The Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Dublin has high-back leather chairs that create a perfect venue for anticipating the first sip, and the second and third. The collection there includes more than 40 labels, including such rarities as Bushmills Millennium Single Cask Malt 1982, from the world’s oldest whiskey distillery and exclusive to The Bar.

There’s also Midleton’s 26-Year-Old Pure Pot Still. This distillery is the only one in the world to produce pure pot still, a blend of malted and unmalted barley, with the latter giving a spicy quality to the distinctly Irish whiskey. Only 1,000 bottles of this particular vintage were ever released, so sip it slowly and enjoy every last rare drop.

Sounds like a perfect day in Dublin? Here are a few more suggestions about what to do during a long weekend there, which hopefully will go down as smoothly as those fine whiskeys.

Day 1 – Your Dublin Discovery Begins

• Explore the peaceful location of the hotel in the leafy surroundings of Ballsbridge. Nearby Herbert Park offers play areas, tennis, open spaces and a duck pond. The hotel will even give you bread to feed the ducks!

• Enjoy a light lunch then head to the Dundrum Town Centre. There’s plenty of great shopping for mums and dads, and a whole range of interesting kids’ activities. Create a unique piece of pottery at Giddy Studios, or become a golf ace at Rainforest Adventure Golf.

• A short journey away in Sandyford, the Imaginosity Children’s Museum offers lots of interactive games and activities in two-hour sessions.Ride the sleek LUAS tram from Dundrum back into the city. When you step off the tram, step back in time – take a horse and carriage ride from St. Stephen’s Green through Dublin’s elegant Georgian streets and squares.

Day 2 – See Dublin's Dinosaurs, Leprechauns, Deer

• After a 5* hotel breakfast – the ‘Full Irish’ is highly recommended - take the Dublin Bus shuttle and join the famous Hop-on, Hop-off city tour, with live commentary full of Dublin wit. Make sure you take your camera!

• What will you choose to stop and see? How about dinosaurs and amazing stuffed animals at the Natural History Museum (real Dubliners call it the “Dead Zoo”), a mummified cat and mouse in the crypt of Christchurch Cathedral, or an ancient book written by monks and housed in the Old Library of Trinity College (it’s just like Hogwarts!). Or perhaps you want to know all about leprechauns? Well, they have their very own museum, too!

• After all that activity, it’s time for lunch. Try the famous fish ‘n’ chips at Leo Burdocks, or discover what “boxty” is at Gallagher’s Boxty House. After lunch, make your way to Dublin’s Phoenix Park, the largest walled urban park in Europe. You can rent a bike or even a tandem at the park gates and explore this amazing open space, where deer still roam freely. Dublin Zoo is located here, and there are often new arrivals to be seen.

Day 3 – Ride Along Dublin Bay, Visit An Ancient Castle & Coastal Villages

• Take the three-minute walk from the hotel to the local rail station and ride the DART train north to the pretty coastal village of Malahide and visit the amazing fairytale castle there, once home to the Talbot family for over 800 years.

• Enjoy lunch at the award-winning Avoca Café, which serves wholesome and interesting food with a contemporary Irish twist. Afterwards hop on the DART again and head towards the seaside village of Howth. Admire the fishing boats in the harbour and visit one of the local fishmongers to see their latest catch. Take a stroll on the pier to spot all sorts of sea birds, seals, and – if you’re really lucky – a dolphin.

• Consider a boat trip to try your hand at catching your own fish, or just enjoy the thrill of a sea voyage to Ireland’s Eye, a small, uninhabited island directly north of Howth Harbour. If you prefer to stay on dry land, take a walking adventure along the cliff path towards the Bailey Lighthouse. From here you can see the whole city. The DART train will take you back to the Four Seasons.

Back at the hotel, Dublin’s only full-service hotel spa is an ideal spot to unwind. As is wandering around this magnificent property discovering the amazing paintings positioned all around the hotel, also currently a select number of special sculptures are in The Courtyard showcasing the talents of living Irish artists. Perhaps the key feature of  this truly outstanding hotel is the perfect balance of warm Irish hospitality and personal service, whatever you decide to do.



Visit Four Seasons Hotel Dublin online
Simmonscourt Road, Dublin 4, Ireland
Facebook: FourSeasonsHotelDublin
Telephone: +353 1 665 4632
Twitter: @FSDublin