The Charles Stewart

A quite good value located on Parnell Square adjacent to the Garden of Remembrance, the Charles Stewart is a fine low-season budget pick. The 56-room guesthouse benefits from high ceilings, a central but relatively quiet location and particularly friendly management.

Furnishings are a mish-mash of faux-period and anonymous modern. You can expect dark chocolate bed frames, red wall-to-wall carpets and light blue bedspreads and curtains. Rooms are equipped with a telephone, safe, TV and coffee maker.

The private bathrooms are serviceable but could probably benefit from a renovation. There’s some wear and tear here, but nothing that should bother a committed budget traveler.

History buffs will appreciate that the historic building that houses the Charles Stewart Hotel was the birthplace of famed Irish author Oliver St. John Gogarty in 1878. His creative inspiration still shines in the hotel's grand entryway and lounge with their fine wooden furniture and elegant crown molding. Location, fittingly, is right around the corner from the Dublin Writer’s Museum and the James Joyce Cultural Center.

2011 will see a handful of new rooms open at the Charles Stewart. Our recommendation would be to request one of these.

Wi-Fi is free throughout and a full Irish breakfast is included in the room rate.