The Clarence Hotel

I have so many fond memories of The Clarence. When I heard of the substantial renovations it was about to undergo, I decided to book a stay there at the end of July as a sort of 'goodbye' to the scene of so many good times. Though some of the rooms have been looking a bit worn of late, 303 was still in great condition. Check-in was easy, and the sets of double windows minimized noise from the quays. There is a real charm to the look and feel of the rooms - the well-built, practical cabinets, the subtle gold tiling accenting the bath. I fear most of it will be replaced by whatever happens to be trendy as the refit is undertaken, but hopefully some of what made the place special will survive. Most of all, it's a real loss to see the hotel staff scattered to the winds. I sadly didn't get his name, but I'd like to especially highlight the kindness and care of the staff member who was manning reception on August 4th. I nipped in with a last minute request, and he (and the colleague he found to assist me) could not have been more gracious, even as the hotel was being packed up and closed around him. So long to The Clarence. What a great run.

A beautiful hotel in an exceptional location. The room was very fitted out. Incredibly comfortable bed and the service was impeccable. ||Didn’t stop for a drink in the bar but it is beautiful. The adjoining coffee shop has great coffee. ||It’s not a cheap hotel but it is worth the $$ if you are looking for a great spot, a little bit of luxury and a comfy bed.||No aircon though so might get a little hot in summer. The room came with a fan which we had to use in the middle of the night as it was a bit stuffy

Hotel is so well done. Quality with a touch of lively-like the pink velvet headboard and nice sheets. Towels are thickest we had all vacation. Nespresso in the room. Welcoming lobby bar you could plop down in after a day of sight seeing or catch a martini whilst dressed for dinner. But the best part was the helpful reception team. They answered all our questions, called us taxis, made helpful suggestions of places to see and which trains to take. Always staffed, polite, good listeners. True Innkeepers.

From arrival to our leaving this was a great experience, we had a hire car from the airport and the team sorted out for us to stop directly out front to unload our bags and complete the check in process. After that we went to the recommended parking place, which had a discount. Upon our return we had a couple of cocktails and chat with the staff then a well earned rest in our amazing room with a view over the river. The Clarence has a so much history and charm as well as an elevator. Sadly we only had a one night stay but the next day late check out offer and the fantastic breakfast in the steakhouse was an amazing start to the day. The staff all were very friendly and made our stay a great experience as well as a memorable start to our Ireland trip. We had originally booked for 2020 but the pandemic put a hold on that and the team at the Clarence kept our booking for us until we got there in 2024. We highly recommend the Clarence for its location, ambiance and set up as well as the fantastic hospitality of all staff. We had a Crack with you all🙏

Best hotel in Dublin!! I had a nice room with a view on the river on my request. The staff is super friendly and nice. My room was just a bit small for the price but I guess it is Dublin everything is so expensive in this town. 😅 And I had a king size bed. And the location is amazing in the center close to temple bar district but just one minute away so we escape the noise. And I loved the nice lobby and bar to have a last drink and relax before bed after being busy tourism all day. 😁🍹

This hotel is perfect - charming and modern, perfectly located and the absolute best service - shoutout to Jose and Michael in particular. The bar and lobby area are lovely places to spend time and there are lots of thoughtful touches like a mending kit in the bathroom and flexibility on late checkout. Highly recommend Room 403 which has windows onto the river for a glorious sunset and sunrise and wonderful cool evening air.

As I sit here tonight, sipping on a Redbreast 12, I cannot say enough GREAT things about this incredible boutique hotel in the “big city”. From our initial check in, to checking out, it is in my top visits of any hotel ever!! The amazing manager, assistant (who personally carried our bags to our room) and amazing bartender, I would recommend The Clarence Hotel, hands down! From recommendation of where to eat, shop and sites we throughly enjoyed the entire stay! We were treated like royalty and so appreciated the hospitality!! Will return to The Clarence Hotel when back on Dublin! ❤️😉 The Church for lunch and Lemon Jelly for breakfast- highly recommend (thanks The Clarence for a memorable trip) 💋

We are huge U2 fans, so this is 100% the reason we booked this hotel. We requested the Garden Suite, the "Beautiful Day" video terrace. While they couldn't originally guarantee it, they did their best and were able to accommodate us! It was a 50th Birthday and I loved the Birthday card with Prosecco vouchers in our room. It was busy with St Patricks Day - but the staff was very kind. It's perfectly located in Temple Bar, not too loud but great walking area and close walking distance to most things. ||I gave it a 4 vs 5 star for a few reasons - There are some signs of wear that could be addressed, the drainage isn't great in the sinks, the hand wand for the shower didn't work and there was a shower curtain that then stuck to you. We had dinner in Cleaver East and it was very unimpressive. I ordered one cocktail, something else was brought, let them know it wasn't what I ordered - and they tried to just tell me I was wrong. (French 75 in a champagne glass vs a Silver Pineapple in a totally different glass). It tasted good, so I didn't complain further but when I ordered a second drink - it came corrected.. ||Overall tho - the stay was great, the staff - particularly at check in the afternoon of March 16 was fantastic!!

Only a few complaints but still giving them a 5! So I'll start with what doesn't work: 1. The Bathroom and Main room doors get stuck and don't close unless you slam them super hard which wakes up the entire hotel. 2. The hotel is loud, the hallways and streets in front near the river and back on the main thoroughfare are often days all days full of drunks lol. Irish people and tourists don't care. 3. Bars close at 1am! So early 4. Back door to the Main Street closes at 12am so you have to walk to the river side to knock on the main door for them to open anytime after 12am. Not safe if you split up with your crew. 5. Pay for the room with a stairstep and a little larger and better beds worth it 6. Room is modern. Flat TV on wall. Cozy twins beds. Gotta request them though and hopefully they have them. 7. Rooms are hot. They give you a fan and you can open windows but it is very loud. No AC not heater! 8. Hotel is super cute. 2 bars and 3 rooms to drink in. The restaurant is nice too. Also has an event venue on floor 1. 9. Super nice people! 10. D for is sexy trendy and modern upscale cute. Very creative vibes in lobby and bars. 11. No parking. Gotta park across the river. 12. Priced fair for location and what you get. 13. Close to everything! If you can walk a short or long ways you don't need an uber or taxi which is the same thing here. I'd come back 100%. Highly recommend this spot.

We didn't stay at the hotel but stumbled upon it while trying to find a nearby steakhouse. We had dinner and returned to The Curious Mister a bar inside the Clarence.. wow.. just wow! It was so cute, drinks were delicious and the bartender was awesome! I didn't catch her name just that she told us she's here from Mexico to study. She recommended the Irish Maid drink.... So yummy! That Jameson will creep up on you if you don't keep track of how many you've had! LOL VERRY COOL Fun Fact: Hotel owned by Bono and the Edge of U2!

Previously owned by Bono where U2 used to frequent! The tour guide told us to order a Bailey's hot chocolate at the hotel bar, and that's exactly what we did! I remember the bartender being super friendly and he even made conversation with us! The Bailey's hot chocolate at the bar is delicious! Stop be here while you're in Temple Bar for a quick pick-me-up drink!

In August 2007, my sister-in-law and I stayed here on our once in a lifetime trip to Ireland. While outside of her budget, I picked up the tab so we could say we stayed at Bono's place. The location was great. The staff was excellent and provided us with great service, exceptional people pleasers. BUT, we found the services lacking quite a bit. The elevator was down for 2 days, so we walked up to fourth floor. The Internet was the most high priced we paid on our entire trip and very spotty, often we couldn't even access it. Overall, very pricey, we could have had equally luxurious rooms a few blocks away for less money. We heard comments from many people that they stayed for the Bono/U2 thing but would not choose the hotel again. Now we can say we've been there, done that. I have no regrets but unless the prices come down or the services improve, next time I'll go somewhere else.

The hotel staff was excellent. However the breakfast had a limited choice was over priced and not good. The rooms on level one are noisy when the bar below is playing music. I would only recommend if you want to be close to the very busy noisy and expensive bar scene.

If you want to sleep at night, this is NOT the hotel for you. The music from Temple Bar is so loud, I couldn't sleep. The hotel provides earplugs, but they are useless. I tried putting in my AirPods and playing my own music, but I could still hear the obnoxious music. It's currently 1:48 am and I don't know how much longer the loud music will continue. I would definitely not recommend this place, and am very glad I am not staying here when I return to Dublin for my flight home.

I stayed for one night. The hotel is located close to Dublin Hueston train station and was easy to access via the Air Link bus from Dublin airport. The room was clean, the bed comfortable and I was upgraded to a river view room. I had no noise issues and enjoyed a sound night sleep. The hotel is in walkable distance to the Temple Bar area and the 'Ha Penny Bridge. Would recommend.

The Hotel rooms are fabulous. service great! did not get a chance to hit the bar.

Photos of the hotel online look great... It's very worn and needs redone. Be careful as there is a nightclub on the left side that goes strong until 3am! I would definitely stay agin or recommend it as there is there is much better value in the TB area.

We hosted a private pre-wedding afternoon tea event in the Rose Room and it was great! Laura was running the show and she was phenomenal! We had 40+ ladies for the event and the staff couldn't have been better. The food was excellent and they even brought out custom sandwiches for our 3 yr old niece on short notice. They was super attentive and also checked in with the bride to see if she needed anything. Would 10/10 recommend for anyone hosting a private event! If we're ever back in Dublin we would definitely host another event there! The hotel is adorable!

Always make a point of heading into the clarences Octagon bar for a cocktail or 2 when in the city . Lovely building and a nice relaxed feel about it too .

If you enjoy trying to sleep to the drone of incessant techno music you'll love it here. It's the middle of January and my room only has an old radiator that doesn't consistently work. I'm supposed to stay a couple of nights but looking for other options as I lie awake at 0400 in the morning shivering and listening to crappy house music.

The Clarence is swanky, smart and famously owned by Bono (and the Edge). The hotel sells itself on exclusivity and its association U2. Many people go there just to say they've been there. Speaking of which, I attended a wedding in an upstairs room here (haha)! It was naturally a classy affair and the room offered beautiful views over the Liffey. I also ventured into the Octagon Bar for a drink prior to a certain university ball where I was asked to produce a certain university ID. This made me wonder, if I didn't attend this certain university, would I have been denied access? Snobbery comes hand in hand with such exclusivity and apart from that, the simple fact is: for most of us, the Clarence is just uncomfortably expensive.

My first time in Dublin and I booked TheClarence for our 4 night visit. Was a bit worried after viewing the other reviews, but rooms were going fast and I took the plunge. Glad I did. When I'm on vacation I want a reasonably priced en suite room, comfy bed, clean room, close to amenities, transportation and breakfast in house, no one wants a coffee deprived, hungry Jersey Girl looking for food in a hangry mood....trust me .... breakfast and coffee needed. The price was in my range of reasonable accommodations. (My other ranges are economy and expensive to give you an idea) Bed was a king and comfy, happy hubby! Room and hotel clean. Very close to amenities: hair salon, breakfast available nearby if needed, restaurants and coffee shops plentiful. I will agree that there is some TLC needed. Visible wear seen on some chairs, curtains and tiles but The Clarence is not run down. The staff was professional and very helpful. We arrived early. I usually book a room for the night before so when I roll up to the hotel at 7AM tired, eyes blood shot and extremely sleep deprived due to an overnight flight I can find my room and crash on the bed for a few hours. They were booked and that plan wasn't in the cards. They graciously stored our luggage, pointed us in the direction of the restaurant for some much needed coffee and took our phone numbers to alert us if the room was ready early....I've heard that before....that's why I book that extra night...keep reading:) We made arrangements to take the Green Dublin Bus hop on hop off. Good decision. While we were deliriously viewing the city our phone rang. 11AM our room was ready....yeah!!! Now how to get off this bus! We proceeded to find our way back and our luggage was in our clean and waiting king size bed room. YEAH!!! We were here in October so AC or open windows weren't an issue. There were no problems with the noise, I can sleep through anything but my husband needs quiet and had no issues. We were on the back of the building (away from the water) on the fourth floor. Loved the location, the staff, breakfast and staff recommendations! Had such a wonderful time will plan a return visit to Ireland and The Clarence in Dublin.

We stayed at the Clarence for two nights over St Patrick's Day Mar 16-17, 2015. We read that some rooms of the hotel are adjacent to a nightclub and can be quite noisy, we asked for a quiet room (well in advance). When I submited that request I said that if they could not guarantee a relatively quiet room I would need to cancel my resevation. We were given a 4th floor king balcony that faced a side street. Inside the hotel it was very quiet, almost to the point of feeling like a monastery; but not so outside. Temple Bar has become party central and of course on March 17th the area is full of inebriated revelers until the wee hours, with that said we were able to sleep, it was not too bad. The room was lovely with a very comfortable bed and a well equipped bath (and free wifi). The staff was very helpful and friendly, from front desk to housekeeping. The restaurant was OK, food was average (only had breakfast). They had no brown bread the 2nd morning and the server did not know if their oatmeal was flakes or pinhead (aka Steelcut). For 19 Euro I expected an above average breakfast, definitely not worth the price and wished now we had not bothered. Both mornings we had the cavernous dark restaurant to ourselves. The Octagon Bar (which we visited 2 or 3 times) was very quiet, bartenders were competent, pleasant but not overly friendly. The bar had no buzz, a little background music would help;. maybe an early evening happy hour with some nibbles and drink specials? The Price was about $280 per night, (including the optional breakfast). At that price point there are many other choices in Dublin. Clearly we paid a premium for Saint Patrick's Day, I just checked rates for late April, best rate for a similar room is 152 Euro. I highly recommend skipping the Clarence breakfast there are many coffee shops in the surrounding area. On a side note; the Clarence is known as the U2 Hotel but according to this article they are no longer involved (as of 2013) . http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/bono-and-edge-step-down-as-directors-of-clarence-hotel-29483772.html Room Tip: Ask for quiet room on an upper floor with balcony (as far away as possible from the Workmans nigtclub). We were in 409.

The Clarence Hotel's claim to fame is that it was once, or maybe still is, owned by members of Irish Rock band U2. I've never stayed but have visited on a few occasions for drinks. I'd describe the bar as quiet, unassuming and feeling a little tired in terms of ambiance and decor. Filled with wall-to-wall wooden panelling, there's a definite lack of colour and vibrancy. Drinks are standard and staff efficient enough. Pleasant and inoffensive but not outstanding. Maybe now in need of a makeover...

This is the famous hotel owned by Bono and The Edge of Irish band U2. This world famous hotel in based in tourist mecca Temple Bar and over looks the scummy River Liffey. There is a really lovely Tea Room Restaurant with a reasonable price lunch menu for such posh surroundings. 27euro for two sumptuous courses! They also have a very cool, trendy but too small Octagon bar, named after the shape of the bar, which serves, in my humble opinion, the best Cosmopolitan cocktail in Dublin. The rooms are individually designed and have Shaker style furniture and are painted lovely colours of crimson, royal blue, amethyst, gold and chocolate. The penthouse has its own outdoor hot tube on the terrace with great views of Dublin city and the Liffey by night! How do I know? Because I was in there with some very well known rock and roll stars, so yes there is another tip for you, if you are into celeb spotting, lots and lots of bands stay here! There are 49 rooms here, so it is not a very big hotel but it is pricey, so if you can't slip in with the band, start saving!

Stayed here for two nights. Well-located in the middle of the city, close to transit, shopping, and restaurants. The room was clean, and generously sized - especially the bathroom. However, things were starting to need repair including bathroom tiles (stained and cracked), light fixtures (not working) and headboard fabric (stained). The rooms were evidently built out to high specifications when new (over ten years ago, I suspect); however, what looked upscale then looks tired and in need of renos now. One important consideration is that the front sides of the hotel are facing a very active and rambunctious "entertainment district" area, and the rear sides (very closely) surround a noisy bar courtyard with very loud live music, even on weeknights. The ambient noise increases from the bar after midnight (the courtyard has a retractable roof) - great if you're actually there and want to party, but not so good if you want to get to bed early for an early flight. This particular bar closes at 3:00am. If late night bar crawls and convenient crash pads afterwards are your thing, this hotel is perfect for you. If you want a serene, sound sleep, then it would be best to look elsewhere as noise is ubiquitous at all hours of the night. I will look for quieter accommodation in the future.

I see the last couple of reviews are bad and so want to reassure, having just returned from a four weeknight stay here. If you're looking for a prime location in Temple Bar (with potential for raucous noise late at night because Temple Bar), understated and gorgeous art deco appointments (with potential for older furnishings because older hotel) and (did I mention?) LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION, then add this hotel to your consideration. Yes, the street noise got louder as the week went on (our room with extremely comfortable bed was chosen for the balcony). We caught up on dead quiet sleep at home last night. Yes, Bono and Edge had a drink in the Octagon bar downstairs and were so impressed they purchased it. Yes, they still own it with other partners. Tasteful rock and roll background music adds perfectly to the ambiance. We had excellent service from the staff, an excellent drink at the Octagon, wonderful views from our balcony room, and we walked our little American feet off on all those cobblestones. No regrets.

Small boutique hotel close to everything we wanted. LARGE room and nicely appointed. Noise was never an issue and our room faced out onto Essex Street (which is heavily trafficked at night bc of its proximity to Temple Bar area)!

So when we planned our big trip to Ireland, a stop at U2/Bono's hotel was a must. We were expecting a super swanky rock star hotel, and were quite shocked to find such an understated hotel. Extremely simple, almost boring! We went straight in to the octagon bar, and we were the only people there, on a Thursday night 5 pm -- do the Irish not do happy hour? Ok so we reviewed menu and I opted for a specialty martini. I forget the name, but it had rum and champagne - my 2 favorites- and some passion fruit or something!! When the drink got there I didn't even want to try it bc it looked so gross. Everyone in my group stared at me until I worked up the courage to take a sip. Wow super unexpected, looks are deceiving, it was delicious. No one wanted to try it; they decided to take my word for it! :) I definitely recommended passing by just to say you went to Bono's hotel, but be warned you may be disappointed.

Yes, this is the famed Clarence Hotel that is owned by Bono & The Edge of the band U2. Located by the River Liffey, you will find this beautiful, simple yet elegant hotel. The staff is very pleasant and the location is just great. Even if you aren't staying here, it's worth a visit to to say you were there and have a pint at the Octagon Bar.

It's nice enough and clean. So if your not picky and not looking for a higher end hotel than this is the place for you. It's a good location, easy walking distance to most tourist and local attractions. The staff are friendly enough, they weren't super friendly but they at least said hello when they saw us. the room appeared as if it was clean. We did order drinks in the lounge area and we were only served once, no one ever came back to check on us or to even get the bill from us, we had to leave cash! There are little weird things that I would change such as the key entry, most hotels have cards and this one you have to carry a key on a large key chain around. You have to use your key to get in the elevator or use the stairs. The hotel is worn down a bit- stains on the carpets, stains in the tub, and mattress is visibly worn (has indentations in it) and whenever you move it makes noise. The tub is narrow and the curtain blows in which makes showering interesting, you either put it outside of the tub and flood the bathroom or have it stuck to you half of the time which isn't a huge deal but I doubt that they change it between guests! The wifi was spotty. There were No robes, though I don't know if I would have used it I expected better quality accommodation; given the cost and all of the "hype" I would have thought that it would be less visibly worn. There is no AC (which we knew ahead of time) and in order to have air flow you have to leave the windows open (which we don't mind, there aren't any screens so you will get some bugs but it was a better alternative to the heat and stuffy room) which prevents you from shutting the curtains- a bit of a problem when your dealing with jet lag!! I liked all of the wood throughout the hotel....but decor wise that would be about it. The furniture in the room was visibly worn and there wasn't any artwork other than a picture that a child drew. there is this great little bar with outdoor seating that was directly behind our room, so part of leaving the windows open for air flow meant it got louder by ten fold!! The peoples conversation carries up so that we could make out their conversations and it's as if we were seated inside a very bustling pub. Which is fine if that's the atmosphere that we were going for, but as we are trying to sleep or relax it's was a bit much. I imagine the weekends will be terrible....and at night we shut both sets of windows and you can still hear music playing and people yelling and talking at 3 am on a Tuesday morning. We stayed here Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night and it was VERY LOUD each night and we had to shut both sets of windows and just deal with the room being stuffy. I don't think I would return to this hotel and if I did I would certainly not stay in a room in the back. I did not complain to the staff as I felt that there wasn't anything that they could do to prevent the noise...and I didn't have a lot of faith that the front of the building was going to be that much quieter. Had we been staying longer I would have demanded another room.....

The hotel is a great option for the visit. Situated near Temple Bar you have access to everything in the city via foot. The staff is great and the upgraded rooms are more Than adequate. There is a nice reception room with an actual fire burning. If you are a lite sleeper, as for a room accordingly and if you want a view of the river room 404 is good (you can see the spire as well). Worth a stay for US travelers.

Huge U2 fan..Huge Bono and Edge Fan...so we had to stay here of course! Service here is really great! The rooms are cozy, quite simple actually but very cozy. The staff is great. It does get a bit loud at night being in the Temple bar area...didn't care for the restaurant downstairs (The tea room)...it was really really pricey! Octagon bar however was awesome to check out...The location of this hotel is PERFECT! If you can afford to just stay here a night or two, do it!! (and yes it is a pretty penny for just one night)

We had lunch in the Tea Room at the Clarence Hotel. We arrived there close to 12 noon but learned that they do not open for lunch until 12:30. We sat at a table against the windows and found that the window had rows of meat cleavers as decorations. Lunch was available in a 2 or three course option. I went with the Salmon appetizer which came as a sushi presentation, which was a pleasant surprise. The Trout selection for the main course was very good. They had a good selection of Irish IPAs.

I have stayed in many fine Hotels in Dublin and I have to say that this was not one of them. The only thing that saves this hotel is the location and friendly staff. There are better hotels to stay at that represent much better value for money.

This hotel has the Octagon Bar (owned by Bono) and we had a wonderful time here. Nice, pricey and elegant - yet stiff - drinks. No - we never saw Bono.

I'm not usually one to give 3 star reviews but the Clarence is, in short, merely adequate. Major Points Consider Good The staff are quite friendly. Centrally located in Temple Bar It's not a fleabag spot, it is well maintained. Won't break the bank The Liquor Rooms are (is?) quite a fine cocktail bar. in the same building as, and part of the hotel, but you can't charge to your room, which isn't bad, but a little odd. The Less Good (Food) The food is less than convenient. The a la carte menu is only available in the Study and Octagon from noon till five. It's the same as the room service menu. The Cleaver East is open later I think but it's a tasting menu of somewhat dubiously small portions at 21EUR for 3 courses during lunch for reasons I cannot quite fathom before reverting to an a la carte menu for dinner. The (Potentially) Bad It's Temple Bar so it's boisterous in the neighborhood at night. I'm a bit dissapointed by the lack of sound insulation for the windows, especially considering that most of the bustle seems to be coming from The Liquor Rooms downstairs. The hotel, despite being well kept, just feels sort of careworn. The Wifi, while free, is slow and surprisingly spotty. So in all I don't know if I see 4 stars here. Maybe 3.25?

Loved staying here. We stayed her on the first night of our honeymoon. They upgraded us to a suite. It was absolutely perfect. Breakfast the next morning was included and it was really delightful. Really nice place to spend the night, wish we had stayed longer.

I enjoyed my stay at The Clarence but felt it was pretty average. Nothing crazy good to say but nothing crazy bad to say either. There is no parking other than valet. The service from the front desk was helpful but we didn't have any other interactions with employees during our time here. The only other time we talked to someone was the bartender at the bar and he was slow taking our order. We were the only ones there and he took forever to take our order and wasn't friendly. Our room was comfortable but nothing special. It overlooked a bar that was very noisy but we didn't mind. The best part about this hotel is how close it was to everything. The Temple Bar area is right behind the hotel. All the other major sights and attractions are within walking distance as well. We walked everything the entire time we were here. This is a good hotel if you want something to walk from that is decent but not fancy.

Great view of the river and very close to Temple bar area. The hotel is in need of a significant update. You can tell the hotel was previously a smoking hotel. Everything felt a little dirty. Staff was friendly enough. This is a true 3 star hotel at best.

Bono's restaurant Ridiculously expensive, I had a cheap soup there as a curiousity as to the good life we provided for Bono's band. He is paying us back in kind with an overpriced menu that only the very rich can afford

I can only offer a review of the service and the room, as I was so busy enjoying the city I didn't use anything else at the hotel. The staff from our arrival was helpful and accommodating. We arrived in the morning and asked if we could leave our luggage until check in, which was several hours later. Instead, the staff quickly found a room and allowed us to check in early. Very appreciated after a 6.5 hour flight. The room was nice, but did not have a '5-star' feel to it. I realize the building is European and old and that limits size, but our room wasn't overly large. Just not what I'm used to when spending that much money in the states. Small tv & old looking room heaters and fixtures didn't give the luxury appearance I expected. Those small issues aside, the staff was very nice and you can't beat the location.

On arrival at The Clarence Hotel in Dublin you are presented with a fairly unassuming but classic hotel which sits on the river Liffey near Temple Bar. The Clarence is a former run down hotel which was bought by Ireland's most famous export - U2. They renovated the hotel and it is now one of Dublins premier boutique hotels. On entry to the hotel the concierge showed us to the restaurant which sits at the back of the hotel. We later realised there is a back entrance which leads directly to the resturant and to the bars and clubs of Temple Bar. After being greeted and having our coats, scarves, unbrellas and various other layers removed (it was raining and cold!) we were shown to our table. The dining room is a large long room with fairly sparse decor. The theme is a shaker-style with oak flooring, bannisters and a mezzanine level. Table clothes are white and the glasses are blue giving a lovely simple effect. On being seated the waiter explained the various menus - the a la carte menu and the 'Market Menu' which is three starters, mains and desserts which are priced at 26 euros for two courses or 34 euros for 3 courses. As we had booked through toptable.co.uk we were also offered a special offer with a free glass of champagne (19.50 on the menu!) and 2 for 1 on main courses from the a la carte menu provided we ordered three courses each. After some deliberation we decided to go for the a la carte menu (the champagne swung it!) and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvingon at 26 euro -the cheapest on the menu. The bread which was provided as we waited for our starters was utterly delicious. A selection of mini homemade breads, with Irish butter and a pot of the most wonderful pesto I have ever tasted, more than satisfied our rumbling tummies as we waited. The champagne was fantastic -excellent quality and all in all an excellent start to the meal. As we had ordered from the a la carte menu we were also presented with small 'amuse bouche' (I think that's how you spell it!) which are tiny little examples of the chef's skill. We had tiny shot glasses of warm asparagus soup and a wonderful tomato creme brulee - which sounds vile but was out of this world. For starters we chose tempura oysters with parma ham, and crab ravioli with fennel salad. Both wonderful. After a short wait our mains arrived -monkfish on a bed of crushed potatoes for both of us. The monkfish was cooked to perfection, meaty and firm and the crushed potatoes were peppered with crab and flavoured with a fantastic grain mustard. After mains we decided to get one dessert to share and a cheese board. The dessert was 'Crunch and Roses' - a crunchy praline biscuit with golf leaf, rose ice cream and praline cube. It was overly sweet for us but very interesting flavours. The cheese was 5 types of cheese (not sure what they were as we asked and the waiter did not know!) served with homemade crackers and chutney. All absolutely wonderful. The bill (including wine, water and a supplement for cheese) came to 117 Euro - thanks to the current exchange rate - just over £100. This is a lot of cash for most of us I realise and this is certainly not something we would do all the time but - wow, The Tea Room at the Clarence was well worth it. To me £100 is a fair price for a three course meal with wine, not to mention the champagne and extras we received. The service was friendly -not necessarily perfect, it would have been nice to know what cheeses were served and my wine was splashed a few times, but the staff were attentive and polite. The dining room was stylish with tables nicely spaced for privacy. Food was excellent and with the exception of the dessert some of the best meals I have ever tasted. We were made to feel special, we were at no point pressured to leave the table and the central location was perfect for out night out in Temple Bar. I strongly recommend on any tip to Dublin you try out the Clarence, I can't imagine our holiday would have been so good without it!Thanks Bono!

The Clarence was where myself and my partner went to stay a year ago. The staff were very helpful, personable, and nice. I had come down with a fever on the day we left for Ireland, and the staff made sure I had everything needed to make me feel better (extra pillows, directions to the nearest pharmacy, etc.). The massage that was part of our package definitely helped, too! We especially loved our room's view of the Temple Bar area. Even though the room itself was rather small, the balcony overlooking Temple Bar more than made up for it. The food we dined on was some of the best we've ever had, and The Octagon Bar made especially good martini's. All in all, we had a wonderful time at The Clarence, and have recommended it to anyone we know travelling to Dublin. Even though it's a little pricey, you get your money's worth in service, charm, and general atmosphere.

Visited Dublin this past December and couldn't pass up the opportunity to have a drink at The Octagon Bar.. It was surprising to see an almost empty bar.. Being that the Clarence Hotel is a must see if one is an U2 fan.. The Venezuelan bartender was pleasant and the bar's decor was unique.. The prices are a bit high but overall, worth being there!!

I had a terrible experience. I do not recommend this hotel at all and was treated extremely poorly especially as a visitor.

dear Paul Hewson and David Evans, since leaving your role in this hotel in 2013 something fundamentally and horribly wrong has happened here. breakfast buffet of $$$$ will get you stale bread, inexpensive plastic cups of yogurt, supermarket meats and a bowl of rotting fruit. the sad "main course" turned out to be eggs so overcooked it is likely to have been made from leftover tennis balls. vegetables were tasteless. juice was concentrate. milk is actually a water-like liquid with white coloring. inexpensive bitter tea bags are tossed into a broken tea-pot and left to rot on your table. i complained when i couldn't cut the bread with the fancy big bread knife. i was told "our bread is made right here yesterday" to which i replied "you've just brought out rock-hard day old bread?" this led to a surprised look. i needed a hammer and sickle not a bread knife. it's hard to imagine who honestly can run a restaurant of this odd quality; an absence of any pride in work or empathy for guests. you literally could break a tooth on their "made right here yesterday" breakfast bread, and yet they'll expect you to pay a fortune to eat it. second worst food i have stumbled upon in dublin, despite full fare prices. i mean any chip shop could beat this place for a fraction of cost. everything reeks of post-communist rushed commercialism to make money fast and carelessly without pride of ownership. shoddy fluff materials and non-existent service is the norm. like paying top-price for a t-shirt because someone has printed a fancy brand name on it...backwards. are you happy with your purchase? they don't really care because the next sucker is already booked and on their way. the decor is bizarrely unfinished or broken as well. clearly a lot of money was spent to make things look like they cost nothing at all and therefore must cost a lot. shabby sheik? more like fake and devoid of heart. if you find yourself saying "hmmm that doesn't look quite right" you're probably looking at the gross bits in the shower, or the smudges on the door, or the SLS shampoo and petroleum soaps, or the harshly bleached sandpaper they substituted for sheets... lack of heart or professionalism is palpable. every ten minutes in the evenings people would enter from the street and make their way towards the bar. "it's closed" the front desk would say without interest. "special event" or a shrug of the shoulder or "there are other places to go." they may as well have told people "you are not as important or valued as someone else. leave now". easy to see why the bar was usually empty even when open. such icy behavior in the supposed capital of ireland. imagine how a real pub owner would react, saying "welcome" or "i'm glad you're here" to guests and building a business. instead you can almost smell the frigid gray draft of failed communism driving away guests with a bureaucratic faceless machine of hopelessness. despite being cold and heartless, internal sparks of passion do still bubble up in front of the guests. servers in the restaurant had an open discussion about a third person who must have been fired or quit. one of the servers was distraught over something and they had it out in the middle of the restaurant. this server was clearly exhausted, malfunctioning and needed a break. perhaps what kept her going was affection from other staff. she wore what you might find in a night club as though unable to get home before coming for early duty. or maybe it was planned for that stream of male staff to flow in and distract her, including many of those supposedly on duty. why work when you can talk shop and flirt with each other in front of the guests? it reached a level of being outright creepy. backroom style glances and posturing was like being on the inside, yet you also must admit you are just a guest unable to escape being from the outside. on a positive note these people actually care about something, even if it isn't you. perhaps nothing exemplifies the shallow nature more than the staff troubles with speaking english. they unfortunately miss words and throw a blank stare or "sorry" exception, requiring a reboot of conversation. ask the languages they speak to bridge the gap and you will be told "english". and so it goes. scratch a little past the basics and expect to hear "i have never heard that word before" because it will be your fault for stepping outside your allowed vocabulary: how dare you step outside the lines of what this system offers you.

Worn carpet in so many places. The main front desk staff is helpful. Terrific central location for the Temple Bar scene. We walked to quite a few terrific restaurants. Just not at the Clarence. A very disappointing breakfast in the Study Cafe. The croissant I had was chewy, almost soggy. I had to scrape off 10% of my smoked salmon because i dont want to eat that grey fatty goo next to the skin. Uggh. But no extra charge for the fish scale I had to spit out. The waiters brought the food but were hard to flag down as my water glass ran dry 3 times while I waited and waited for some more. Only one other table was occupied. I expect far better quality and service when the full English breakfast is 18.75 pounds. A very worn & tired place. My recommendation is to walk through or have a single drink if you really need to see it. Then go elsewhere for everything.

Don't let your love of U2 blind you--this hotel is a dump. Poor plumbing, stained carpets, cheap and old furniture. My room overwhelmingly smelled like bacon the entire night. Not worth the price, or any price--this place is like a cheap chain hotel in the U.S. Go elsewhere.

O Clarence hotel how you've disappointed me. What a nightmare no ac and noisy. The fitness center was shut down no robes in the room. Really overpriced for what it is.

I attended a group brunch thing here a while back and it was beyond fab. Champers, tea, coffee and OJ were in free flow, as were vast quantities of breads and pastries. Then came the main course that was like a buffet on a plate - boiled egg, smoked salmon and cream cheese and a pancake. And if that wasn't enough, a massive platter of cheese and meats followed suit for anyone that was still feeling a bit peckish. Service was wonderful too.

Couldn't be more pleased with the service. A nice retreat from the chaos of the Temple Bar area. It's not easy to have a great grown-up trip with a 4-year old in tow but the staff were so welcoming and accommodating, we all had a great time. Kudos to the restaurant adjacent also!

We stayed at the Clarence Garden Terrace room for 3 nights leading up to my sons wedding. We had 35 quests, approximately half or more of the hotel was our party. The service was exceptional all around. The room was very clean and the beds all lovely. We had 3 days of sunshine on the terrace and thoroughly enjoyed the location and touring we were able to do for the first 3 days of our trip. Having a restaurant on site was great with full breakfasts and meals available. A lovely little bar we dubbed "the lonely bar" as it called us every time we walked past! Some of our guests said it was loud at night but I slept through it all. I will stay again for any trips to Dublin. Perfect!

I haven't been here in several years (and this place always seems to be undergoing renovations so I've no idea if the current incarnation in any way resembles the one I visited) but I enjoyed the food and the drink was pretty decent too. The place sticks in my mind, however, because when he reviewed it Will Self suggested that the talents of the owners were really as restaurateurs!

A little pricey for the accommodations, but still a nice place to stay. The room, on first glance was decked out, but on closer inspection, you see that the carpets are thread-bare, and the some things are not as classy as they seem. That's ok though, I wasn't staying in Temple Bar for the room. From here, we walked to the Guiness Storehouse, The Brazen Head, Bakers pub, and Darky Kellys. Nice location right on the Liffey.

So I have a weekend to spare on a working trip to Ireland, and I decide to visit Dublin. I book at The Clarence because it is owned by Bono & The Edge. The hotel is perfectly situated for a tourist weekend. The rooms are charming and comfortable, the staff are wonderfully cheerful and obliging. The full Irish breakfast (included with the room) is delicious but the culinary equivalent of climbing Everest. I did not make it to the summit but I did achieved the higher elevations. (I should have brought my dog called Tensing.) Tomorrow I will go for the yogurt and the wheat germ. The Clarence is over-priced for what you get. I was expecting posh rather than charming. But - as I am somewhat an expert on value-based pricing - I recognize the value of celebrity. If I come to Dublin again, I will certainly stay here. Great place. Great people. In the right place.

What sets this place apart from the rest and earns a solid 5 stars are its location and it's people. The location is absolutely perfect as it feels like it's within a few blocks of everywhere and it has a great view of the river. The staff we met (Artur, Andre and Bart) are hands down the nicest guys you'll meet while in Ireland. You're always greeted with a warm, friendly smile and they'll go out of their way to help you out. Arthur's recommendations were spot-on. The room was very clean and quieter than expected. The tub was a bit too narrow, the front desk controls the heat, and the pillows were lumpy but we won't remember any of that years from now - we'll remember the incredible people we met and the amazing sights we saw.