Dublin for lovers

Check into an old-fashioned Georgian townhouse
Browne's Townhouse, a home converted into an intimate hotel of just 11 rooms, faces St Stephen's Green, one of the city's original commons and a perfect park to wander hand-in-hand. The hotel is the kind of place where guests relax in front of the sitting room fire and leisurely read newspapers and the concierge jumps up when you enter to offer a cup of tea or coffee. The Brasserie, pleasantly packed on the night we visited, draws celebratory groups and canoodling couples.

With all the extras in hotels these days, we frequently find it hard to relax, we're so busy checking out the pool, the gym, the in-room video games. As a result, we enjoyed the genteel vibe at Browne's. Our large room including a walk-in dressing room, a four-poster bed and glass doors leading a small outside space for a breath of air in summer. While it had a TV with several channels and a CD player (if only we'd packed the Barry White), we found ourselves enjoying a long hot shower then reading in four-poster bed, happy to not be in thrall to cable TV or movies on demand. The décor is the opposite of the latest hotel chic - the fabrics were richly coloured and our entire room was wallpapered in pastoral scenes. It's not pristine - a corner of the bathroom wallpaper was peeling and the fixture above our bed was loose. But we felt like we were staying in a lovely old aunt's home rather than a bought-and-paid-for room.

Just down the block sits the Shelbourne Hotel, one of only four remaining Dublin landmarks mentioned in Ulysses. James Joyce wrote in the hotel bar, and Graham Greene penned part of poignant The End of the Affair while living here. Stop by for a drink in the historic bar or have tea in the high-ceilinged sitting room.

Experience sky-high city views
Even before you enter through the brick wall surrounding Guinness' massive St James Gate compound, you can smell the roasted barley. Inside, the company has turned a former fermentation plant into a visitor attraction called the Guinness Storehouse (pictured at top of article). More an art installation than a brewery tour, the Storehouse contains five floors of exhibition space, with old equipment on display (we would have loved more explanation on its use), an interactive exhibit of old Guinness ads (including the famous one with the Perez Prado soundtrack) and a video of traditional cask-making, among other things. Whether or not you buy into the company's reverential schtick, the view from the top-floor 360-degree Gravity Bar, where you're served your complimentary pint, is undeniably worth the visit. A high-spirited atmosphere reigns, with university students sitting on the floor, couples reading Joyce quotes stencilled on the windows and women taking in the views. A café and bar two floors below serves tasty soups, salads and light meals. Note that the Storehouse is quite a way from the middle of town; take a cab or one of the buses that regularly stop there from the city centre.

Marry romance and literature with an affordable literary lovers tour of Dublin

Get more tips and ideas for visiting in our Dublin City Guide

Address book and flights

Whitefriar Street Church
56 Aungier Street
Dublin 2
+353 1 4758821

Dublin Castle
Dublin 2
+353 1 677 7129
www.dublincastle.ie/

Brown Thomas
88-95 Grafton Street
Dublin 2
+353 1 605 6666

Browne's Townhouse
22 St Stephen's Green
Dublin 2
www.brownesdublin.com/home.htm
+353 1 638-3939

Guinness Storehouse
St James's Gate
Dublin 8
www.guinnessstorehouse.com/info.asp

Flights
We flew with the AirMiles Travel Company, which can organise flights and hotels - you don't have to be an AirMiles collector to travel with them. They run return flights from Birmingham to Dublin. Call 0870 60 737 41 or visit www.airmiles.co.uk