Tim B.
Yelp
After four nights in Dublin followed by three in Galway, my wife and I took a series of trains southwards towards Ireland's second largest city, Cork. We arrived just past two, and quickly were able to hire a taxi. Our driver took us on a rather circuitous route around the town center, during which the missus commented "geesh, this sure is an industrial city", eventually arriving at our destination.
After two hotels that were housed in rather classic buildings, the River Lee was a porthole back into the 21st century. We were greeted on this rather humid afternoon by a blast of air conditioning upon entering the glass revolving doors, the floors were slick, and the desk attendants seemed to have the most modern of technology at their disposal.
Check-in went smoothly, and we took the elevator to our room on the fourth floor. Normally I (nor anybody else) is that excited to take a lift, but I have to say that this hotel's was amongst the quickest I've ever had the pleasure of riding... to the point that I only took the stairs once during our three nights at this location (I generally take the stairs, both up and down, whenever feasible). And the view across the south leg of the River Lee is rather impressive.
As for our room - very modern indeed, with the air conditioning working as well as it could be. The fitness center has both a weight room and a pool area, both well-maintained with up-to-date equipment. My only regret was that we passed on the breakfast buffet, as it was a bit more expensive than we were used to paying, but as our early morning food experiences wound up being, might not have been a bad idea. We did enjoy dinner (and dessert) on two of the nights, and greatly enjoyed the fish and chips. Drinks menu reminded me a bit too much of pricey San Francisco bars, however.
But by and large, the River Lee is more than adequate, especially considering the easy access to the attractions of downtown Cork.
