Temple Bar Hotel Review: Staying in the Heart of Dublin

Updated on
Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

This post may contain affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for qualifying purchases. For more information, read our disclaimer.   

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay right in the heart of Dublin, it really doesn’t get more central than Temple Bar Hotel – located in (you guessed it) Temple Bar. Here, you have culture, history and youthful vibes all at your doorstep.

It’s the perfect area for young couples or solo travellers to stay in, particularly if you are after enjoying some nightlife and good vibes. You can really feel the heartbeat of the city as you approach the hotel.

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V
Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

What is Temple Bar Hotel like?

We arrived late in the evening and were met with a warm welcome. During the check in process, we were upgraded to an Executive room and then handed a small tub of vanilla ice cream each – a really unusual, but lovely touch!

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

The entire hotel has a timeless classic style; a greyish blue colour scheme with pops of yellow, making it look very classy!

As we exited the lift on the second floor, the hotel felt like a bit of a maze; with long windy corridors going off in all directions. We found our room quite easily and were pleasantly surprised to see how spacious it was considering our very central location!

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

While the room itself was spacious, the interiors have a Scandinavian feel, which I’m personally not a fan of. It was comfortable, but far too minimal for my liking and therefore didn’t feel very cosy. The carpet wasn’t plush and furniture felt quite cheap, so the room itself didn’t feel like a four star establishment.

Decor woes aside, the bed was extremely comfortable and essentially that’s one of the most important things!

There was plenty of storage; a large wardrobe, flatscreen tv and a desk at one end of the room. Perfect for me as I needed to work from the hotel while Jass was at work. Though it obviously doubled up as a dressing table, I found that the lighting in the room was too dim to apply makeup, particularly in February when it’s so dull outside anyway. Instead, I used to perch by the window with a hand held mirror and use the ledge to rest my makeup on.

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

Tucked inside the wardrobe were a pair of slippers each and an umbrella, which is always a necessity.. Particularly in Ireland, in the winter! It was a lovely touch, and one we certainly made use of on multiple occasions.

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

We had a kettle and tea/coffee making facilities in our room, so I called reception to enquire about a fridge. If I can, I like to buy a carton of my own dairy-free milk to store in the room so I can make myself hot drinks.

In less than ten minutes, Lucas (the receptionist) had brought a portable fridge up to the room himself and plugged it in for us. I was impressed with how efficient the service was – and in fact we got to know Lucas during our stay. He was always incredibly friendly, went above and beyond for all guests and had a great sense of humour! It made our stay that little more personable and enjoyable!

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V
Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

The bathroom, like the room gave me Scandi design vibes. While very clean and minimal, it was all white, tiled, had a large rainfall shower and some great Paul Costello toiletries.

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

As the name might suggest, this hotel is located in Temple Bar; surrounded by pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs. It has a great vibe in the evenings, but understandably, it can be noisy at night depending on where your room is situated. Thankfully, our room was set further back and looked onto one of the side streets, so we didn’t have any problems with noise. Should you be a light sleeper though, each room is thoughtfully kitted out with some earplugs.

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

Breakfast at Temple Bar Hotel

The hotel has 2 onsite restaurants which offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also a bar which features a TV with live sports, where guests can get discounted food and drinks upon showing their keycard.

We didn’t have breakfast included as part of our stay, but we did go and have a peek at it one morning. Breakfast buffet selections tend to be fairly similar across hotels, with some obviously going the extra mile. This certainly looked like one of those hotels.

The first thing I noticed that really impressed me were blueberries and raspberries. It sounds ridiculous, but you always get the same boring fruit in hotels in the UK and Ireland – apples, bananas and oranges, chopped pineapple and melon. As somebody who has a penchant for berries in particular, this really wowed me.

Together with a full Irish cooked breakfast, they had pancakes, cereals, granola, yogurt and every topping imaginable! Hot drinks were table service, as they served proper barista coffee over simple filter coffee.

It’s pricey to book it separately if not included in your stay, but it all looked so delicious!  

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

Temple Bar Hotel Location

Perfectly located on Fleet Street, at the top end near Westmoreland Street, Temple Bar Hotel provides easy access to the Luas tram, busses, Hop on/Hop off bus stop and Trinity College. The Air-coach shuttle to/from the airport stops nearby and is less than a 1-minute walk to the hotel.

It’s also a 5-minute walk from Dublin’s two main shopping streets, Grafton Street and Henry Street. St Stephen’s Green and St Patrick’s Cathedral are both within a 10-minute walk.

It’s the perfect location for couples, hen/stag parties or short trips to the city where you want to be close to all the popular sites. It’s not so great to book for your granny though.

PIN THESE FOR LATER

Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V
Temple Bar Hotel, Dublin Review, Nishi V

This hotel is fabulous and we really enjoyed our time staying in this vibrant area! Now that we’ve done it once, I’m not sure we’d book to stay here again though.

If, like us, you prefer staying in the heart of the city but somewhere slightly less crowded and noisy, I cannot recommend The Morrison enough. It’ll always be my favourite place to stay in Dublin; read my review here.

Read more about Ireland:

Need help planning your trip from start to finish?

Check out these helpful links:

Nishi is award-winning UK travel writer with a love for destinations beyond the obvious. After exploring 50+ countries and developing a particular soft spot for Asia, she designs curated journeys across Asia and refined European escapes – balancing adventure with affordable luxury.
Whether you’re looking for travel inspiration, destination guides for couples who want something a little more exceptional or the best vegan and vegetarian food abroad, you’re in the right place.