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As soon as we arrived at the Adelphi Hotel, yet another bed-and-breakfast occupying the Lower Gardiner Street guesthouse strip, Tom Griffin, the super enthusiastic owner, whisked us away on a whirlwind tour of the facilities.
The Adelphi has recently swallowed up its next-door neighbor. As we walked the halls of the hotel, carpenters and electricians were putting the finishing touches on 13 newly refitted rooms bringing the Adelphi's total to 34 rooms.
The original B&B, last renovated two years ago, offers en suite rooms with wood floors and simple décor. Though some rooms have high ceilings, crown molding, tall windows, and the occasional old fireplace or chandelier, furnishings are, for the most part, modern. Striped pastel bedspreads are cut from the same fabric as the curtains, and framed posters occasionally brighten up a stark wall. Family rooms are definitely more spacious than the doubles.
In contrast, new rooms, which had been painted a cheerful yellow, have dropped ceilings and no traces of Georgian grandeur. But these small rooms let in plenty of light. All are wired for high-speed Internet access. (Tom's son Luke is eager to get the whole place online soon.)
Some of the shared spaces in the old building (hallways, for example) could use sprucing up. But the small breakfast room is a delight: red walls set off the marble fireplace, and the furniture, tablecloths and leafy gold chandelier rounded out the quaint, old-fashioned feel. A full Irish breakfast is included.
And for a little piece of history? In the summer of 1968 Tom worked as the night porter at the Adelphi! He and his wife, Eileen, purchased the guesthouse in 1997. You've come a long way, Mr. Griffin!
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