Bright lights and big Dublin city

There’s nothing better than being someone else’s guest, says Mark Evans as he checks into the Castleknock Hotel.  

IT’S USUAL on this page to find an intrepid reporter, with family in tow, marvelling as they find themselves attaining something between calm and nirvana during a hotel stay. The pursuit of ‘relaxation’ during a weekend break away from our own home is one which we Irish relish, determined to rid ourselves of the stresses and strains caused by weekday life and work.

Luckily for us, Irish hotels know the antidote. No doubt you’ve read and envied our intrepid reporters, and their families, as they unwound in languid pools, or forgot about the rat race during forest walks, or lost themselves in the simple luxuries of being someone else’s guest, or burbled with joy over fine food. Hotels usually know what we need.