  www.number31.ie

Dining

• Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, with two Michelin stars, is a standout among formal Dublin restaurants. Two of the chef's marvelous signature dishes are galette de tourteaux au confit de canard and bouillon de langoustines et sole au laurier. Décor is modern and service highly professional. The wine list is one of the city's best. Dinner for two, without wine, about $100 USD.

  Ph: +353 1-676-4192

• Bang Café, a contemporary tri level space, is well suited to a cooking style that brings some unaccustomed flavors to more familiar Irish ingredients. The roasted Irish scallops with pancetta and mousseline potatoes are very good, as is the breast of Challans duck with potato cake, savoy cabbage and orange marmalade. A goodly number of excellent, but pricey, wines are listed. Dinner for two, without wine, about $90 USD.

  Ph: +353 1-676-0898

• In Ballsbridge, the Lobster Pot is a small and cozy upstairs restaurant with a good deal of charm and a good measure of culinary panache. On chilly evenings, a cheery fire warms the dining room. Seafood is the specialty, with the day's catch always attractively displayed for customers' appraisal. Several meat dishes are also always on the menu. Dinner for two, without wine, about $60 USD.

  Ph: +353 1-660-9170

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