Heading to the Amalfi Coast next weekend (Sorrento, Amalfi & Capri). Does anyone have any dining recommendations. Since we will only be in the area 4 nights, we'd like to experience some top notch dining.


Following this up with 3 nights in Dublin, Ireland. Any recommendations for things that we have/need to do? Was thinking about doing the Teeling Whiskey tour and perhaps Guiness (even though I hate Guiness beer).

Any other recommendations for Dublin would be appreciated. We will not have a rental car as of now. Staying at The Marker Hotel.


Thanks

FriscoHeavy wrote:

Heading to the Amalfi Coast next weekend (Sorrento, Amalfi & Capri). Does anyone have any dining recommendations. Since we will only be in the area 4 nights, we'd like to experience some top notch dining.


Following this up with 3 nights in Dublin, Ireland. Any recommendations for things that we have/need to do? Was thinking about doing the Teeling Whiskey tour and perhaps Guiness (even though I hate Guiness beer).

Any other recommendations for Dublin would be appreciated. We will not have a rental car as of now. Staying at The Marker Hotel.


Thanks

Can't comment on Amalfi as I have not been, but will be there in 2 weeks, staying in Sorrento Ironically I also stayed at The Marker last summer when I visited Dublin. We didn't have a car either, cab from the airport was about 35-40 Euros each way. Everything is within walking distance for the most part. It's about 1-2.5km to everything, Temple Bar area, The Spire, Trinity College, St. Stephen Green etc. The furthest we walked from the hotel was to Trinity College, from there we jumped on a bus to the Guinness factory.

Even though you don't like Guinness I would still recommend the tour, it was one of the best brewery tours I've been on, buy tickets online as they're only 14 Euro, and includes a pint that you can pour yourself. If you're a drunk like me you'll want to do the Guinness and either the Teeling or Jameson Distillery tours back to back. After a few pints at the Guinness factory it was a 15-20 minute stumble across the Liffy to the Jameson Distillery, tour was pretty good too, although I don't remember much after that, we ended up taking a cab back to the hotel after.

Now I don't know what you enjoy in a hotel so this is purely based off my experience alone but I was not a fan of The Marker. The only reason I stayed there was because a friend of mine was there on Business for 2 weeks and was staying there, basically just crashed with him for free for a few nights. Cheap hotels and hostels are more my speed. Don't get me wrong, it was really nice, probably one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at but the atmosphere was boring. To many stuck up people, the lobby bar was a ghost town, the roof-top bar was cool, great views, but again to many pretentious/stuck up people, almost impossible to carry conversations with people, they would just make small talk and return to their seats. We hardly spent any time there and would often go to other hostel/hotel bars in the evenings as it was a lot more fun. The Spencer Hotel Cocktail Bar was a good spot, great atmosphere, music, a huge selection of fancy cocktail drinks and the bartenders were awesome.

The good thing about The Marker is the location is great. Check-out Ferryman O'Briens just down the street, great little pub, always packed after work. Also the HQ was kinda cool, just across the river in the financial district. Hot tip, don't pay for breakfast at the marker, walk across the square to the grocery store (forget the name) get a fresh sandwich on a baguette or there are a few cafe's along that stretch too. The breakfast at the Marker was expensive and was not that great at all.

A little long winded, sorry but I hope you have a better idea now. I loved Dublin and would go back in a heartbeat. Such a fun city with lots to see and do packed into a small area. Enjoy your trip!

ryan78 wrote:

FriscoHeavy wrote:

Heading to the Amalfi Coast next weekend (Sorrento, Amalfi & Capri). Does anyone have any dining recommendations. Since we will only be in the area 4 nights, we'd like to experience some top notch dining.


Following this up with 3 nights in Dublin, Ireland. Any recommendations for things that we have/need to do? Was thinking about doing the Teeling Whiskey tour and perhaps Guiness (even though I hate Guiness beer).

Any other recommendations for Dublin would be appreciated. We will not have a rental car as of now. Staying at The Marker Hotel.


Thanks

Can't comment on Amalfi as I have not been, but will be there in 2 weeks, staying in Sorrento Ironically I also stayed at The Marker last summer when I visited Dublin. We didn't have a car either, cab from the airport was about 35-40 Euros each way. Everything is within walking distance for the most part. It's about 1-2.5km to everything, Temple Bar area, The Spire, Trinity College, St. Stephen Green etc. The furthest we walked from the hotel was to Trinity College, from there we jumped on a bus to the Guinness factory.

Even though you don't like Guinness I would still recommend the tour, it was one of the best brewery tours I've been on, buy tickets online as they're only 14 Euro, and includes a pint that you can pour yourself. If you're a drunk like me you'll want to do the Guinness and either the Teeling or Jameson Distillery tours back to back. After a few pints at the Guinness factory it was a 15-20 minute stumble across the Liffy to the Jameson Distillery, tour was pretty good too, although I don't remember much after that, we ended up taking a cab back to the hotel after.

Now I don't know what you enjoy in a hotel so this is purely based off my experience alone but I was not a fan of The Marker. The only reason I stayed there was because a friend of mine was there on Business for 2 weeks and was staying there, basically just crashed with him for free for a few nights. Cheap hotels and hostels are more my speed. Don't get me wrong, it was really nice, probably one of the nicest hotels I've stayed at but the atmosphere was boring. To many stuck up people, the lobby bar was a ghost town, the roof-top bar was cool, great views, but again to many pretentious/stuck up people, almost impossible to carry conversations with people, they would just make small talk and return to their seats. We hardly spent any time there and would often go to other hostel/hotel bars in the evenings as it was a lot more fun. The Spencer Hotel Cocktail Bar was a good spot, great atmosphere, music, a huge selection of fancy cocktail drinks and the bartenders were awesome.

The good thing about The Marker is the location is great. Check-out Ferryman O'Briens just down the street, great little pub, always packed after work. Also the HQ was kinda cool, just across the river in the financial district. Hot tip, don't pay for breakfast at the marker, walk across the square to the grocery store (forget the name) get a fresh sandwich on a baguette or there are a few cafe's along that stretch too. The breakfast at the Marker was expensive and was not that great at all.

A little long winded, sorry but I hope you have a better idea now. I loved Dublin and would go back in a heartbeat. Such a fun city with lots to see and do packed into a small area. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the information!!

We will likely do the Guiness Tour as well, since you, along with others, have stated how neat it is. I just booked the Teeling Tour for Sept 8th as a final thing to do (aside from dinner) before we head home.

I'm glad to hear our hotel is within walking distance of most everything. From what you described, it fits us well. We are not stuck up, but we are classy people and enjoy comfort....so staying in a hostel or run down shack motel isn't going to cut it. I'm glad you feel that is was a nice place.

I appreciate the food tips. We don't eat at the hotel (other than some coffee in the morning), so we will definitely go get a sandwich at the cafe


How long does it take to get to/from the airport and hotel via taxi?


Thanks

ryan78,

Just booked/purchased tickets for the Guinness Tour.

FriscoHeavy wrote:

How long does it take to get to/from the airport and hotel via taxi?


Thanks

Took me about half an hour/twentyfive minutes the last time I was there, IIRC, however we stayed in the south of the city (further south than St Steven's Green) so if you're closer to the city center or even north of river Liffey it may be considerably quicker.

I too, can only recommend the Guinness brewery, they did a great job at making it an interactive exhibition. Trinity college is also worth visiting if I may note.
We stayed at the Pembroke Townhouse which was a really charming place I'd recommend any day although it's a bit far off as I mentioned. They had really good breakfast, all selfmade and every afternoon you'd be able to take some tea by the lobby accompanied by really creative cakes that they'd bake every day.

I arrived DUB by train from Limerick Junction (arriving by air in Shannon) but used a bus/coach service to DUB airport.for flight on to EDI.
We stayed at the Hilton and found the light rail system was easy to use and a stop was literally right at the hotel.
The surrounding area of the Hilton was very convenient for walking access to restaurants and pubs nearby. Close by St. Stephens Green.
In our visit to Sorrento and Capri, we ate a wonderful meal in Sorrento near the waterfront ( had arrived on ferry from Capri) but can't recall name.
Everything tastes good in Italy and we found many food venues and choices in Capri. Coffee and gelato at a sidewalk café was our favorite.
Surprised to find a Best Western hotel on Capri in a prime location with reasonable rates. Would go back there in a heartbeat.
Biggest surprises. Dublin was expensive on the Euro. Italy was just Italy. Loved the food, wine and people.
Rome was typically busy, noisy, traffic and touristy. Would just go back to Sorrento and Capri.
Best WIshes for a great trip. A lifetime experience in either country.
P.S. Please go back to your original profile picture. Much more becoming and we need little reminder of who is in D.C.

Shame you are not asking about North/Central Italy, I know some amazing restaurants in Rome and Florence, the coast is a place on our list, so please report back.

In general though, don't get stuck on one dish, as you travel from town to town you will run into dishes with the same name, that are different, every town seems to have it's own variation on the same dish, it can be confusing.

Dublin, yes the Guinness tour is worth it, I found it very interesting, plus the view from the tower can't be beat.

When it comes to Irish hotels, DO NOT trust the star rating system, the use a magic 8 ball to come up with their ratings, we stayed in 5 star places that would rank right up their with a bad Motel 6 and a 4 star place that ranked up their with some true 5 star properties we stayed at around the world, do your homework on trip advisor.

jetwet1 wrote:

Shame you are not asking about North/Central Italy, I know some amazing restaurants in Rome and Florence, the coast is a place on our list, so please report back.

In general though, don't get stuck on one dish, as you travel from town to town you will run into dishes with the same name, that are different, every town seems to have it's own variation on the same dish, it can be confusing.

Dublin, yes the Guinness tour is worth it, I found it very interesting, plus the view from the tower can't be beat.

When it comes to Irish hotels, DO NOT trust the star rating system, the use a magic 8 ball to come up with their ratings, we stayed in 5 star places that would rank right up their with a bad Motel 6 and a 4 star place that ranked up their with some true 5 star properties we stayed at around the world, do your homework on trip advisor.

We have been to Tuscany area, Florence, Milan before. This is a 'dream trip' for my wife who has always wanted to go to Capri and the Amalfi Coast. One day, we'll have to make it to Rome, but sadly, it won't be on this trip.

Good to hear about the Guinness Tour -- booked and ready to go.

Thanks!

PI4EVER wrote:

I arrived DUB by train from Limerick Junction (arriving by air in Shannon) but used a bus/coach service to DUB airport.for flight on to EDI.
We stayed at the Hilton and found the light rail system was easy to use and a stop was literally right at the hotel.
The surrounding area of the Hilton was very convenient for walking access to restaurants and pubs nearby. Close by St. Stephens Green.
In our visit to Sorrento and Capri, we ate a wonderful meal in Sorrento near the waterfront ( had arrived on ferry from Capri) but can't recall name.
Everything tastes good in Italy and we found many food venues and choices in Capri. Coffee and gelato at a sidewalk café was our favorite.
Surprised to find a Best Western hotel on Capri in a prime location with reasonable rates. Would go back there in a heartbeat.
Biggest surprises. Dublin was expensive on the Euro. Italy was just Italy. Loved the food, wine and people.
Rome was typically busy, noisy, traffic and touristy. Would just go back to Sorrento and Capri.
Best WIshes for a great trip. A lifetime experience in either country.
P.S. Please go back to your original profile picture. Much more becoming and we need little reminder of who is in D.C.

I will see if we can find a the restaurant by waterfront as we are staying near the water and also taking the ferry from Capri back to Sorrento. Look forward to trying to find it.

P.S. I won't change my picture. I love Trump. Would you suggest the same for the person who has a picture of Obama?

FriscoHeavy wrote:

How long does it take to get to/from the airport and hotel via taxi?
Thanks

Taxi was about 30-35 mins at 10am in the morning, there was construction on the main route to downtown so our cabbie took some side roads to try and save time. Mind you this was last July so the construction may be finished by now. In no traffic, google says about 25 mins.

FriscoHeavy:
My intent was to provide you helpful travel information and that be the extent of it.
My apologies for the inappropriate comment about your profile picture. Comments of that nature have no place in this forum.
Thomas

ryan78 wrote:

FriscoHeavy wrote:

How long does it take to get to/from the airport and hotel via taxi?
Thanks

Taxi was about 30-35 mins at 10am in the morning, there was construction on the main route to downtown so our cabbie took some side roads to try and save time. Mind you this was last July so the construction may be finished by now. In no traffic, google says about 25 mins.

Thank you very much. Looks like it won't take very long.

So far, for Dublin, we have the Guinness and Teeling Tour lined up back to back on Sept 8th, which will take up all afternoon. Then we'll have dinner and head home on the morning of the 9th.

My wife and I appreciate the feedback everyone has given so far.

Sincerely,

Has anyone been to the Blue Grotto in Capri? If so, was it worth it? What did you think about it?

Thanks

My parent stayed at the Grand Hotel Capodmonte in Sorrento and raved about the food in the restaurant with tables overlooking the bay.

They think you don't have to be staying there to eat there

FriscoHeavy wrote:

Has anyone been to the Blue Grotto in Capri? If so, was it worth it? What did you think about it?

Thanks

Hello - DUB based guy here. If you have any specific questions or would like to avoid the tourist traps and experience authentic Dublin spots, please feel free to PM me. Happy to provide recommendations for dinners, beers and sightseeing.

sbworcs wrote:

My parent stayed at the Grand Hotel Capodmonte in Sorrento and raved about the food in the restaurant with tables overlooking the bay.

They think you don't have to be staying there to eat there

Much appreciated. We will go there on Sept 5th!!

Thanks!

I went to Ireland last year. We only spent 24 hours in Dublin though and then got out of town to the rest of the country. If you had more time I would have said to drive or train to other parts. I enjoyed them a lot more than Dublin proper.

All that said. The Guinness tour is a good move. The part that made me laugh was that they make Budweiser there and you can get it as your free drink.

The other thing we did in Dublin was some walking tour that was free and at the end you just pay what you think it was worth. I can't remember the company name but I know they do other cities in Europe also. Maybe someone in here will know. I thought it was pretty good. Took a couple hours.

FriscoHeavy wrote:

sbworcs wrote:

My parent stayed at the Grand Hotel Capodmonte in Sorrento and raved about the food in the restaurant with tables overlooking the bay.

They think you don't have to be staying there to eat there

Much appreciated. We will go there on Sept 5th!!

Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed your trip!